How Much Does A Stimulus Check Help Lakeland Families?

LAKELAND, FL —The House was expected to vote on a second round of stimulus checks Friday. Here is a look at how far a stimulus check helps carry a Lakeland family through one month.

Lakeland comes in ninth among U.S. cities for families that benefited mostly from stimulus checks, according to a Lending Tree study that analyzed 98 U.S. cities. The study estimated the average family in Lakeland spends $5,700 each month on bills, which means that stimulus money provided them with close to 60 percent of a month's worth of spending funds. Median income for a married couple with two children in Lakeland is average of $81,757. Stimulus checks issued to married couples with children equaled $3,400.

Other Florida cities that made the list:

• Deltona, Fla., #4, monthly median income of $71,930.00, 68.3 percent of monthly budget covered by stimulus money.
• Cape Coral, Fla., #5, monthly median income of $74,767.00, 65.7 percent of monthly budget covered by stimulus money.
• Miami, #23, monthly median income of $92,192.00, 53.3 percent of monthly budget covered by stimulus money.
• North Port, Fla., #24, monthly median income of $92,192.00, 53.3 percent of monthly budget covered by stimulus money.
• Jacksonville, Fla., #31, monthly median income of $97,257.00, 50.5 percent of monthly budget covered by stimulus money.
• Orlando, #32, monthly median income of $97,865.00, 50.2 percent of monthly budget covered by stimulus money.
• Palm Bay, Fla., #39, monthly median income of $102,323.00, 48.0 percent of monthly budget covered by stimulus money.
• Tampa, Fla., #48, monthly median income of $105,362.00, 46.6 percent of monthly budget covered by stimulus money.

Families in McAllen, Texas rated number one in families that benefit the most from a check in the amount of $3,400 as the study showed it covered just below 96.2 percent of one month of bills. Average monthly spending for a two-parent, two-child household is $7,531 across the 98 U.S. cities included in this study.

According to Forbes, if the stimulus package becomes law, these are the key aspects of The Heroes Act:

• 200 billion for essential workers to get hazard pay.
• $1 trillion for state, local and tribal governments to help pay “vital workers like first responders, health workers, and teachers” who could be on verge of losing their jobs. Here’s a breakdown of estimated allocations the states and territories would receive.
• A second stimulus check for Americans in the amount of $1,200 (this would be a one-time payment as with the first stimulus check). However, instead of $500 for children, families would get $1,200 for each household member up to a max of $6,000.
• $175 billion in housing assistance to help renters and homeowners with rent, mortgage and utility payments.
• $75 billion for coronavirus testing, tracing and isolation efforts.
• An extension of the COVID-19 unemployment program providing that the extra $600 per week benefit would last until January 2021 instead of expiring in July 2020 as it currently stands.

For the full list of where stimulus payments help families the most, visit the complete study on Lending Tree website.