Featured Stories
A Bay Area Working Family’s Budget
Solano County Family
A Solano County firefighter and a waitress with one preschool-age child together earn an estimated $61,034 annually*—84 percent of the Bay Area median income. After taxes,** their monthly income is approximately $4,282. Average housing and transportation costs in Solano County consume about 63 percent of this family’s gross income, which leaves only $1,087 per month to cover other household expenses:
Spending 63 percent of their income on housing and transportation, this Solano County household is $854 short of covering even their basic essentials like food and healthcare.
* Average salaries for these professions in the Vallejo-Fairfield Metropolitan Statistical Area according to salary.com, as reported in the Center for Housing Policy’s Paycheck to Paycheck 2009. ** Tax estimates and monthly expenditures with the exception of housing and transportation are based on The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Solano County, CA 2008, produced by Insight Center for Community Economic Development.
A Santa Clara County Family
A physical therapist with one infant and one elementary school age child earns an estimated $85,125 annually*—117 percent of the Bay Area median income. After taxes,**monthly income is approximately $5,405.
Average housing and transportation costs in Santa Clara County consume about 52 percent of this family’s gross income, which leaves $1,707 per month to cover other household expenses: Spending 52 percent of their income on housing and transportation, this Santa Clara household is about $1,015 short of covering even the essentials like childcare and food.
* Average salaries for these professions in the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara Metropolitan Statistical Area according to salary.com, as reported in the Center for Housing Policy’s Paycheck to Paycheck 2009. ** Tax estimates and monthly expenditures with the exception of housing and transportation are based on The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Santa Clara County, CA 2008, produced by Insight Center for Community Economic Development.
