Is your Park County income sufficient to keep you going?
The Wyoming Women’s Foundation has released an updated, 2020 version of their Self-Sufficiency Calculator. The Self-Sufficiency Standard calculates how much income families of various sizes and compositions need to make ends meet at a minimally adequate level without public or private assistance. The calculator determines how much income is required to meet basic needs, with the amount varying by family composition and geographic location.
So what does the Calculator say about Park County? It depends on your family size. For a stereotypical nuclear family in Wyoming – 2 Adults + 1 Infant + 1 Preschooler – the hourly wage for each adult would need to be around $22.53 cents. On a minimum wage, the number of hours a needed per week to meet basic needs is 124. The calculator and foundation strenuously emphasize that a minimum wage job at $7.25 an hour does not cover the cost of basic needs in Wyoming. While Park County is on the higher end in the state, its not the highest. That distinction goes to Jackson.
Is this all a bit too technical? You can explore it yourself with the Self Sufficiency Calendar on the Wyoming Women’s Foundation website: https://wywf.org/self-sufficiency-calculator/
