Foodshare

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Low-wage jobs mean more $ spent on SNAP

Across the country, over half a million fewer people participated in SNAP this January as compared to last January. But in Connecticut, over 4,000 more people used SNAP in this same time period. With so many new jobs added, how is this possible?

More than half of the jobs that Connecticut added between 2010 and 2014 were in occupations with a median wage at or below the 25th percentile wage for all occupations. Growth in Connecticut’s total private average hourly earnings (not adjusted for inflation) has significantly lagged behind the rest of the US, now just 1.11% above 2010 levels.

Consequently, Connecticut’s working families need to rely on public programs more than those in other states. So how much does one really need to survive here in Connecticut? Check out this Living Wage Calculator, created by a faculty member at MIT. You might be surprised...

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