State of Working Colorado: Poverty wage – Enough to get by?

The poverty wage is the hourly wage equivalent of the Federal Poverty Level. This number is calculated by dividing the annual federal poverty income level by the number of hours worked a year to arrive at a dollar-per-hour amount. Using poverty level for a family of four, the 2009 poverty wage was $10.55 per hour. In 2009, 22 percent of working-age Coloradans earned less than the poverty wage. That means more than one in five Coloradans were not able to earn enough to stay out of poverty, even working full time.

For more insights, including detailed policy recommendations for enhancing economic security for all Coloradans, check out the State of Working Colorado 2010.