The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual must earn to support their family, if they are the sole provider and are working full-time (2080 hours per year). All values are per adult in a family unless otherwise noted. The state minimum wage is the same for all individuals, regardless of how many dependents they may have. The poverty rate is typically quoted as gross annual income. We have converted it to an hourly wage for the sake of comparison.
For further detail, please reference the technical documentation here.
| Hourly Wages | 1 Adult | 1 Adult 1 Child | 1 Adult 2 Children | 1 Adult 3 Children | 2 Adults (1 Working) | 2 Adults (1 Working) 1 Child | 2 Adults (1 Working) 2 Children | 2 Adults (1 Working) 3 Children | 2 Adults (1 Working Part Time) 1 Child* | 2 Adults | 2 Adults 1 Child | 2 Adults 2 Children | 2 Adults 3 Children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living Wage | $11.01 | $23.02 | $25.97 | $31.94 | $17.90 | $21.44 | $24.39 | $26.51 | $16.12 | $8.94 | $12.37 | $14.53 | $16.29 |
| Poverty Wage | $5.80 | $7.81 | $9.82 | $11.83 | $7.81 | $9.82 | $11.83 | $13.84 | $3.90 | $4.91 | $5.91 | $6.92 | |
| Minimum Wage | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
*Documentation for families with an adult working part-time is available separately, here.
These figures show the individual expenses that went into the living wage estimate. Their values vary by family size, composition, and the current location.
| Annual Expenses | 1 Adult | 1 Adult 1 Child | 1 Adult 2 Children | 1 Adult 3 Children | 2 Adults (1 Working) | 2 Adults (1 Working) 1 Child | 2 Adults (1 Working) 2 Children | 2 Adults (1 Working) 3 Children | 2 Adults (1 Working Part Time) 1 Child* | 2 Adults | 2 Adults 1 Child | 2 Adults 2 Children | 2 Adults 3 Children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food | $2,986 | $4,394 | $6,613 | $8,777 | $5,474 | $6,807 | $8,786 | $10,702 | $5,474 | $6,807 | $8,786 | $10,702 | |
| Child Care | $0 | $5,800 | $8,184 | $10,567 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $5,800 | $8,184 | $10,567 | |
| Medical | $2,290 | $7,840 | $7,559 | $7,617 | $5,713 | $7,559 | $7,617 | $7,287 | $5,713 | $7,559 | $7,617 | $7,287 | |
| Housing | $7,464 | $9,708 | $9,708 | $12,324 | $7,512 | $9,708 | $9,708 | $12,324 | $7,464 | $9,708 | $9,708 | $12,324 | |
| Transportation | $4,236 | $8,754 | $9,189 | $11,032 | $8,754 | $9,189 | $11,032 | $10,989 | $8,754 | $9,189 | $11,032 | $10,989 | |
| Other | $2,656 | $4,294 | $4,736 | $6,059 | $4,294 | $4,736 | $6,059 | $5,620 | $4,294 | $4,736 | $6,059 | $5,620 | |
| Required annual income after taxes | $19,632 | $40,790 | $45,990 | $56,375 | $31,747 | $38,000 | $43,202 | $46,922 | $31,699 | $43,800 | $51,386 | $57,489 | |
| Annual taxes | $3,267 | $7,101 | $8,037 | $10,069 | $5,490 | $6,596 | $7,532 | $8,212 | $5,483 | $7,642 | $9,053 | $10,290 | |
| Required annual income before taxes | $22,899 | $47,892 | $54,027 | $66,444 | $37,237 | $44,596 | $50,734 | $55,133 | $50,305 | $37,182 | $51,442 | $60,438 | $67,779 |
These are the typical annual salaries for various professions in this location.
| Occupational Area | Typical Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Management | $74,661 |
| Business & Financial Operations | $56,724 |
| Computer & Mathematical | $55,842 |
| Architecture & Engineering | $62,443 |
| Life, Physical, & Social Science | $55,924 |
| Community & Social Service | $39,729 |
| Legal | $55,565 |
| Education, Training, & Library | $47,191 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media | $36,347 |
| Healthcare Practitioners & Technical | $49,467 |
| Healthcare Support | $22,109 |
| Protective Service | $32,134 |
| Food Preparation & Serving Related | $19,086 |
| Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance | $19,793 |
| Personal Care & Service | $18,778 |
| Sales & Related | $23,473 |
| Office & Administrative Support | $29,858 |
| Farming, Fishing, & Forestry | $33,600 |
| Construction & Extraction | $32,851 |
| Installation, Maintenance, & Repair | $37,638 |
| Production | $32,636 |
| Transportation & Material Moving | $25,051 |
© 2018 Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
