Living Wage Calculation for Sedgwick County, Kansas

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 minimum wage are for reference purposes. Poverty wage estimates come from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Poverty Guidelines for 2026 and have been converted from an annual value to an hourly wage for ease of comparison. The minimum wage data is sourced from the Labor Law Center and includes the minimum wage in a given state as of January 2026. When a county has enacted a minimum wage ordinance, the data reflects that county-level minimum wage. Municipal ordinances applying only to specific cities or towns within a county are not referenced.

For further detail, please reference the Methodology page. The data on this page was last updated on February 15, 2026.

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 $20.65 $35.64 $44.90 $54.22 $28.85 $35.63 $38.41 $44.14 $14.43 $20.64 $24.68 $28.82
Poverty Wage $7.67 $10.40 $13.13 $15.87 $10.40 $13.13 $15.87 $18.60 $5.20 $6.57 $7.93 $9.30
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 $4,183 $6,136 $9,194 $12,236 $7,669 $9,517 $12,242 $14,936 $7,669 $9,517 $12,242 $14,936
Child Care $0 $8,843 $17,064 $21,017 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $8,843 $17,064 $21,017
Medical $3,565 $10,019 $10,184 $10,365 $7,778 $11,059 $11,396 $11,773 $7,778 $11,059 $11,396 $11,773
Housing $9,469 $13,307 $13,307 $17,485 $10,280 $13,307 $13,307 $17,485 $10,280 $13,307 $13,307 $17,485
Transportation $8,994 $10,409 $13,111 $15,086 $10,409 $13,111 $15,086 $16,890 $10,409 $13,111 $15,086 $16,890
Civic $3,347 $5,650 $7,451 $8,485 $5,650 $7,451 $8,485 $9,500 $5,650 $7,451 $8,485 $9,500
Internet & Mobile $1,428 $1,428 $1,428 $1,428 $1,963 $1,963 $1,963 $1,963 $1,963 $1,963 $1,963 $1,963
Other $4,549 $8,272 $9,043 $9,846 $8,272 $9,261 $9,846 $11,023 $8,272 $9,261 $9,846 $11,023
Required annual income after taxes $35,535 $64,064 $80,782 $95,948 $52,020 $65,670 $72,325 $83,569 $52,020 $74,513 $89,390 $104,586
Annual taxes $7,424 $10,058 $12,608 $16,836 $7,988 $8,433 $7,572 $8,246 $7,988 $11,363 $13,279 $15,303
Required annual income before taxes $42,958 $74,122 $93,390 $112,784 $60,009 $74,102 $79,897 $91,816 $60,009 $85,876 $102,669 $119,889

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 Statistics. When available, this data is specific to a given metro area.

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $121,650
Business & Financial Operations $82,180
Computer & Mathematical $97,180
Architecture & Engineering $91,140
Life, Physical, & Social Science $74,770
Community & Social Service $53,540
Legal $98,500
Education, Training, & Library $51,680
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $53,420
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $87,890
Healthcare Support $36,500
Protective Service $53,240
Food Preparation & Serving Related $31,380
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $36,310
Personal Care & Service $33,440
Sales & Related $49,810
Office & Administrative Support $45,060
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $41,540
Construction & Extraction $57,500
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $59,630
Production $51,540
Transportation & Material Moving $46,770