Chicago Sun-Times
March 30, 2009
Stagnating wages and higher costs for health care, housing and college leave many struggling for American Dream
From Chicago Sun-Times:
In Chicago, the Heartland Alliance estimated recently that it would take a family of four nearly $50,000 annually just to pay for bare essentials like food, housing and health care — an amount higher than some households at the lower end of the middle class earn. That doesn’t include savings for college or retirement, vacation or preschool or private school costs.
“Our definition of middle class has shifted a bit,” said Heartland senior research analyst Amy Terpstra. “The cost of our basic needs have really increased at a time when our incomes have declined.”