All this week on RTV6 at 6 p.m., Call 6 Investigates Kara Kenney is looking at the true Cost of Living in Indiana and how you can get ahead.
INDIANAPOLIS -- If you’d like to know how much it takes to by without government assistance, there’s a new tool you can use.
It’s called the Indiana Self-Sufficiency Standard Calculator.
You enter how many children you have, their ages, the number of adults living in the home, as well as which county you live in, and the calculator will determine how much you need to survive on your own without public or private help.
The tool will also point out which jobs pay that wage in your region.
“They click on electrician, it shows the average wage an electrician earns in Marion County and then all the training facilities nearby where you can get the training you need to get the job," said Jessica Fraser, policy analyst with the Indiana Institute for Working Families.
MORE | Click here to check out the calculator
“That should be shocking to people,” said Fraser. “65% of jobs in 2015 did not pay enough for a family of 3 to be self-sufficient.”
The amount of income families need to be economically self-sufficient varies considerably depending on where you live.
For instance, the amount needed to make ends meet for one adult and one preschooler varies from $13.58 per hour ($28,681 annually) in Cass County to $23.18 per hour ($48,951 annually) in Hamilton County.
A family with one parent, a baby and a preschooler would need a $55,388 annual income to survive without any help.
“This is very bare bones and doesn’t include ordering pizza or coffee, or buying a birthday present,” said Fraser.
Click here to read the Institute for Working Families' full report on self-sufficiency.
All this week on RTV6 at 6 p.m., Call 6 Investigates Kara Kenney is looking at the true Cost of Living in Indiana and how you can get ahead.
