The Best Place To Live on a $100,000 Salary in Every State
Is there any states in the land of opportunity where a $100,000 salary goes the distance? The answer is yes as there’s a city in every state where a $100,000 salary allows for comfortable living.
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GOBankingRates analyzed data from several sources, including AreaVibes, Sperling’s Best Places and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to compile the best places to live on a $100,000 salary in each state. Factors assessed included each city’s livability score, median household incomes and the total annual cost of necessities.
Read on to find out which cities are best for a $100,000 salary in every state.
Alabama: Florence
Livability score: 81
Median income: $47,048
Total annual necessities cost: $35,114
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Alaska: Ketchikan
Livability score: 76
Median income: $73,512
Total annual necessities cost: $46,890
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Arizona: Kingman
Livability score: 80
Median income: $56,360
Total annual necessities cost: $40,720
Arkansas: Rogers
Livability score: 88
Median income: $78,075
Total annual necessities cost: $41,090
California: Petaluma
Livability score: 82
Median income: $108,527
Total annual necessities cost: $78,190
Colorado: Eaton
Livability score: 80
Median income: $102,314
Total annual necessities cost: $49,844
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Connecticut: Willimantic
Livability score: 85
Median income: $45,723
Total annual necessities cost: $39,731
Delaware: Newark
Livability score: 83
Median income: $67,738
Total annual necessities cost: $46,662
Florida: Seminole
Livability score: 89
Median income: $69,417
Total annual necessities cost: $47,217
Georgia: Decatur
Livability score: 86
Median income: $129,992
Total annual necessities cost: $45,727
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Hawaii: Waipio Acres
Livability score: 72
Median income: $91,703
Total annual necessities cost: $66,420
Idaho: Chubbuck
Livability score: 86
Median income: $69,992
Total annual necessities cost: $42,457
Illinois: Edwardsville
Livability score: 90
Median income: $87,094
Total annual necessities cost: $41,312
Indiana: West Lafayette
Livability score: 89
Median income: $30,317
Total annual necessities cost: $41,483
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Iowa: Pella
Livability score: 89
Median income: $86,025
Total annual necessities cost: $37,640
Kansas: Shawnee
Livability score: 86
Median income: $100,649
Total annual necessities cost: $46,271
Kentucky: Bellevue
Livability score: 92
Median income: $66,741
Total annual necessities cost: $38,625
Louisiana: Thibodaux
Livability score: 82
Median income: $51,704
Total annual necessities cost: $38,822
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Maine: Brunswick
Livability score: 88
Median income: $66,696
Total annual necessities cost: $48,473
Maryland: Perry Hall
Livability score: 86
Median income: $103,061
Total annual necessities cost: $49,524
Massachusetts: Easthampton Town
Livability score: 83
Median income: $67,329
Total annual necessities cost: $44,478
Michigan: Clawson
Livability score: 92
Median income: $82,713
Total annual necessities cost: $41,333
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Minnesota: Rochester
Livability score: 92
Median income: $83,973
Total annual necessities cost: $41,596
Mississippi: Ocean Springs
Livability score: 83
Median income: $72,500
Total annual necessities cost: $38,351
Missouri: Ballwin
Livability score: 86
Median income: $118,647
Total annual necessities cost: $47,705
Montana: Helena
Livability score: 80
Median income: $64,798
Total annual necessities cost: $45,577
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Nebraska: Holdrege
Livability score: 87
Median income: $58,375
Total annual necessities cost: $35,129
Nevada: Mesquite
Livability score: 76
Median income: $69,146
Total annual necessities cost: $45,990
New Hampshire: Dover
Livability score: 88
Median income: $90,844
Total annual necessities cost: $48,878
New Jersey: Haddon Heights
Livability score: 85
Median income: $117,556
Total annual necessities cost: $47,878
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New Mexico: Los Alamos
Livability score: 81
Median income: $130,342
Total annual necessities cost: $43,171
New York: Niskayuna
Livability score: 92
Median income: $125,910
Total annual necessities cost: $46,297
North Carolina: Black Mountain
Livability score: 85
Median income: $75,310
Total annual necessities cost: $48,757
North Dakota: Fargo
Livability score: 84
Median income: $64,432
Total annual necessities cost: $40,151
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Ohio: Worthington
Livability score: 94
Median income: $119,408
Total annual necessities cost: $49,424
Oklahoma: Norman
Livability score: 83
Median income: $62,849
Total annual necessities cost: $39,446
Oregon: Central Point
Livability score: 90
Median income: $79,731
Total annual necessities cost: $47,244
Pennsylvania: Camp Hill
Livability score: 92
Median income: $104,959
Total annual necessities cost: $42,207
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Rhode Island: Cranston
Livability score: 85
Median income: $83,123
Total annual necessities cost: $48,783
South Carolina: Mauldin
Livability score: 84
Median income: $75,565
Total annual necessities cost: $38,696
South Dakota: Brandon
Livability score: 87
Median income: $101,747
Total annual necessities cost: $44,268
Tennessee: Clarksville
Livability score: 81
Median income: $62,688
Total annual necessities cost: $40,030
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Texas: Seminole
Livability score: 84
Median income: $73,074
Total annual necessities cost: $36,817
Utah: Clinton
Livability score: 88
Median income: $102,712
Total annual necessities cost: $49,718
Vermont: Montpelier
Livability score: 84
Median income: $76,143
Total annual necessities cost: $46,457
Virginia: Lynchburg
Livability score: 90
Median income: $56,243
Total annual necessities cost: $36,658
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Washington: Pullman
Livability score: 86
Median income: $41,479
Total annual necessities cost: $44,698
West Virginia: Clarksburg
Livability score: 82
Median income: $46,595
Total annual necessities cost: $31,117
Wisconsin: Wausau
Livability score: 90
Median income: $59,259
Total annual necessities cost: $35,036
Wyoming: Cheyenne
Livability score: 83
Median income: $74,989
Total annual necessities cost: $46,578
John Csiszar, Andrew Lisa and Heather Taylor contributed to the reporting for this article.
Photo disclaimer: Photos are for illustrative purposes only. In many cases, the closest major city outside of the city/county mentioned it the article was used.
Methodology: To find the best place to live on a $100,000 salary in every state, GOBankingRates looked at the five cities in every state with the highest livability score from AreaVibes. In addition to each city’s (1) livability score, GOBankingRates also found (2) the median household income in every city according to the Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey and (3) the total annual cost of necessities for households with an annual income of $100,000 in each city, calculated by referencing the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey data on spending habits for consumers in the $100,000 to $149,999 income bracket and projecting annual spending in six necessity categories in every city using Sperling’s Best Places’ city-level cost of living index data. The five necessity categories considered include housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare, and transportation. Cities where annual necessity spending exceeded $50,000 were then removed from consideration, in order to ensure all cities in the final ranking would be affordable for those with a $100,000 salary following the 50/30/20 rule, which dictates that no more than 50% of income should be allocated to necessities. All remaining cities were then ranked against the others in their state on factors 1-3, with high livability scores, high median household income, and low cost of necessities being scored more favorably, and the highest-scoring city in each state was identified as the best place to live on a $100,000 salary. AreaVibes’ livability scores take into consideration a variety of quality of life indicators, such as crime rates, school quality, employment, amenities, and more. Due to the high cost of living in the following states, consideration was expanded beyond the top five most livable cities: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington. For California and Hawaii, since the cost of living is so high the 50/30/20 rule was lightened. All data was collected on and up to date as of February 23, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Best Place To Live on a $100,000 Salary in Every State
