Making ends meet in Michigan: A basic income level for family well-being 2017

Making Ends Meet in Michigan 2017 is the seventh edition of the report formerly known as Economic Self-Sufficiency in Michigan. This report provides a Basic Needs Income Level: the amount of household income a family or individual needs to have in order to meet basic needs without public or private assistance. The Michigan League for Public Policy produces this for the policymaker, the advocate, the social services or nonprofit administrator, and anyone else with an interest in the well-being of Michigan’s families.

The Basic Needs Income Level can be used in the following ways:

  • As an indicator for measuring the progress of Michigan’s working families toward economic security;
  • As a guide for determining worker wages and benefits or assessing their adequacy;
  • As an advocacy tool for promoting programs and policies that assist families in reaching economic security; and
  • As a benchmark by which to assess the quality of jobs created through economic development projects.