The Cost of Living

NPR talked with Shawn McMahon, who calculates individual and family budgets as the research director for the Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), a group that works with low-income women and families.

According to the nonprofit group's Basic Economic Security Tables index, American families need to earn at least $68,000 a year to achieve basic economic security. As NPR points out, that's more than three times higher than the national poverty level. Plus, child care and transportation often top housing as the biggest household expense.

Here are some other tidbits pulled from the report:

"The large majority of US employers still offer health insurance to their full-time workers. However, a large minority of all US workers, 46%, don't or can't partici- pate in employer insurance plans. The average 2-adult, 2-child family which cannot or does not participate

in an employer-sponsored health insurance plan pays $224 more per month—$2,687 per year—more than those who do participate in employer health plans."

"The eight largest occupations among women are all traditional 'women's jobs.' Most pay low wages, and only 1 requires a bachelor's degree." (Click on image below to enlarge.)