>>> Paul Apodaca <[log in to unmask]> 11/17 9:10 PM >>>
>Poverty level in the United States according to U.S. Bureau of the Census
>in 1996 is $7,547 for an individual, $15,141 for a family of four. A point
>of reference.
For what city? Is it an average? Whereas points of reference are nice, having them without the background information needed to really understand what they mean is misleading (that is a whole other rant).
I have lived in NY, Boston, LA, and Washington, DC. Finding a one bedroom for less than $650/month in a non-gang infested, non-high crime neighborhood (hopefully not asking for too much) is damn difficult. That adds up to over $7547/year alone ($7800). Whereas friends of mine in smaller cities (e.g., Cincinati, St. Louis) could find comprable places for something like $250/month (note: some of these figures are out of date, they left these cities several years ago) which is less than half of the poverty level ($3000/year), so food and all may be possible as well on that salary. Also, in the LA and Washington areas, cars are highly useful (in LA almost a necessity, in DC only slightly less so). My car insurance for being in a halfway decent neighborhood, good driving record, female over 25 was $1400/year in LA (damn good price compared to friends) and <$600 in the Washington area. A bit of a difference there.
-angela
!
|
