This report helps show what it really costs for a family to be safe, stable, and able to move forward.
The Urban Institute made a tool called the True Cost of Economic Security, or TCES. It looks at more than the poverty line. It looks at what families really need for daily life.
That includes things like housing, food, health care, child care, transportation, debt, and savings.
The report’s big message is simple: many families are working hard, but they still do not have enough to truly be secure.
Key facts from the report
- 49 out of 100 people in the United States lived in families below the TCES line in 2023.
- More than 40 out of 100 people below the TCES line were just under it. They were close, but they still did not have enough to be secure.
- About 1 out of 10 people had less than half of what they needed.
- Families with children needed much more income to be secure than many people may think.
- For families with children and all adults under age 65, the middle TCES amount was $144,700 a year.
- For adults under 65 with no children, the middle amount was $95,900 a year.
- For families with at least one adult age 65 or older, the middle amount was about $108,500 a year.
- 56 out of 100 people in families with children lived below the TCES line.
- Nearly 59 out of 100 children lived below the TCES line.
- Almost 90 out of 100 people in single-parent families lived below the TCES line.
- A single parent with two children needed about $102,700 a year to meet the middle TCES amount.
- A family with two children and two or more adults under age 65 needed about $149,600 a year.
- More than 40 out of 100 people in families with a full-time worker still did not have enough to truly be secure.
- Among families with adults under age 65 and no full-time worker, 84 out of 100 lived below the TCES line.
- In bigger cities and suburbs, 48 out of 100 people lived below the TCES line. In smaller towns and rural areas, that number was 54 out of 100.
- In the Midwest, 46 out of 100 people lived below the TCES line.
What the report says about homeownership
The report shows that in every homeownership group it compared, homeowners did better than similar people who did not own a home.
- Among working-age families with children, 43 out of 100 homeowners lived below the TCES line. For similar families who did not own a home, that number was 83 out of 100.
- Among working-age families without children, 30 out of 100 homeowners lived below the TCES line. For similar adults who did not own a home, that number was 64 out of 100.
- Among families with at least one older adult, 39 out of 100 homeowners lived below the TCES line. For similar households that did not own a home, that number was 74 out of 100.
This does not mean homeownership solves every problem. It does show that owning a home can help give families more stability.
What this means in plain language
This report shows that struggle is about more than being called poor.
A family can work hard, pay bills, and still not have enough room to breathe. They may not have enough to handle a car repair, a health bill, a rent increase, or time away from work.
The report also shows that many families do not just face high prices. Many also do not have enough money or support coming in to match the real cost of life.
That helps answer a common question: why are people still struggling when they are working? The report’s answer is clear. For many families, work alone is not enough.
How this connects to SENT
This report fits closely with SENT’s whole-family work.
1. It shows that need is bigger than the poverty line
Some families may not be counted as poor, but they are still under heavy pressure. They may be trying hard and doing all they can, but housing, food, child care, transportation, and health costs still stretch them too far.
That helps explain why SENT’s work matters.
2. It shows why housing matters so much
Housing is a big part of what families need to be stable. But the report also shows that housing is not the only need.
Families also need food, health care, transportation, child care, and support they can actually reach.
That matches SENT’s belief that housing is a strong starting place, but not the whole answer.
3. It shows why one-stop support matters
SENT’s Family Resource Center, Southside Filling Station, Neighbor Advocacy, clinic work, transportation support, workforce efforts, and school partnerships help families close the gap between what life costs and what they have.
This report helps explain why those supports should stay connected.
4. It shows why children and families need support
The report shows that children and single-parent families face some of the heaviest strain.
That supports SENT’s focus on family stability, school partnerships, food access, maternal health, and case management.
5. It supports affordable homeownership
The report shows that homeowners did better in every group it compared.
That gives added support for SENT’s work in affordable homeownership, long-term affordability, and helping families move toward stability.
6. It supports transportation and close-to-home care
Transportation is part of what families need to thrive.
That matters because when families have to travel far for food, health care, work, school, or services, the cost of life goes up fast.
This supports SENT’s work to bring help closer to neighbors and help them get where they need to go.
7. It fits SENT’s focus on dignity
This report is not only about survival. It is about what people need to live with stability, dignity, and hope.
That fits SENT’s heart and mission.
Strong takeaway
The challenge is not only poverty. The challenge is the gap between what life really costs and what families really have. SENT works to help close that gap through housing, relationships, health care, food support, transportation, workforce pathways, and whole-family care.
Source
Title: Update 2023: Measuring the True Cost of Economic Security: What Does It Take to Thrive, Not Just Survive, in the US Today?
Publisher: Urban Institute
Date: March 2026
Link: https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2026-03/TCES-2023-report-final.pdf