The Living Wage a Family of 3 Needs in All 50 States
With costs of living on the rise and inflation still casting its devastating spell, Americans are finding it more challenging to get by. Even people making over $100,000 a year can find themselves living paycheck to paycheck.
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How far your dollar stretches depends on how many people you’re providing for as well as where you reside. Naturally, some states are cheaper than others.
It’s useful to know the living wage a family of three needs in every state. To shed light on this, GOBankingRates assembled a new study that considers the family of three to be two adults — both working full-time jobs — with one child. Using MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, GOBanking Rates determined the hourly living wage, annual living wage, income after taxes and typical expenses around childcare.
Alabama
Living wage (hourly): $18.97
Living wage (annual): $78,915
Annual income after taxes: $68,913
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $8,078
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Alaska
Living wage (hourly): $23.40
Living wage (annual): $97,344
Annual income after taxes: $86,645
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $13,238
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Arizona
Living wage (hourly): $22.50
Living wage (annual): $93,600
Annual income after taxes: $82,433
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $11,723
Arkansas
Living wage (hourly): $17.74
Living wage (annual): $73,798
Annual income after taxes: $65,427
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $7,337
California
Living wage (hourly): $26.21
Living wage (annual): $109,034
Annual income after taxes: $95,258
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $14,433
Colorado
Living wage (hourly): $25.13
Living wage (annual): $108,784
Annual income after taxes: $90,383
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $16,620
Connecticut
Living wage (hourly): $26.15
Living wage (annual): $104,541
Annual income after taxes: $93,058
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $19,554
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Delaware
Living wage (hourly): $22.18
Living wage (annual): $92,269
Annual income after taxes: $80,201
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $12,579
Florida
Living wage (hourly): $20.81
Living wage (annual): $86,570
Annual income after taxes: $77,633
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $9,356
Georgia
Living wage (hourly): $20.96
Living wage (annual): $87,194
Annual income after taxes: $75,772
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $8,868
Hawaii
Living wage (hourly): $28.39
Living wage (annual): $118,102
Annual income after taxes: $99,467
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $19,592
Idaho
Living wage (hourly): $20.73
Living wage (annual): $86,237
Annual income after taxes: $75,840
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $15,789
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Illinois
Living wage (hourly): $22.12
Living wage (annual): $92,019
Annual income after taxes: $79,224
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $13,429
Indiana
Living wage (hourly): $20.11
Living wage (annual): $83,673
Annual income after taxes: $73,458
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $10,693
Iowa
Living wage (hourly): $20.22
Living wage (annual): $84,115
Annual income after taxes: $73,311
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $11,254
Kansas
Living wage (hourly): $19.29
Living wage (annual): $80,246
Annual income after taxes: $70,662
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $8,706
Kentucky
Living wage (hourly): $18.54
Living wage (annual): $77,126
Annual income after taxes: $67,302
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $7,715
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Louisiana
Living wage (hourly): $18.52
Living wage (annual): $77,043
Annual income after taxes: $68,172
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $7,864
Maine
Living wage (hourly): $21.94
Living wage (annual): $91,270
Annual income after taxes: $79,895
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $11,762
Maryland
Living wage (hourly): $23.11
Living wage (annual): $96,138
Annual income after taxes: $83,326
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $11,944
Massachusetts
Living wage (hourly): $28.38
Living wage (annual): $118,061
Annual income after taxes: $100,609
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $21,503
Michigan
Living wage (hourly): $20.46
Living wage (annual): $85,114
Annual income after taxes: $74,376
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $12,182
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Minnesota
Living wage (hourly): $22.76
Living wage (annual): $94,682
Annual income after taxes: $82,216
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $15,722
Mississippi
Living wage (hourly): $17.89
Living wage (annual): $74,422
Annual income after taxes: $66,053
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $4,725
Missouri
Living wage (hourly): $19.36
Living wage (annual): $80,538
Annual income after taxes: $71,021
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $9,423
Montana
Living wage (hourly): $20.16
Living wage (annual): $83,866
Annual income after taxes: $73,379
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $9,354
Nebraska
Living wage (hourly): $20.20
Living wage (annual): $84,032
Annual income after taxes: $74,183
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $11,231
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Nevada
Living wage (hourly): $22.59
Living wage (annual): $93,974
Annual income after taxes: $83,844
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $14,968
New Hampshire
Living wage (hourly): $23.53
Living wage (annual): $97,885
Annual income after taxes: $87,097
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $13,461
New Jersey
Living wage (hourly): $24.16
Living wage (annual): $100,506
Annual income after taxes: $87,999
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $13,674
New Mexico
Living wage (hourly): $19.69
Living wage (annual): $81,910
Annual income after taxes: $72,289
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $9,332
New York
Living wage (hourly): $26.07
Living wage (annual): $108,451
Annual income after taxes: $93,090
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $17,821
North Carolina
Living wage (hourly): $20.53
Living wage (annual): $85,405
Annual income after taxes: $74,541
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $10,698
North Dakota
Living wage (hourly): $19.35
Living wage (annual): $80,496
Annual income after taxes: $72,563
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $10,877
Ohio
Living wage (hourly): $19.81
Living wage (annual): $82,410
Annual income after taxes: $73,018
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $12,175
Oklahoma
Living wage (hourly): $18.58
Living wage (annual): $77,293
Annual income after taxes: $68,197
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $8,986
Oregon
Living wage (hourly): $24.09
Living wage (annual): $100,214
Annual income after taxes: $84,519
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $14,000
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Pennsylvania
Living wage (hourly): $22.03
Living wage (annual): $91,645
Annual income after taxes: $79,842
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $12,227
Rhode Island
Living wage (hourly): $23.75
Living wage (annual): $98,800
Annual income after taxes: $86,305
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $14,498
South Carolina
Living wage (hourly): $19.58
Living wage (annual): $81,453
Annual income after taxes: $72,222
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $9,329
South Dakota
Living wage (hourly): $18.92
Living wage (annual): $78,707
Annual income after taxes: $71,079
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $7,727
Tennessee
Living wage (hourly): $19.06
Living wage (annual): $79,290
Annual income after taxes: $71,571
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $8,547
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Texas
Living wage (hourly): $19.78
Living wage (annual): $82,285
Annual income after taxes: $74,066
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $9,400
Utah
Living wage (hourly): $21.19
Living wage (annual): $88,150
Annual income after taxes: $76,792
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $9,698
Vermont
Living wage (hourly): $22.33
Living wage (annual): $92,893
Annual income after taxes: $85,089
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $13,956
Virginia
Living wage (hourly): $22.33
Living wage (annual): $92,893
Annual income after taxes: $80,317
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $12,472
Washington
Living wage (hourly): $24.50
Living wage (annual): $101,920
Annual income after taxes: $90,467
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $15,463
West Virginia
Living wage (hourly): $24.50
Living wage (annual): $101,920
Annual income after taxes: $90,467
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $8,578
Wisconsin
Living wage (hourly): $20.77
Living wage (annual): $86,403
Annual income after taxes: $75,791
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $13,395
Wyoming
Living wage (hourly): $19.86
Living wage (annual): $82,618
Annual income after taxes: $74,329
Typical childcare expenses for 1 child and 2 working adults: $8,461
Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates found the living wage a family of three needs to live in each state. For this study, GOBankingRates considered the family of three to be two adults with full-time working jobs and one child. Using MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, GOBankingRates found the hourly living wage, annual living wage, income before taxes, income after taxes, taxes paid, and typical expenses all sourced from MIT’s Living Wage Calculator. All data was collected on and is up to date as of April 10, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Living Wage a Family of 3 Needs in All 50 States
