Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Standard (FESS)

The Wyoming Standard measures the income required for Wyoming families to be self-sufficient. By using the Wyoming Standard, we can learn about what wages are adequate to pay for basic living costs such as housing, child care, food, transportation, and health care. We can use this information to create pathways to self-sufficiency in providing education and training and encouraging the growth of the high-wage sector.

The effort to conduct the Wyoming Standard was led by First Lady Nancy Freudenthal and 20 other Wyoming professionals in areas of social services, government, and business. The group worked with the University of Washington and an organization called Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW). The University of Washington and WOW have successfully conducted Self-Sufficiency Standard projects in 36 states, including Wyoming.

Because the FESS study is not conducted each year, a 5% cost of living increase has been applied evenly across all family types and counties for 2005 to keep the numbers as accurate as possible.

For more information, please visit one of the following links:

Self Sufficiency Report Updated for 2006

Executive Summary and Call to Action

Use the Self Sufficiency Calculator