Indicator 1:	Working households  that are low income
	Trend
	vs. Georgia

What does it measure?
The indicator measures the percentage of fully employed working family households in Chatham County that are low income. This includes households where one or two parents work 50 weeks per year or more, combined, and the total household income is less than 250 percent of the federal poverty income level for a one parent, two child household. The indicator is a measure of the standard of living in these households and provides insight about the flow of financial resources through these households in Chatham County.

Why is it important?
The financial stability and well-being of families is an important reflection of a community’s vitality and is related to the long run economic growth and development of the metropolitan area. Financial stability provides sufficient resources and income to support households and overcome short-term financial emergencies associated with short-term job loss, health concerns, unexpected automobile expenses, and emergency expenses required for the upkeep of the home or household. Low income workers generally have little, if any, financial reserves, and face a higher risk of poverty in the event the household faces a challenging financial crisis.

How are we doing?
In Chatham County in 2010, 27% of fully employed working households were low income. A comparable figure for Georgia in 2007 is that approximately 25% of fully employed households were low income. In Chatham County's white households, 20.6% of those fully employed were low income, while 40.7% of African American fully employed households were low income. Not surprisingly, in households where part-time work was the norm, a much higher percentage of households were low income. The figure was nearly 20 percentage points higher in African American households than white households. Among fully employed households, the incidence of low income was highest among 18- to 24-year-olds (49.4%) and lowest among 35- to 49-year-olds (22.8%).

PERCENT OF WORKING HOUSEHOLDS IN CHATHAM COUNTY THAT ARE LOW INCOME, BY EMPLOYMENT STATUS Source: AASU Public Service Center

PERCENT OF WORKING HOUSEHOLDS IN CHATHAM COUNTY THAT ARE LOW INCOME, BY AGE Source: AASU Public Service Center