Self-Sufficiency Calculator for Illinois
How This Calculator Works
The Self-Sufficiency Calculator allows you to estimate the monthly and annual costs for a family to maintain a basic but adequate standard of living in Illinois (or your state) for a given county and family composition.
How to Use:
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Select the Year:
Choose the year for which you want to calculate self-sufficiency costs. -
Choose the County:
Pick the county where you live or are interested in. -
Enter Family Composition:
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Adults: Number of adults in the household.
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Infants: Number of infants (age 0–2).
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Preschoolers: Number of preschool-aged children (age 3–5).
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Schoolagers: Number of children in school (age 6–12).
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Teenagers: Number of teens (age 13–18).
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Click “Calculate”:
The calculator will find and display the typical costs for the selected location and family structure, including:-
Housing
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Child Care
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Health Care
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Food
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Transportation
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Miscellaneous costs
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Taxes
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Applicable tax credits
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Self-sufficiency wage (hourly, monthly, annual)
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Emergency savings
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What Does It Show?
The calculator pulls data from an official database (CSV file) with detailed cost estimates for each combination of county, year, and family type.
Results show what a family with your selected composition typically needs to earn and spend to cover all basic needs without public or private assistance, but with all relevant tax credits included.