The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado: A new measure of family well-being

Although the Federal Poverty Measure is the most common and widely used measure of economic distress, it is not necessarily the most realistic measurement of what a working person or family needs to earn in order to be self-sufficient, i.e., to meet their most basic needs without any public or private assistance or supports. One alternative measurement of economic well-being is the Self-Sufficiency Standard.