{"id":550034,"date":"2026-03-20T23:49:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T23:49:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/550034\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T23:49:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T23:49:33","slug":"families-need-a-six-figure-income-to-thrive-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/550034\/","title":{"rendered":"Families Need a Six-Figure Income to Thrive in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Thriving \u2014 in this economy? For most families, new research finds, it requires a six-figure income.<\/p>\n

In order to fully participate in today\u2019s economy and be \u201cprimed to thrive,\u201d families need to earn between $96,000 and $150,000 per year, depending on the number and age of the family members living at home. For singles without children, it\u2019s about $64,000.<\/p>\n

The findings are part of a study<\/a> released Monday by the Urban Institute, an economic policy think tank. The group created a measure to gauge what it costs for families to \u201cthrive, not just survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cConventional economic measures like the poverty rate or unemployment rate don\u2019t really speak to the struggles millions of families are facing,\u201d Mary Cunningham, senior vice president of research at Urban Institute, said during a webinar about the study<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

To account for this, the study considered a holistic group of factors in its analysis, such as expenses for food, health care, child care, clothing and saving for retirement<\/a>, as well as income from employment, benefits, cash transfers, tax credits and more. The measure was designed to reflect a realistic picture of earnings and expenses for a typical family.<\/p>\n

Whether Americans meet this new measure of financial stability is a coin toss. The Urban Institute says 49% of Americans earn less than the amount needed for economic security based on their family’s composition.<\/p>\n

By contrast, the latest data from the Census Bureau shows that the typical household earns about $84,000 \u2014 far below Urban\u2019s lowest threshold \u2014 and only 10.6% meet the official definition of poverty<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Parents are in survival mode<\/p>\n

The picture is especially bleak for parents. Urban\u2019s findings suggest most families with children are simply treading water.<\/p>\n

It takes $144,700 for a two-parent family with children to be considered financially stable, but median earnings for those households are $133,400. Overall, 56% of parents don\u2019t meet Urban\u2019s threshold.<\/p>\n

Single parents are faring much worse. A single parent with one child needs an income of $84,100 to achieve stability, but typical earnings are just $56,700. The gap widens the more children the single parent has. Almost 90% of single parents earn less than Urban\u2019s threshold.<\/p>\n

The study adds to a swelling body of research about the financial difficulties of raising children<\/a> in the U.S.<\/p>\n

In the latest American Family Survey, an annual study<\/a> run by Brigham Young University, more than 7 in 10 Americans now say that raising kids is unaffordable, a major jump from 58% the prior year.<\/p>\n

Of course, affordability is a universal concern right now, not just among parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmericans are worried about paying their bills,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cAt best, many are just getting by when they really want to be getting ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

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