Each year, the federal government releases an official income level for poverty. This rate is used to determine the benefit levels of many low-income assistance programs. However, some experts question whether this method really affords families the income they require to meet the needs of their families without public or private assistance.

In response, the Missouri Family Wage Calculator has been issued by MERIC and OSEDA. The calculator details the costs for families to make ends meet, without any public or private supports, in each county of Missouri.

The Family Wage Calculator for Missouri charts the actual costs of living and working in the state. It measures how much income a family needs to pay for housing, food, childcare, healthcare, transportation and taxes-if they do not receive any help from relatives, friends or the government-based on the ages, as well as number, of children in each household, the number of working adults in the family, whether or not the adult’s employer provides healthcare, and the family's geographic location.