Living Wage Calculation for Modesto, CA

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 $17.76 $36.39 $47.29 $63.83 $27.90 $34.68 $39.64 $45.22 $13.72 $20.34 $25.87 $31.81
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 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $15.50

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 $10,090 $20,179 $30,269 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $10,090 $20,179 $30,269
Medical $3,136 $9,476 $9,486 $9,411 $7,018 $9,486 $9,411 $9,564 $7,018 $9,486 $9,411 $9,564
Housing $11,232 $15,000 $15,000 $21,132 $12,012 $15,000 $15,000 $21,132 $11,232 $15,000 $15,000 $21,132
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 $32,018 $64,996 $82,822 $107,997 $51,135 $62,953 $71,624 $81,338 $50,355 $73,043 $91,803 $111,607
Annual taxes $4,930 $10,705 $15,549 $24,774 $6,895 $9,191 $10,829 $12,714 $6,727 $11,578 $15,801 $20,722
Required annual income before taxes $36,948 $75,701 $98,371 $132,771 $58,030 $72,144 $82,453 $94,053 $57,081 $84,621 $107,604 $132,329

Typical Annual Salaries

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

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $107,387
Business & Financial Operations $73,076
Computer & Mathematical $85,314
Architecture & Engineering $86,770
Life, Physical, & Social Science $68,401
Community & Social Service $54,664
Legal $81,632
Education, Training, & Library $67,641
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $49,713
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $108,247
Healthcare Support $32,867
Protective Service $52,867
Food Preparation & Serving Related $32,889
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $39,559
Personal Care & Service $33,043
Sales & Related $33,297
Office & Administrative Support $46,714
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $32,679
Construction & Extraction $63,319
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $53,616
Production $41,312
Transportation & Material Moving $40,860