PathWays PA Policy Blog

Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click ...

Figure A shows an example of the Self-Sufficiency Standard, with each monthly expense included in as a proportion of the total income necessary for a family with two adults, one preschooler, and one school-age child in Allegheny County. By far, housing and child care combined are the most expensive costs for families. Families with children (when one or more children are under school-age) generally spend about half their income on housing and child care expenses alone. The map (Figure B) highlights that the cost of meeting basic needs also varies geographically in Pennsylvania. The 2012-2013 Self-Sufficiency Standard for one parent with one preschooler ranges from $25,697 to $53,410 annually. The Self-Sufficiency Standard has stayed about the same since 2010 in each of the places shown for this family type in Figure C. The two largest budget items, housing and child care, had only modest changes since 2010. Since the first edition of the Pennsyl...

PathWays PA Newsletter   JOIN OUR MAILING LIST JOIN OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY IN THIS NEWSLETTER Release of the 2012-2013 Standard LIHEAP Application Online Human Trafficking Bill Sent to Governor Shared-Work Program comes to PA FREE Business Workshop Lost GA-PA Cares for ALL SURVEY SIGN-UP Human Trafficking Webinar LITERACY COALITION EVENT JOIN PATHWAYS PA TO CELEBRATE OUR 34TH ANNIVERSARY!. ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES IN THE NEWS October 11, 2012 - PathWaysPA releases 2012-2012 Self-Sufficiency Report "Overlooked and Undercounted"   October 17, 2012 Study: 1 in 4 Pennsylvania households struggle to make ends meet  Read More    October 18, 2012 25 percent of Pa. households below poverty standard Read More   PURCHASE ITEMS FROM THE PATHWAYS PA ART SHOW These items and more are available for sale, with all proceeds benefiting PathWays PA! For more information and to make your purchase, visit...

While the likelihood of experiencing inadequate income in Pennsylvania is concentrated among certain families by gender, race/ethnicity, education, and location, families with inadequate incomes are remarkably diverse. In terms of race and ethnicity, • 67% of households in Pennsylvania with inadequate income are White, • 19% are Black, • 10% are Latino, and • 4% are Asian/Pacific Islander. Of the households below the Standard in Pennsylvania: • 25% are married-couple households with children, • 24% are single-women households with children, • 5% are single-male households with children, and • the remaining 46% of the households below the Standard are family households without children and nonfamily households (also without children). Among Pennsylvania householders in families with inadequate income, • 14% lack a high school degree, • 39% have a high school degree, • 31% have some college or an Associate’s degree, and • 16% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Abou...