The Center for Women's Welfare (CWW) develops and calculates the Self-Sufficiency Standard—a budget-based measure of the real cost of living and an alternative to the federal poverty measure.
The Self-Sufficiency Standard determines the amount of income required for working families to meet basic needs at a minimally adequate level, taking into account family composition, ages of children, and geographic differences in costs. More about the Standard. . .
The Standard is calculated for 37 states and the District of Columbia. Click here to find data, reports and partners in your state.
The Standard is widely used
Click here for information about the new Supplemental Poverty Measure