Report: Living Costs in Calif. Exceed Federal Poverty Level

The Insight Center for Community Economic Development's 2011 Self-Sufficiency Standard report found that a four-member family in California would need to earn more than $63,000 annually -- or nearly three times the federal poverty level -- to cover basic needs, such as health care, housing and food. According to the report, the pre-tax income necessary to cover basic expenses for the average family of two working, married adults with two young children ranged from $53,775 in Tulare County to $86,629 in Marin County. Although wages have remained stagnant since the center's 2008 report, there were double-digit increases in living costs throughout the state.

• "Federal Poverty Level Falls Short of Basic Needs, Data Shows" (Lin, California Watch, 10/4).
• "Study Finds Sharp Cost-of-Living Increases in California" (Walters, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 10/3).