Report Shows 1 in 7 Iowa Households Are Not Financially Self-Sufficient

(Des Moines, IA) — A new report from a progressive think tank finds 15 percent of Iowa households with at least one full-time worker did not have enough income to meet basic needs in 2020. The “Cost of Living in Iowa” report from Common Good Iowa finds nearly half of single-parent families needed government assistance to cover basic living expenses. Peter Fisher, research director for the think tank, says, “half the jobs in Iowa don’t pay enough for a single parent with two children to make a living and cover the costs of childcare.” He also says most Iowa workers need to earn at least twice the minimum wage to have an income that covers a “bare-bones” budget for food, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and — if there are kids — child care.