Self-Sufficiency Standard: Estimates for Hawaii 2020

From DBEDT, December, 2021

...This report is an update on the performance of Hawaii’s self-sufficiency standard.

Consistent with the Family Self-Sufficiency Study (FESS) methodology, this study defines economic self sufficiency as the amount of money that individuals and families require to meet their basic needs without government and/or other subsidies. Also consistent with FESS, it is assumed that adults are working full-time (40-hour a week), with one or more jobs.

This study establishes Hawaii’s self-sufficient family income standards for 2020 and compares self sufficient family budgets with poverty thresholds, minimum wage level, and median family income for the five family types.

Major highlights of the study are that:

• Among all five family types, Hawaii County had the lowest self-sufficiency income requirements among all counties. For the single-adult category, Kauai had the highest self-sufficiency income requirements, followed by Honolulu and Maui. For the two-adult couple category, Kauai had the highest self-sufficiency income requirements, followed by Maui and Honolulu. For the one-adult with one child, the one-adult with two children, and the two-adult couples with two children categories, Honolulu had the highest self-sufficiency income requirements, followed by Kauai and Maui.

• The median income for families of single-adult, two-adult couple families without children, and two-adult couple families with two children exceeded self-sufficiency income needs. Median income of one-adult with one child and median income of one-adult with two children were below self-sufficiency income needs.

• Statewide, about 18.2% of two-adult couples with no children and 34.7% of two-adult couples with two children had incomes below the self-sufficiency standard in 2020. For single-adult with no children, single-adult with one child, and single-adult with two children 43.1%, 50.0%, and 80.0% had incomes below the self-sufficiency level, respectively.

Total budget levels by family size are summarized by county in Table A and displayed in Figure A.

Appendix B provides comparisons between the results of this updated study and past studies, including the 2007 DBEDT results....

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HNN: State report: Single adult on Oahu needs to earn $18 an hour to cover basic needs