In NJ, More Than 1/3 Struggle To Get By: Report

The federal poverty rate in New Jersey was officially 10 percent in 2010 but a new report commissioned by the United Way of Northern New Jersey estimates that over one-third of state’s households are struggling to get by.

The report challenges the federal poverty measure and creates a higher threshold for what it takes to meet basic living expenses in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties. It uses the acronym ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed, to describe households who may be above the federal poverty measure but continue to struggle financially. Government data and other sources were used to determine the cost of essentials such as housing, food, childcare, and medical care. According to the report, it takes an average of $58,500 for a family of four to live in New Jersey. The federal poverty threshold for the same size family is just over $22,000 a year.

According to the report, seniors make up the largest portion of these households living above the federal poverty line but below what the report considers the threshold for surviving in the state. “Social Security has lowered the number of senior households in poverty, but does not enable self-sufficiency,” the report said. Read more in WNYC.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. of course we are struggling. becase today everyone MUST have 2 cars & the best vacation & house. when in reality we can manage with one car, & we don’t NEED to buy a house we could still rent & B”H there are many affordable & cheap vacations a person can take. BUT everyone needs to be fancy. its the poor people that make the fancy parties, cause they need to show everyone that their not really poor.

    i wish them help & advise them to seek guidance.

    how many of us have done the right thing for today? which is instead of getting another $10,000 loan from the bank-to get something really unnecessary-& heading into a life of stress & dept. have instead sat down with their spouse & said lets make a budget? example:if now is chanuka time & you only go out to the restaurant once a week-instead of twice-i’m sure by the time the summer comes you will have enough money to pay for ALL your childrens camps. this is just one example

    signed:
    a financial adviser helping people get back on track & be happy
    HATZLACHA TO EVERYONE

  2. There’s a wonderful organization in LKWD just for that. Mesila helped already so many people to get clarity on what their budget is, what they can afford on that budget and empowered them to make sound financial decision.

  3. because if 1/3 of people are struggling to get by, 2/3ds of the people are doing fine.
    Also, i have tried to make this point multiple times, but often edited. There is a huge problem if your children’s tuition bill is larger then your income.

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