Living Wage Calculation for Boulder, CO

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 $20.36 $43.51 $58.11 $78.38 $31.27 $38.79 $43.97 $50.44 $15.05 $23.85 $30.88 $39.13
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 $13.65 $13.65 $13.65 $13.65 $13.65 $13.65 $13.65 $13.65 $13.65 $13.65 $13.65 $13.65

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 $4,686 $6,916 $10,392 $13,774 $8,591 $10,702 $13,802 $16,795 $8,591 $10,702 $13,802 $16,795
Child Care $0 $14,914 $29,827 $44,741 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $14,914 $29,827 $44,741
Medical $2,964 $9,385 $9,395 $9,321 $6,754 $9,395 $9,321 $9,473 $6,754 $9,395 $9,321 $9,473
Housing $15,408 $20,976 $20,976 $28,224 $17,388 $20,976 $20,976 $28,224 $15,408 $20,976 $20,976 $28,224
Transportation $5,316 $9,561 $11,691 $14,058 $9,561 $11,691 $14,058 $15,073 $9,561 $11,691 $14,058 $15,073
Civic $2,920 $5,801 $6,480 $8,835 $5,801 $6,480 $8,835 $7,025 $5,801 $6,480 $8,835 $7,025
Other $4,596 $8,020 $9,463 $10,386 $8,020 $9,463 $10,386 $11,617 $8,020 $9,463 $10,386 $11,617
Required annual income after taxes $36,022 $75,705 $98,355 $129,470 $56,247 $68,838 $77,509 $88,339 $54,267 $83,752 $107,336 $133,080
Annual taxes $6,319 $14,787 $22,508 $33,558 $8,804 $11,852 $13,950 $16,572 $8,325 $15,462 $21,126 $29,714
Required annual income before taxes $42,341 $90,492 $120,863 $163,028 $65,051 $80,690 $91,459 $104,911 $62,591 $99,214 $128,462 $162,794

Typical Annual Salaries

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

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $144,862
Business & Financial Operations $88,015
Computer & Mathematical $112,701
Architecture & Engineering $110,893
Life, Physical, & Social Science $108,875
Community & Social Service $63,330
Legal $115,215
Education, Training, & Library $66,891
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $68,324
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $87,211
Healthcare Support $41,444
Protective Service $66,891
Food Preparation & Serving Related $34,101
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $41,091
Personal Care & Service $37,420
Sales & Related $51,158
Office & Administrative Support $51,610
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $41,345
Construction & Extraction $55,005
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $57,784
Production $43,738
Transportation & Material Moving $42,293