Living Wage Calculation for Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

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 $16.24 $33.92 $44.92 $59.25 $25.53 $31.24 $36.12 $39.73 $12.63 $18.91 $24.64 $29.74
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 $14.20 $14.20 $14.20 $14.20 $14.20 $14.20 $14.20 $14.20 $14.20 $14.20 $14.20 $14.20

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 $4,559 $6,729 $10,111 $13,402 $8,359 $10,413 $13,429 $16,341 $8,359 $10,413 $13,429 $16,341
Child Care $0 $10,898 $21,796 $32,694 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $10,898 $21,796 $32,694
Medical $3,207 $8,487 $8,497 $8,422 $6,666 $8,497 $8,422 $8,575 $6,666 $8,497 $8,422 $8,575
Housing $9,288 $11,556 $11,556 $14,280 $9,744 $11,556 $11,556 $14,280 $9,288 $11,556 $11,556 $14,280
Transportation $4,470 $8,040 $9,831 $11,821 $8,040 $9,831 $11,821 $12,675 $8,040 $9,831 $11,821 $12,675
Civic $2,882 $5,725 $6,394 $8,719 $5,725 $6,394 $8,719 $6,933 $5,725 $6,394 $8,719 $6,933
Other $4,339 $7,570 $8,932 $9,804 $7,570 $8,932 $9,804 $10,966 $7,570 $8,932 $9,804 $10,966
Required annual income after taxes $28,877 $59,136 $77,249 $99,273 $46,235 $55,755 $63,882 $69,901 $45,779 $66,653 $85,678 $102,595
Annual taxes $4,904 $11,413 $16,187 $23,970 $6,864 $9,231 $11,248 $12,728 $6,757 $12,019 $16,832 $21,104
Required annual income before taxes $33,781 $70,549 $93,436 $123,243 $53,099 $64,986 $75,130 $82,630 $52,535 $78,672 $102,510 $123,700

Typical Annual Salaries

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

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $112,922
Business & Financial Operations $83,462
Computer & Mathematical $86,803
Architecture & Engineering $86,064
Life, Physical, & Social Science $68,622
Community & Social Service $53,109
Legal $87,222
Education, Training, & Library $66,670
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $54,410
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $83,330
Healthcare Support $32,734
Protective Service $55,899
Food Preparation & Serving Related $32,238
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $33,076
Personal Care & Service $31,797
Sales & Related $32,800
Office & Administrative Support $42,062
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $39,515
Construction & Extraction $55,358
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $52,392
Production $42,018
Transportation & Material Moving $40,540