Living Wage Calculation for Salinas, CA

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 state minimum wage are for reference purposes. Poverty wage estimates come from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Poverty Guidelines for 2025 and have been converted from an annual value to an hourly wage for ease of comparison. The state minimum wage data is sourced from the Labor Law Center and includes the minimum wage in a given state as of January of that year.

For further detail, please reference the Methodology page. The data on this page was last updated on February 10, 2025.

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 $34.16 $56.79 $68.59 $85.88 $43.48 $52.94 $57.44 $69.31 $21.74 $30.68 $36.76 $44.45
Poverty Wage $7.52 $10.17 $12.81 $15.46 $10.17 $12.81 $15.46 $18.10 $5.08 $6.41 $7.73 $9.05
Minimum Wage $16.50 $16.50 $16.50 $16.50 $16.50 $16.50 $16.50 $16.50 $16.50 $16.50 $16.50 $16.50

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 $4,496 $6,611 $9,904 $13,176 $8,243 $10,245 $13,179 $16,076 $8,243 $10,245 $13,179 $16,076
Child Care $0 $14,383 $25,652 $30,126 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $14,383 $25,652 $30,126
Medical $3,066 $10,707 $10,780 $10,857 $7,412 $11,674 $11,947 $12,251 $7,412 $11,674 $11,947 $12,251
Housing $29,089 $35,934 $35,934 $48,502 $29,873 $35,934 $35,934 $48,502 $29,873 $35,934 $35,934 $48,502
Transportation $12,461 $14,421 $18,166 $20,903 $14,421 $18,166 $20,903 $23,188 $14,421 $18,166 $20,903 $23,188
Civic $3,587 $6,314 $6,971 $8,938 $6,314 $6,971 $8,938 $9,915 $6,314 $6,971 $8,938 $9,915
Internet & Mobile $1,435 $1,435 $1,435 $1,435 $2,041 $2,041 $2,041 $2,041 $2,041 $2,041 $2,041 $2,041
Other $4,749 $9,123 $9,558 $11,490 $9,123 $10,121 $11,490 $12,746 $9,123 $10,121 $11,490 $12,746
Required annual income after taxes $58,884 $98,929 $118,399 $145,425 $77,427 $95,151 $104,431 $124,719 $77,427 $109,534 $130,083 $154,845
Annual taxes $12,163 $19,197 $24,263 $33,197 $13,002 $14,971 $15,045 $19,451 $13,002 $18,075 $22,829 $30,079
Required annual income before taxes $71,047 $118,126 $142,662 $178,623 $90,429 $110,122 $119,476 $144,170 $90,429 $127,610 $152,911 $184,924

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 Estimates. When available, this data is specific to a given metro area.

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $128,950
Business & Financial Operations $89,460
Computer & Mathematical $104,080
Architecture & Engineering $103,630
Life, Physical, & Social Science $92,380
Community & Social Service $67,910
Legal $120,680
Education, Training, & Library $85,090
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $68,990
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $123,910
Healthcare Support $40,140
Protective Service $76,550
Food Preparation & Serving Related $42,100
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $43,900
Personal Care & Service $43,980
Sales & Related $50,760
Office & Administrative Support $52,780
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $39,210
Construction & Extraction $67,880
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $63,340
Production $48,180
Transportation & Material Moving $44,650