Living Wage Calculation for Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

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 $24.69 $42.11 $52.43 $69.00 $33.55 $39.75 $44.49 $48.89 $16.78 $23.33 $28.66 $33.89
Poverty Wage $7.24 $9.83 $12.41 $15.00 $9.83 $12.41 $15.00 $17.59 $4.91 $6.21 $7.50 $8.79
Minimum Wage $14.35 $14.35 $14.35 $14.35 $14.35 $14.35 $14.35 $14.35 $14.35 $14.35 $14.35 $14.35

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 $4,028 $5,937 $8,906 $11,837 $7,384 $9,192 $11,838 $14,433 $7,384 $9,192 $11,838 $14,433
Child Care $0 $12,246 $22,692 $31,905 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $12,246 $22,692 $31,905
Medical $2,683 $8,648 $8,536 $8,999 $6,354 $8,536 $8,999 $8,594 $6,354 $8,536 $8,999 $8,594
Housing $17,611 $22,641 $22,641 $30,650 $19,287 $22,641 $22,641 $30,650 $19,287 $22,641 $22,641 $30,650
Transportation $10,016 $11,592 $14,602 $16,801 $11,592 $14,602 $16,801 $16,782 $11,592 $14,602 $16,801 $16,782
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 $1,726 $1,726 $1,726 $1,726 $2,320 $2,320 $2,320 $2,320 $2,320 $2,320 $2,320 $2,320
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 $43,833 $76,582 $94,810 $122,124 $60,731 $72,999 $82,806 $91,998 $60,731 $85,244 $105,498 $123,903
Annual taxes $7,522 $11,008 $14,243 $21,389 $9,054 $9,672 $9,742 $9,698 $9,054 $11,795 $13,712 $17,098
Required annual income before taxes $51,356 $87,590 $109,053 $143,514 $69,785 $82,670 $92,548 $101,696 $69,785 $97,040 $119,210 $141,001

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 $120,180
Business & Financial Operations $78,490
Computer & Mathematical $99,260
Architecture & Engineering $92,050
Life, Physical, & Social Science $76,260
Community & Social Service $52,450
Legal $108,800
Education, Training, & Library $54,990
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $60,100
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $94,190
Healthcare Support $36,800
Protective Service $49,820
Food Preparation & Serving Related $38,050
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $35,430
Personal Care & Service $38,600
Sales & Related $49,930
Office & Administrative Support $44,890
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $38,150
Construction & Extraction $53,770
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $54,450
Production $45,590
Transportation & Material Moving $44,390