Basic Needs Breakdown for Maryland Families

A parent with two young children in Frederick County needs at least $61,000 a year to make ends meet, a new study shows, as local government agencies and charities report a sharp rise in families needing financial help for the first time.

Cost of Basic Needs for Families in Maryland

Over the past two years Patricia Santee has seen a change in the people seeking assistance from the Charles County Children’s Aid Society, where she works as an administrative assistant.

To make ends meet in Baltimore County, a family of three that includes an adult, a preschool child and a school-age child needs to make nearly $62,000 to cover basic needs, a new study finds. That is more than three times the federal poverty level.

From 2008 to 2011, average monthly applications for food stamps in Baltimore increased by 66 percent, and applications for temporary cash assistance rose 35 percent, according to the Maryland Department of Human Resources.

A family of three — one adult, one preschooler and one school-age child — in Anne Arundel County needs an annual income of $67,865 just to meet their basic needs, a new report shows.

Costs for Carroll County families have risen more quickly than wages over the past decade, making self-sufficiency harder to achieve, according to a new study.

A family made up of one adult, one preschooler and one school-age child in Worcester County needs $46,600 dollars a year simply to get by, a new study shows.