Living Wage Calculation for Reading, PA

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 $15.58 $34.11 $44.22 $57.72 $25.79 $32.33 $37.13 $40.83 $12.47 $19.05 $24.34 $29.08
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 $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

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 $9,790 $19,579 $29,369 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $9,790 $19,579 $29,369
Medical $3,178 $9,501 $9,511 $9,437 $7,023 $9,511 $9,437 $9,590 $7,023 $9,511 $9,437 $9,590
Housing $8,280 $12,456 $12,456 $15,432 $9,732 $12,456 $12,456 $15,432 $8,280 $12,456 $12,456 $15,432
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 $27,839 $59,943 $76,946 $98,115 $46,580 $57,669 $65,797 $72,068 $45,128 $67,459 $85,376 $101,437
Annual taxes $4,566 $10,998 $15,026 $21,952 $7,064 $9,583 $11,430 $12,855 $6,760 $11,808 $15,878 $19,527
Required annual income before taxes $32,405 $70,941 $91,972 $120,067 $53,644 $67,253 $77,227 $84,922 $51,888 $79,267 $101,254 $120,964

Typical Annual Salaries

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

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $111,069
Business & Financial Operations $72,150
Computer & Mathematical $85,446
Architecture & Engineering $85,446
Life, Physical, & Social Science $67,200
Community & Social Service $51,235
Legal $82,029
Education, Training, & Library $67,144
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $49,779
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $70,022
Healthcare Support $32,834
Protective Service $50,617
Food Preparation & Serving Related $25,987
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $33,065
Personal Care & Service $31,257
Sales & Related $32,569
Office & Administrative Support $41,566
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $31,257
Construction & Extraction $53,594
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $52,999
Production $42,646
Transportation & Material Moving $41,290