The Best Place To Live on a $100,000 Salary in Every State

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The Best Place To Live on a $100,000 Salary in Every State

America is nothing if not diverse. There are plenty of cities where you can afford to live comfortably, or even be “rich,” for less than $100,000. Which location draws your interest could depend on a number of factors, ranging from those that are up-and-coming cities to those that are the best cities to raise a family. Overall, the best cities to live in generally have high livability scores and affordable costs so that you can take home more of your salary.
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GOBankingRates analyzed data from a number of sources, ranging from AreaVibes to Sperling’s Best Places and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to compile this list of the best places to live on a $100,000 salary in each state.
Factors assessed included median incomes, affordability, amenities, and quality of life. This list may draw attention to locations that don’t appear on all of the typical “best places” lists but just might be some of the best cities in America.
Alabama: Madison
- Livability score: 89
- Median income: $94,214
- Total annual necessities cost: $39,946
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Alaska: College
- Livability score: 68
- Median income: $69,724
- Total annual necessities cost: $46,189
Arizona: Gilbert
- Livability score: 87
- Median income: $99,154
- Total annual necessities cost: $49,065
Arkansas: Centerton
- Livability score: 81
- Median income: $85,531
- Total annual necessities cost: $35,621
California: Laguna Woods
- Livability score: 82
- Median income: $46,449
- Total annual necessities cost: $52,539
Colorado: Loveland
- Livability score: 83
- Median income: $72,515
- Total annual necessities cost: $48,530
Connecticut: Simsbury Center
- Livability score: 85
- Median income: $109,245
- Total annual necessities cost: $48,644
Delaware: Pike Creek
- Livability score: 87
- Median income: $121,750
- Total annual necessities cost: $48,918
Florida: Fleming Island
- Livability score: 91
- Median income: $101,685
- Total annual necessities cost: $46,199
Georgia: Peachtree City
- Livability score: 90
- Median income: $100,768
- Total annual necessities cost: $49,673
Hawaii: Waikele
- Livability score: 73
- Median income: $103,389
- Total annual necessities cost: $71,602
Idaho: Chubbuck
- Livability score: 85
- Median income: $61,442
- Total annual necessities cost: $38,808
Illinois: Columbia
- Livability score: 88
- Median income: $107,500
- Total annual necessities cost: $39,515
Indiana: Brownsburg
- Livability score: 89
- Median income: $89,089
- Total annual necessities cost: $38,067
Iowa: Ankeny
- Livability score: 97
- Median income: $89,484
- Total annual necessities cost: $40,968
Kansas: Prairie Village
- Livability score: 94
- Median income: $88,196
- Total annual necessities cost: $46,690
Kentucky: Fort Thomas
- Livability score: 95
- Median income: $80,549
- Total annual necessities cost: $39,364
Louisiana: Fort Polk South
- Livability score: 90
- Median income: $50,878
- Total annual necessities cost: $29,438
Maine: Kennebunk
- Livability score: 83
- Median income: $81,354
- Total annual necessities cost: $48,177
Maryland: Hampstead
- Livability score: 81
- Median income: $75,392
- Total annual necessities cost: $45,195
Massachusetts: Hudson
- Livability score: 80
- Median income: $87,959
- Total annual necessities cost: $51,723
Michigan: Berkley
- Livability score: 95
- Median income: $93,038
- Total annual necessities cost: $40,623
Minnesota: Champlin
- Livability score: 92
- Median income: $96,469
- Total annual necessities cost: $42,692
Mississippi: Petal
- Livability score: 86
- Median income: $57,565
- Total annual necessities cost: $34,969
Missouri: Ballwin
- Livability score: 93
- Median income: $97,174
- Total annual necessities cost: $43,364
Montana: Glendive
- Livability score: 83
- Median income: $47,541
- Total annual necessities cost: $35,234
Nebraska: Papillion
- Livability score: 93
- Median income: $90,000
- Total annual necessities cost: $43,538
Nevada: Henderson
- Livability score: 84
- Median income: $75,430
- Total annual necessities cost: $49,347
New Hampshire: South Hooksett
- Livability score: 87
- Median income: $78,733
- Total annual necessities cost: $43,931
New Jersey: Greentree
- Livability score: 87
- Median income: $130,063
- Total annual necessities cost: $45,849
New Mexico: White Rock
- Livability score: 84
- Median income: $128,723
- Total annual necessities cost: $43,342
New York: West Elmira
- Livability score: 89
- Median income: $76,784
- Total annual necessities cost: $32,491
North Carolina: Holly Springs
- Livability score: 89
- Median income: $110,758
- Total annual necessities cost: $45,677
North Dakota: West Fargo
- Livability score: 91
- Median income: $87,674
- Total annual necessities cost: $39,098
Ohio: Worthington
- Livability score: 97
- Median income: $105,373
- Total annual necessities cost: $46,301
Oklahoma: Edmond
- Livability score: 88
- Median income: $84,223
- Total annual necessities cost: $42,024
Oregon: La Grande
- Livability score: 79
- Median income: $45,573
- Total annual necessities cost: $35,313
Pennsylvania: Dormont
- Livability score: 92
- Median income: $57,279
- Total annual necessities cost: $34,812
Rhode Island: Cumberland Hill
- Livability score: 81
- Median income: $94,773
- Total annual necessities cost: $46,211
South Carolina: Mauldin
- Livability score: 86
- Median income: $67,902
- Total annual necessities cost: $36,085
South Dakota: Brandon
- Livability score: 92
- Median income: $93,536
- Total annual necessities cost: $39,976
Tennessee: Collierville
- Livability score: 88
- Median income: $117,327
- Total annual necessities cost: $48,045
Texas: Taylor Lake Village
- Livability score: 96
- Median income: $130,735
- Total annual necessities cost: $46,591
Utah: South Ogden
- Livability score: 87
- Median income: $70,552
- Total annual necessities cost: $42,297
Vermont: Essex Junction
- Livability score: 79
- Median income: $76,845
- Total annual necessities cost: $46,977
Virginia: Manchester
- Livability score: 90
- Median income: $63,947
- Total annual necessities cost: $37,352
Washington: Liberty Lake
- Livability score: 86
- Median income: $96,051
- Total annual necessities cost: $49,167
West Virginia: Teays Valley
- Livability score: 87
- Median income: $88,865
- Total annual necessities cost: $37,043
Wisconsin: De Pere
- Livability score: 91
- Median income: $73,972
- Total annual necessities cost: $39,179
Wyoming: Worland
- Livability score: 85
- Median income: $54,928
- Total annual necessities cost: $37,262
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John Csiszar and Andrew Lisa contributed to the reporting for this article.
Methodology: To find the best place to live on a $100,000 salary in every state, GOBankingRates looked at the five cities in every state with the highest livability score from AreaVibes. In addition to each city’s (1) livability score, GOBankingRates also found (2) the median household income in every city according to the Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey and (3) the total annual cost of necessities for households with an annual income of $100,000 in each city, calculated by referencing the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s 2020 Consumer Expenditure Survey data on spending habits for consumers in the $100,000 to $149,999 income bracket and projecting annual spending in six necessity categories in every city using Sperling’s Best Places’ city-level cost of living index data. The six neccesity categories considered include housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare, transportation, and miscellaneous spending. Cities where annual necessity spending exceeded $50,000 were then removed from consideration, in order to ensure all cities in the final ranking would be affordable for those with a $100,000 salary following the 50/30/20 rule, which dictates that no more than 50% of income should be allocated to necessities. All remaining cities were then ranked against the others in their state on factors 1-3, with high livability scores, high median household income, and low cost of necessities being scored more favorably, and the highest-scoring city in each state was identified as the best place to live on a $100,000 salary. AreaVibes’ livability scores take into consideration a variety of quality of life indicators, such as crime rates, school qulaity, employment, amenities, and more. Due to the high cost of living in the following states, consideration was expanded beyond the top five most livable cities: California, Colorado, Hawii, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Oregon. For California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts, since cost of living is so high the 50/30/20 rule was lightened. All data was collected on and up to date as of August 16, 2022.
Photo disclaimer: Photos are for illustrative purposes only. In many cases, the closest major city outside of the city/county mentioned it the article was used.
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