Asbury Park Press
By federal standards, a single working parent with two children in New Jersey could survive on just under $21,000 in 2019.
Researchers from Legal Services of New Jersey's Poverty Research Institute suggest in a new report that's way off the mark — such that the government undercounts the number of poor in the state by more than 2 million.
How much would the theoretical parent-and-two-children household need to make it in New Jersey? More than three times the $20,600 benchmark set by the federal government, according to the "A Real Cost of Living" Report Series.
"Anyone living in New Jersey knows that's not accurate," Shivi Prasad, director of the Poverty Research Institute and one of the report authors, said of the federal government's so-called "poverty line."