Living Wage Calculation for New York County, New York

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 2025 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 10, 2025.

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 $32.85 $55.38 $68.57 $86.83 $43.47 $50.54 $54.74 $63.79 $21.73 $29.89 $36.79 $45.11
Poverty Wage $7.52 $10.17 $12.81 $15.46 $10.17 $12.81 $15.46 $18.10 $5.08 $6.41 $7.73 $9.05
Minimum Wage $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50

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 $6,801 $10,001 $14,981 $19,931 $12,469 $15,497 $19,935 $24,319 $12,469 $15,497 $19,935 $24,319
Child Care $0 $15,794 $30,562 $40,569 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $15,794 $30,562 $40,569
Medical $4,380 $12,018 $12,109 $12,204 $8,934 $13,221 $13,561 $13,938 $8,934 $13,221 $13,561 $13,938
Housing $31,371 $36,246 $36,246 $45,167 $32,734 $36,246 $36,246 $45,167 $32,734 $36,246 $36,246 $45,167
Transportation $3,925 $4,542 $5,722 $6,584 $4,542 $5,722 $6,584 $7,304 $4,542 $5,722 $6,584 $7,304
Civic $3,535 $6,224 $6,871 $8,810 $6,224 $6,871 $8,810 $9,774 $6,224 $6,871 $8,810 $9,774
Internet & Mobile $1,559 $1,559 $1,559 $1,559 $2,130 $2,130 $2,130 $2,130 $2,130 $2,130 $2,130 $2,130
Other $4,566 $8,771 $9,189 $11,046 $8,771 $9,730 $11,046 $12,254 $8,771 $9,730 $11,046 $12,254
Required annual income after taxes $56,138 $95,156 $117,239 $145,871 $75,803 $89,417 $98,312 $114,885 $75,803 $105,211 $128,874 $155,453
Annual taxes $12,200 $20,039 $25,378 $34,738 $14,609 $15,704 $15,548 $17,805 $14,609 $19,137 $24,191 $32,195
Required annual income before taxes $68,338 $115,194 $142,618 $180,609 $90,412 $105,121 $113,860 $132,690 $90,412 $124,348 $153,065 $187,649

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 $179,030
Business & Financial Operations $111,140
Computer & Mathematical $124,300
Architecture & Engineering $99,160
Life, Physical, & Social Science $91,700
Community & Social Service $66,450
Legal $170,570
Education, Training, & Library $82,760
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $102,950
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $112,190
Healthcare Support $40,640
Protective Service $62,820
Food Preparation & Serving Related $42,760
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $45,280
Personal Care & Service $45,020
Sales & Related $72,890
Office & Administrative Support $55,320
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $43,520
Construction & Extraction $73,550
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $64,770
Production $50,120
Transportation & Material Moving $54,070