Living Wage Calculation for Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support his or herself and their family. The assumption is the sole provider is working full-time (2080 hours per year). The tool provides information for individuals, and households with one or two working adults and zero to three children. In the case of households with two working adults, all values are per working adult, single or in a family unless otherwise noted.

The state minimum wage is the same for all individuals, regardless of how many dependents they may have. Data are updated annually, in the first quarter of the new year. State minimum wages are determined based on the posted value of the minimum wage as of January one of the coming year (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). The poverty rate reflects a person's gross annual income. We have converted it to an hourly wage for the sake of comparison.

For further detail, please reference the technical documentation here.

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 $17.81 $37.85 $48.84 $64.44 $28.76 $35.42 $40.30 $44.96 $13.75 $20.88 $26.50 $32.09
Poverty Wage $6.53 $8.80 $11.07 $13.34 $8.80 $11.07 $13.34 $15.61 $4.40 $5.54 $6.67 $7.81
Minimum Wage $13.25 $13.25 $13.25 $13.25 $13.25 $13.25 $13.25 $13.25 $13.25 $13.25 $13.25 $13.25

Typical Expenses

These figures show the individual expenses that went into the living wage estimate. Their values vary by family size, composition, and the current location.

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 $3,926 $5,795 $8,707 $11,540 $7,198 $8,966 $11,564 $14,071 $7,198 $8,966 $11,564 $14,071
Child Care $0 $10,760 $21,521 $32,281 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $10,760 $21,521 $32,281
Medical $3,157 $9,183 $9,193 $9,118 $7,200 $9,193 $9,118 $9,271 $7,200 $9,193 $9,118 $9,271
Housing $11,436 $16,740 $16,740 $21,708 $13,488 $16,740 $16,740 $21,708 $11,436 $16,740 $16,740 $21,708
Transportation $5,477 $9,851 $12,045 $14,484 $9,851 $12,045 $14,484 $15,530 $9,851 $12,045 $14,484 $15,530
Civic $3,074 $6,107 $6,821 $9,300 $6,107 $6,821 $9,300 $7,395 $6,107 $6,821 $9,300 $7,395
Other $4,253 $7,420 $8,755 $9,610 $7,420 $8,755 $9,610 $10,749 $7,420 $8,755 $9,610 $10,749
Required annual income after taxes $31,454 $65,987 $83,913 $108,172 $51,395 $62,652 $70,946 $78,855 $49,343 $73,412 $92,467 $111,136
Annual taxes $5,589 $12,735 $17,667 $25,855 $8,424 $11,014 $12,881 $14,654 $7,864 $13,433 $17,779 $22,346
Required annual income before taxes $37,044 $78,722 $101,579 $134,027 $59,818 $73,665 $83,827 $93,509 $57,207 $86,846 $110,246 $133,482

Typical Annual Salaries

These are the typical annual salaries for various professions in this location.

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $129,956
Business & Financial Operations $87,464
Computer & Mathematical $112,911
Architecture & Engineering $105,303
Life, Physical, & Social Science $82,150
Community & Social Service $53,980
Legal $89,504
Education, Training, & Library $68,489
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $57,365
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $85,843
Healthcare Support $33,197
Protective Service $53,638
Food Preparation & Serving Related $31,323
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $33,870
Personal Care & Service $32,481
Sales & Related $33,506
Office & Administrative Support $48,082
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $37,409
Construction & Extraction $52,911
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $54,123
Production $42,007
Transportation & Material Moving $40,816