Self-Sufficient Wage
All families need enough income to cover their basic needs such as food, housing, transportation, and childcare. The amount of income required to provide these basic needs depends on family size, ages of children, the number of working adults, and geographic area in which the family resides. The following graph illustrates the disparity between the hourly median wage in the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area and the hourly wages needed for four different family types to meet their family’s basic needs.
The hourly median wage in the Cedar Rapids MSA is $15.69. The following reflects the median income of households in the Cedar Rapids MSA by Family Type, highlighting the financial challenges for singe female headed households to meet their family’s basic needs.
Median Income of Households in the Cedar Rapids MSA* by Family Type
| Married-couple families | $68,115 | ($32.75 per hour) |
| Female householder, no husband present | $27,820 | ($13.38 per hour) |
| Male householder, no wife present | $38,819 | ($18.66 per hour) |
*MSA = Metropolitan Statistical Area
Self-Sufficient Wage* by Family Type in 2010
| Single parent with one child | ($17.65 per hour) | ||
| Single parents with two children | ($20.98 per hour) | ||
| Two parents, one parent working, two children | ($18.15 per hour) | ||
| Two parents, both working, two children | ($13.42 per hour) |
Sources:
Iowa Policy Project, The Cost of Living in Iowa Report, January 2010
