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Home >> Research >> Family Economic Security

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Report Uncovers What It Really Takes to Make Ends Meet in Texas (Press Release)

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Authors:
Celia Hagert /(512) 320-0222 x110
Frances Deviney /(512) 320-0222 x 106

August 30, 2007

New Report Uncovers What It Really Takes to Make Ends Meet in Texas: Press Release >>  
The Family Budget Estimator: What It Really Takes to Get By In Texas >>  

(Visit http://www.cppp.org/fbe for the full report and interactive website, which includes budget data for the metropolitan areas, family profiles, fact sheets, and policy recommendations.) It's been well documented that the federal poverty level doesn't accurately measure today's cost of living. But what does it really take to get by in Texas? The Family Budget Estimator: What It Really Takes to Get By in Texas, released today by the Center for Public Policy Priorities, finds that what a 2-parent, 2-child family needs to earn to afford housing, food, child care, health care, transportation, and other basic needs without relying on government assistance ranges from $29,982 a year in the Brownsville/Harlingen area to $45,770 a year in the Fort Worth/Arlington area. This is between $9,332 and $25,120 more than the poverty level and assumes that the family has employer-sponsored health insurance.