Income to meet basic needs in New Hampshire

These estimates are presented to provide context for the estimates of median income and to gain an understanding of how much income families actually need to have their basic needs met.

According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, "Analysts and policy makers often compare income to the federal poverty threshold in order to determine an individual’s ability to live within a certain standard of living. However, poverty thresholds do not account for living costs beyond a very basic food budget. The federal poverty measure does not take into consideration costs like childcare and health care that not only draw from one’s income, but also are determining factors in one’s ability to work and to endure the potential hardships associated with balancing employment and other aspects of everyday life. Further, poverty thresholds do not account for geographic variation in the cost of essential household expenses."¹

MIT's living wage model, first created by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier, provides an alternative to the federal poverty threshold that more fully accounts for a family's basic needs.

¹ Glasmeier, Amy K. About the Living Wage Calculator. 2020. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. livingwage.mit.edu

These estimates are presented to provide context for the estimates of median income and to gain an understanding of how much income families actually need to have their basic needs met.

According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, "Analysts and policy makers often compare income to the federal poverty threshold in order to determine an individual’s ability to live within a certain standard of living. However, poverty thresholds do not account for living costs beyond a very basic food budget. The federal poverty measure does not take into consideration costs like childcare and health care that not only draw from one’s income, but also are determining factors in one’s ability to work and to endure the potential hardships associated with balancing employment and other aspects of everyday life. Further, poverty thresholds do not account for geographic variation in the cost of essential household expenses."¹

MIT's living wage model, first created by Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier, provides an alternative to the federal poverty threshold that more fully accounts for a family's basic needs.

¹ Glasmeier, Amy K. About the Living Wage Calculator. 2020. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. livingwage.mit.edu