Items Cost
food and groceries $821.33
medical $751.33
housing $1,324.17
transportation $1,251.00
monthly taxes $882.58
other necessities $745.67
The table shows the monthly basic needs budget for a 2-child
family with 1 working adult in Fort Worth, Texas.
Determine what hourly wage, working full-time, is required
to meet the family’s basic needs. Round to the nearest
hundredth.
To determine the hourly wage required to meet the family's basic needs, we need to calculate the total monthly expenses.
Total monthly expenses = food and groceries + medical + housing + transportation + monthly taxes + other necessities
Total monthly expenses = $821.33 + $751.33 + $1,324.17 + $1,251.00 + $882.58 + $745.67
Total monthly expenses = $5,775.08
To calculate the hourly wage required to meet the family's basic needs, we divide the total monthly expenses by the number of working hours in a month. Assuming a 40-hour workweek and a 4-week month:
Total working hours in a month = 40 hours/week * 4 weeks/month = 160 hours/month
Hourly wage required = Total monthly expenses / Total working hours in a month
Hourly wage required = $5,775.08 / 160 hours
Hourly wage required = $36.09
Therefore, a working full-time, the adult needs an hourly wage of $36.09 to meet the family's basic needs.