The Standard was cited in research and testimony in support of the SeaTac living wage ordinance (raising wages to $15/hour for covered employees) and in the successful campaign to raise the minimum wage in Seattle to $15/hour (over several years, depending on establishment size).
The Portland Development Commission uses the Self-Sufficiency Standard as their bar to measure the number of “prosperous households” able to meet their basic needs in Portland, Oregon.
Redefining Housing Affordability Measures: The Self-Sufficiency Standard provides an alternative tool to understanding housing cost burden. An Urban Planning thesis titled “Analyzing Measurements of Housing Affordability” found that the Self-Sufficiency Standard was the best measure of housing affordability of the six measures examined.
An evaluation of Maryland’s refugee resettlement program by the Roosevelt Institute, “Raising Refugee Voices: Promoting Participatory Refugee Resettlement Evaluation in Maryland,” used the Standard as a living wage estimate to support economic development programs and improve policies for refugees.
The report Poverty Doesn’t Fly, performed by the Harry Bridges Labor Center at the University of Washington, analyzed the economic impact of a proposed $15 minimum wage on workers at the Portland International Airport.
Rise Together published their Promoting Family Economic Security in the San Francisco Bay Area Region Report to highlight the extent of poverty in the Bay Area and present simulations of potential solutions to help families become self-sufficient.
In Connecticut, the Self-Sufficiency Standard has been adopted at the state level since 1998. It has been used in planning state-supported job training, placement and employment retention programs, and has been distributed to all state agencies that counsel individuals seeking education, training, or employment.
The Missouri Women’s Council of the Department of Economic Development used the Standard to begin a program for low-income women that promotes nontraditional career development, leading to jobs paying Self-Sufficiency Wages.
The Raise the Wage Oregon Campaign performed an analysis called Lifting the Floor: Self-Sufficiency Wages in Oregon uses the Standard to argue for a $13.50 statewide minimum wage.
The NYS Department of Labor utilizes the Standard to aid in the implementation of workforce training programs. They seek to provide accurate labor market information about self-sufficiency rates and help place women in fairly compensated careers.