Living Wage Calculation for Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, 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 $20.01 $41.56 $54.64 $73.15 $30.67 $38.16 $43.33 $49.54 $14.87 $22.89 $29.27 $36.56
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 $12,758 $25,516 $38,273 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $12,758 $25,516 $38,273
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 $14,832 $19,908 $19,908 $26,712 $16,368 $19,908 $19,908 $26,712 $14,832 $19,908 $19,908 $26,712
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 $35,446 $72,481 $92,976 $121,490 $55,227 $67,770 $76,441 $86,827 $53,691 $80,528 $101,956 $125,100
Annual taxes $6,180 $13,967 $20,670 $30,672 $8,557 $11,593 $13,692 $16,206 $8,185 $14,681 $19,825 $26,986
Required annual income before taxes $41,626 $86,448 $113,645 $152,162 $63,784 $79,363 $90,132 $103,033 $61,876 $95,209 $121,782 $152,087

Typical Annual Salaries

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

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $143,175
Business & Financial Operations $87,453
Computer & Mathematical $111,621
Architecture & Engineering $105,270
Life, Physical, & Social Science $85,391
Community & Social Service $55,292
Legal $105,667
Education, Training, & Library $66,814
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $67,574
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $86,670
Healthcare Support $40,342
Protective Service $53,208
Food Preparation & Serving Related $33,241
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $39,757
Personal Care & Service $33,870
Sales & Related $42,293
Office & Administrative Support $51,378
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $34,741
Construction & Extraction $55,039
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $64,090
Production $42,833
Transportation & Material Moving $42,635