The Massachusetts Economic Independence Index (Mass. Index) reports what it takes for a family to make ends meet in Massachusetts without relying on public or private assistance. The Mass. Index continues CWU's series of triennial reports documenting the income required for families to meet their most basic needs. First released as the Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Standard in 1998, and then in 2010, as the Massachusetts Economic Independence Index, the Mass. Index is an important tool that helps families working toward economic independence identify their basic needs budget and the income they will need to meet those basic needs.
The Mass. Index measures costs at the state and county levels and for the city of Boston, capturing local markets and prices for basics including housing, child care, healthcare, food, transportation, personal and essential household items, and taxes. Mass. Index budgets are specific to family composition, presenting values for 420 family types. On average in Massachusetts, a single-parent family with one preschooler and one school-age child needs an income of $65,880 a year to meet its day-to-day essential expenses without public assistance.