WHAT IS THE LIVING WAGE CALCULATOR?
Families and individuals working in low-wage jobs make insufficient income to meet minimum standards given the local cost of living. We developed a living wage calculator to estimate the cost of living in your community or region based on typical expenses. The tool helps individuals, communities, and employers determine a local wage rate that allows residents to meet minimum standards of living.

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Recent Articles

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HUD Revises Forecasting Method for Calculating Current Fair Market Rents (FMRs)
Nicholas Bradley Allen, P.hD. student, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT 03/06/2020

Although there were no methodological changes to the Living Wage calculator in 2020, many counties and metropolitan areas saw significant changes in living wage levels. The largest component of these changes is housing cost, which reflects a revis...

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Living Wage Local Spotlight. Richmond City, Virginia. Living Wage is $13.39 per hour
Ade Samuel 03/03/2020

From the American Revolution to the Civil War and on through the civil rights era, the city of Richmond, Virginia has continually served as a pivotal locale in our nation’s struggle for progress. Today, Virginia’s capital city is home to almost 22...

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New Living Wage Data for Now Available on the Tool
Ms. Carey Ann Nadeau 03/03/2020

A Calculation of the Living Wage

On March 2, 2020, we posted new living wage data for the country, states, metropolitan areas, and counties. In general, changes in the living wage tracks the inflation rate at the national level. The inflation r...

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Cost of Living Estimation for City of Malden, Massachusetts
Frank S. Li and Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier 02/05/2020

By Frank S. Li
M.P.P. student at Brandeis University
Research Associate at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy
January 2, 2020

All measures of family economics fundamentally must communicate whether people are able to live and subsis...

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