Living Wage Calculation for Bethel Census Area, Alaska

The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support themselves and/or their family, working full-time, or 2080 hours per year. The tables below provide living wage estimates for individuals and households with one or two working adults and zero to three children. In households with two working adults, all hourly values reflect what one working adult requires to earn to meet their families’ basic needs, assuming the other adult also earns the same.

The poverty wage and state minimum wage are for reference purposes. Poverty wage estimates come from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Poverty Guidelines for 2024 and have been converted from an annual value to an hourly wage for ease of comparison. The state minimum wage data is sourced from the Labor Law Center and includes the minimum wage in a given state as of January of that year.

For further detail, please reference the Methodology page. The data on this page was last updated on February 14, 2024.

1 ADULT 2 ADULTS

(1 WORKING)

2 ADULTS

(BOTH WORKING)

0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children
Living Wage $25.70 $42.56 $53.03 $67.65 $34.33 $40.86 $45.90 $49.08 $17.16 $23.71 $29.09 $33.60
Poverty Wage $9.04 $12.28 $15.51 $18.75 $12.28 $15.51 $18.75 $21.99 $6.14 $7.76 $9.38 $10.99
Minimum Wage $11.73 $11.73 $11.73 $11.73 $11.73 $11.73 $11.73 $11.73 $11.73 $11.73 $11.73 $11.73

Typical Expenses

The table below shows the costs of each basic need that go into estimating the living wage. Like with the living wage, their values vary by location and family size.

1 ADULT 2 ADULTS

(1 WORKING)

2 ADULTS

(BOTH WORKING)

0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children
Food $5,700 $8,403 $12,604 $16,753 $10,451 $13,009 $16,754 $20,428 $10,451 $13,009 $16,754 $20,428
Child Care $0 $11,919 $22,340 $31,370 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $11,919 $22,340 $31,370
Medical $3,213 $8,963 $8,852 $9,314 $7,027 $8,852 $9,314 $8,909 $7,027 $8,852 $9,314 $8,909
Housing $19,143 $23,605 $23,605 $28,539 $19,263 $23,605 $23,605 $28,539 $19,263 $23,605 $23,605 $28,539
Transportation $7,926 $9,172 $11,554 $13,295 $9,172 $11,554 $13,295 $13,279 $9,172 $11,554 $13,295 $13,279
Civic $3,032 $5,335 $6,715 $7,776 $5,335 $6,715 $7,776 $7,269 $5,335 $6,715 $7,776 $7,269
Internet & Mobile $2,493 $2,493 $2,493 $2,493 $3,088 $3,088 $3,088 $3,088 $3,088 $3,088 $3,088 $3,088
Other $4,739 $8,459 $8,994 $12,431 $8,459 $8,994 $12,431 $11,950 $8,459 $8,994 $12,431 $11,950
Required annual income after taxes $46,245 $78,350 $97,157 $121,970 $62,795 $75,816 $86,264 $93,462 $62,795 $87,736 $108,604 $124,831
Annual taxes $7,220 $10,172 $13,148 $18,748 $8,604 $9,163 $9,216 $8,630 $8,604 $10,905 $12,406 $14,953
Required annual income before taxes $53,465 $88,522 $110,305 $140,718 $71,399 $84,979 $95,479 $102,092 $71,399 $98,641 $121,009 $139,784

Typical Annual Salaries

The average annual salaries for various occupations in the table below comes from the latest state-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. When available, this data is specific to a given metro area.

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $118,020
Business & Financial Operations $84,440
Computer & Mathematical $92,090
Architecture & Engineering $104,350
Life, Physical, & Social Science $79,730
Community & Social Service $60,510
Legal $95,730
Education, Training, & Library $72,510
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $53,500
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $110,320
Healthcare Support $44,340
Protective Service $62,090
Food Preparation & Serving Related $34,230
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $38,660
Personal Care & Service $40,660
Sales & Related $44,190
Office & Administrative Support $49,600
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $46,840
Construction & Extraction $73,080
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $66,590
Production $54,880
Transportation & Material Moving $57,770