Living Wage Calculation for Topeka, KS

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 $19.58 $31.79 $38.65 $49.58 $26.89 $32.46 $37.12 $38.80 $13.45 $18.11 $22.07 $24.63
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 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25

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 $4,104 $6,050 $9,074 $12,061 $7,524 $9,366 $12,062 $14,706 $7,524 $9,366 $12,062 $14,706
Child Care $0 $6,870 $12,872 $18,581 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $6,870 $12,872 $18,581
Medical $3,199 $8,126 $7,986 $8,565 $6,415 $7,986 $8,565 $8,059 $6,415 $7,986 $8,565 $8,059
Housing $8,757 $11,580 $11,580 $14,848 $8,817 $11,580 $11,580 $14,848 $8,817 $11,580 $11,580 $14,848
Transportation $10,055 $11,637 $14,659 $16,867 $11,637 $14,659 $16,867 $16,847 $11,637 $14,659 $16,867 $16,847
Civic $2,889 $5,083 $6,398 $7,409 $5,083 $6,398 $7,409 $6,926 $5,083 $6,398 $7,409 $6,926
Internet & Mobile $1,553 $1,553 $1,553 $1,553 $2,123 $2,123 $2,123 $2,123 $2,123 $2,123 $2,123 $2,123
Other $4,086 $7,294 $7,756 $10,720 $7,294 $7,756 $10,720 $10,305 $7,294 $7,756 $10,720 $10,305
Required annual income after taxes $34,643 $58,193 $71,878 $90,604 $48,893 $59,867 $69,326 $73,815 $48,893 $66,737 $82,198 $92,396
Annual taxes $6,082 $7,932 $8,523 $12,532 $7,039 $7,653 $7,890 $6,890 $7,039 $8,614 $9,597 $10,045
Required annual income before taxes $40,724 $66,126 $80,400 $103,137 $55,932 $67,520 $77,216 $80,704 $55,932 $75,351 $91,794 $102,440

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 $102,540
Business & Financial Operations $68,160
Computer & Mathematical $81,880
Architecture & Engineering $73,630
Life, Physical, & Social Science $63,260
Community & Social Service $48,410
Legal $85,220
Education, Training, & Library $49,380
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $52,930
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $86,890
Healthcare Support $31,140
Protective Service $49,480
Food Preparation & Serving Related $27,780
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $31,110
Personal Care & Service $30,490
Sales & Related $44,450
Office & Administrative Support $39,530
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $39,900
Construction & Extraction $51,260
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $52,540
Production $44,650
Transportation & Material Moving $39,530