CNA 2022-25 vFINAL 09202022 MASTER COPY - Flipbook - Page 19
In Steuben County schools in the 2020-2021 year, there were 87 English Language Learners, 1% of all
students. In Yates County, there were seven English Language Learners, .04% of all students.23 Looking at
the younger set, in Pro Action9s Head Start and Early Head Start programs for the 2020-2021 year, seven
out of the 511 children (1.4%) enrolled at some point during the year came from families that spoke a
language other than English at home.
B. The COST OF LIVING, INCOME and PUBLIC BENEFITS, and EMPLOYMENT
1. Introduction
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) publish and regularly update a Living
Wage Calculator for every county in the nation, enabling local analysis of the relationship between the
cost of living and local wages.24 The most recent update was done in May 2022.25
The [MIT] living wage is a 8step up9 from poverty as measured by the poverty thresholds, but it is a
small 8step up9, one that accounts for only the basic needs of a family. The living wage model does not
allow for what many consider the basic necessities enjoyed by many Americans. It does not budget
funds for pre-prepared meals or those eaten in restaurants. It does not include money for unpaid
vacations or holidays. Nor does it provide money income to cover unexpected expenses such as a
sudden illness, a major car repair, or the purchase of a household appliance such as a refrigerator.
Lastly, it does not provide a financial means for planning for the future through savings and
investment or for the purchase of capital assets (e.g., provisions for retirement or home purchases).
The living wage is the basic income standard that, if met, draws a very fine line between the financial
independence of the working poor and the need to seek out public assistance or suffer consistent and
severe housing and food insecurity. In light of this fact, the living wage is perhaps better defined
as a minimum subsistence wage for persons living in the United States.
Of necessity, any model for calculating a living wage is based on certain assumptions and definitions that
may or may not apply to each individual household. For instance, in the MIT Calculator, the amount given
as a living wage assumes that the individuals have health insurance provided by their employer, with
some of the premium cost shared with the employee. Because MIT9s living wage calculations are based on
assumptions, they should not be seen as absolutely true for all individuals. Nonetheless, they provide an
excellent means to indicate how relatively hard or easy it is to get by in any given geography.
2. The Living Wage for Working Adults
What this living wage data tells us is that, in Steuben County, the average weekly wage of $1,37626 is
solidly over the local living wage level and over 200% FPL (above the income eligibility level for most
public benefit programs). A full-time minimum wage worker in Steuben County has income well beneath
the living wage27 unless the household has all adults working and no children. For instance, a family with
two parents with one child (both working) earns about 74% of the living wage when they are paid the
average wage. Two children with a single parent working full-time at minimum wage have access to about
23
New York State Education Department, https://data.nysed.gov/lists.php?type=county
https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/36101 (Steuben) and https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/36123
(Yates)
25 https://livingwage.mit.edu/resources/Living-Wage-Users-Guide-Technical-Documentation-2022-0510.pdf
26 New York Department of Labor, https://dol.ny.gov/labor-data
27 MIT calculates living wage levels based on the number and types of members in a household. In Steuben
County, the living wage for a single parent with one child is $66,019, while the living wage for two parents
(one working) with one child is $62,296. In Yates County, the comparable figures are $66,706 and $62,982.
24
Pro Action of Steuben and Yates, Inc. Community Needs Assessment 2022 – 2025
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