Living Wage Calculation for Dubuque, IA

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 $20.70 $34.52 $44.12 $54.83 $28.58 $34.96 $37.91 $43.98 $14.29 $20.20 $24.40 $29.13
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 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25

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 $4,335 $6,359 $9,528 $12,680 $7,947 $9,863 $12,686 $15,478 $7,947 $9,863 $12,686 $15,478
Child Care $0 $8,555 $17,110 $22,448 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $8,555 $17,110 $22,448
Medical $3,477 $8,257 $8,423 $8,604 $6,952 $9,297 $9,634 $10,011 $6,952 $9,297 $9,634 $10,011
Housing $9,336 $12,990 $12,990 $17,489 $10,144 $12,990 $12,990 $17,489 $10,144 $12,990 $12,990 $17,489
Transportation $9,487 $10,980 $13,831 $15,914 $10,980 $13,831 $15,914 $17,817 $10,980 $13,831 $15,914 $17,817
Civic $3,347 $5,650 $7,451 $8,485 $5,650 $7,451 $8,485 $9,500 $5,650 $7,451 $8,485 $9,500
Internet & Mobile $1,397 $1,397 $1,397 $1,397 $1,933 $1,933 $1,933 $1,933 $1,933 $1,933 $1,933 $1,933
Other $4,549 $8,272 $9,043 $9,846 $8,272 $9,261 $9,846 $11,023 $8,272 $9,261 $9,846 $11,023
Required annual income after taxes $35,929 $62,461 $79,772 $96,865 $51,878 $64,626 $71,489 $83,251 $51,878 $73,181 $88,599 $105,700
Annual taxes $7,134 $9,339 $12,007 $17,175 $7,574 $8,086 $7,368 $8,231 $7,574 $10,849 $12,888 $15,471
Required annual income before taxes $43,063 $71,800 $91,780 $114,040 $59,452 $72,712 $78,857 $91,482 $59,452 $84,030 $101,487 $121,171

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 $113,340
Business & Financial Operations $80,380
Computer & Mathematical $89,270
Architecture & Engineering $100,760
Life, Physical, & Social Science $70,440
Community & Social Service $52,130
Legal $79,960
Education, Training, & Library $49,420
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $53,900
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $86,260
Healthcare Support $42,080
Protective Service $58,810
Food Preparation & Serving Related $31,490
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $37,820
Personal Care & Service $34,990
Sales & Related $46,470
Office & Administrative Support $46,760
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $50,040
Construction & Extraction $58,650
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $58,090
Production $50,240
Transportation & Material Moving $47,120