Definition: Estimated annual wages necessary for a family to meet their basic needs without public subsidies or private/informal assistance, by family composition (e.g., in 2018, a family of two adults and two school-aged children living in Los Angeles County required annual wages of at least $71,327 in order to meet their basic needs, according to the Self-Sufficiency Standard).
Data Source: University of Washington School of Social Work, Center for Women's Welfare custom tabulation (May 2019).
Footnote: The Self-Sufficiency Standard for California calculates the full cost for six basic needs (housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and other necessities), factors in taxes and tax credits, and adjusts for variation in place of residence and family composition. All adults in a family are assumed to work full time. Infants are children ages 0-2; school-age children are those ages 6-12; teenagers are youth ages 13-18. For more information, refer to the methodology report.
