More families in Michigan are finding it hard to meet basic needs.
A report by the Working Poor Families Project says a family of four with a household income of about $45,600 is considered low-income. Michigan finds itself in the middle nationally, with the 26th highest number of low-income working families in the nation.
Judy Putnam is the communications director at the Michigan League for Public Policy. She says during the last five years, the number of low-income working families in the state has increased significantly.
“We went from 27% of working families being considered low income in 2007, to now it's 32%.”
Putnam says while the economy is recovering in Michigan, income inequality is still rising. "We know that many people are working but they are working at low-paying jobs that just don’t pay enough to meet a families basic needs."
Michigan is one of ten states in the country that has increased the number of low-income working families by more than 5 percent since 2007.
-Lindsay Hall, Michigan Radio Newsroom
