Living Wage Calculation for Newport News city, Virginia

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 $23.29 $37.00 $46.36 $59.48 $30.42 $35.77 $38.25 $45.53 $15.13 $20.96 $25.10 $30.79
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 $12.77 $12.77 $12.77 $12.77 $12.77 $12.77 $12.77 $12.77 $12.77 $12.77 $12.77 $12.77

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 $4,241 $6,222 $9,322 $12,407 $7,776 $9,650 $12,413 $15,144 $7,776 $9,650 $12,413 $15,144
Child Care $0 $9,800 $18,803 $25,164 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $9,800 $18,803 $25,164
Medical $3,430 $8,884 $9,031 $9,192 $7,308 $9,811 $10,111 $10,447 $7,308 $9,811 $10,111 $10,447
Housing $15,951 $18,313 $18,313 $25,401 $16,164 $18,313 $18,313 $25,401 $16,164 $18,313 $18,313 $25,401
Transportation $7,723 $8,938 $11,259 $12,954 $8,938 $11,259 $12,954 $14,503 $8,938 $11,259 $12,954 $14,503
Civic $2,583 $4,360 $5,749 $6,547 $4,360 $5,749 $6,547 $7,330 $4,360 $5,749 $6,547 $7,330
Internet & Mobile $1,586 $1,586 $1,586 $1,586 $2,159 $2,159 $2,159 $2,159 $2,159 $2,159 $2,159 $2,159
Other $4,067 $7,395 $8,083 $8,801 $7,395 $8,279 $8,801 $9,854 $7,395 $8,279 $8,801 $9,854
Required annual income after taxes $39,580 $65,497 $82,146 $102,053 $54,099 $65,219 $71,299 $84,839 $54,099 $75,020 $90,102 $110,002
Annual taxes $8,860 $11,460 $14,290 $21,662 $9,166 $9,186 $8,260 $9,863 $8,823 $12,171 $14,295 $18,067
Required annual income before taxes $48,440 $76,957 $96,435 $123,715 $63,265 $74,406 $79,559 $94,702 $62,922 $87,191 $104,397 $128,069

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 $153,710
Business & Financial Operations $101,210
Computer & Mathematical $127,880
Architecture & Engineering $105,260
Life, Physical, & Social Science $100,250
Community & Social Service $63,170
Legal $133,840
Education, Training, & Library $65,880
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $70,220
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $101,570
Healthcare Support $38,910
Protective Service $58,920
Food Preparation & Serving Related $37,160
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $37,270
Personal Care & Service $39,310
Sales & Related $53,110
Office & Administrative Support $49,710
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $46,370
Construction & Extraction $57,520
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $61,990
Production $49,710
Transportation & Material Moving $51,010