Report: Some N.C. families don't earn living wage

The average family of four in North Carolina needs $42,841 annually to meet basic needs, according to a report released this morning. But if that family lived in Wake County they'd need almost $10,000 more to get by.

That's more than double the federal government's standard for poverty. The poverty threshold for a family of four is $21,027.

The N.C. Budget and Tax Center came up with the calculation as part of a periodic study on the living wage in North Carolina.

The group, which focuses on issues affecting poor and moderate-income families, tried to show what it actually takes to pay for housing, food, childcare, health care, transportation, taxes and other necessities across the state. It excludes money for debt and savings.

Wake County, which requires a family of four to earn $51,856 annually, is the most expensive, according to the report's calculations. Orange, Durham and Chatham counties also are in the top 5. Mecklenburg rounds out the top of the list. The least expensive place is rural Anson County, where a family of four would need $36,817.

The study assessed the living costs for four family types that encompass 3.6 million people. Of them, 1.4 million people are in families that earn less than the report says they need.

"Alarmingly, the vast majority of families that fall below the living income standard do so despite working," John Quinterno, the report's author, said in a statement. "This suggests that financial hardships result not so much from a lack of hard work as from the kind and quality of available jobs."

The report calls for expanded support programs, such as childcare subsidies; a push for higher-quality jobs in business recruitment and expanded access to worker training programs.