The Living Wage a Couple Needs in All 50 States

With inflation still taking an extra bite out of everyone’s wallets, many Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck — and may be going into debt. Ideally, though, you would make enough income to adhere to the expert-approved 50/30/20 budgeting rule, which states that you should allocate 50% of your household earnings to needs, 30% to wants and 20% to savings.

So how much does that mean you and your partner need to make to live comfortably? The answer will depend on where you live, as the cost of living can vary significantly from state to state.

To find out the living wage a couple needs in all 50 states, GOBankingRates surveyed annual living expenses for a married couple using the latest Consumer Expenditure Survey data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The itemized living costs evaluated were housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare and transportation. Based on each state’s respective cost of living index for each category, the study calculated the annual cost of necessities. We then used the 50/30/20 budgeting rule to find the living wage needed to cover necessities, discretionary spending and savings.

Here’s a look at the living wage a couple needs in all 50 states.

• Income needed: $72,253

• Income needed: $111,237

• Income needed: $92,195

• Income needed: $72,345

• Income needed: $124,737

• Income needed: $89,471

• Income needed: $96,852

• Income needed: $85,174

• Income needed: $86,063

• Income needed: $75,910

• Income needed: $166,339

• Income needed: $83,270

• Income needed: $77,290

• Income needed: $77,033

• Income needed: $76,142

• Income needed: $73,575

• Income needed: $73,860

• Income needed: $76,492

• Income needed: $93,247

• Income needed: $100,427

• Income needed: $130,067

• Income needed: $76,579

• Income needed: $79,971

• Income needed: $72,417

• Income needed: $74,388

• Income needed: $86,932

• Income needed: $76,376

• Income needed: $88,893

• Income needed: $95,213

• Income needed: $97,812

• Income needed: $79,247

• Income needed: $110,923

• Income needed: $81,499

• Income needed: $81,118

• Income needed: $79,296

• Income needed: $72,376

• Income needed: $100,329

• Income needed: $80,303

• Income needed: $91,867

• Income needed: $79,307

• Income needed: $78,878

• Income needed: $75,068

• Income needed: $77,643

• Income needed: $87,111

• Income needed: $100,002

• Income needed: $86,983

• Income needed: $101,331

• Income needed: $73,021

• Income needed: $82,405

• Income needed: $77,298

Methodology: GOBankingRates surveyed annual living expenses for a couple in all 50 states, using the 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey (latest available) data for a married couple from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The itemized costs of living evaluated were housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare and transportation, collectively termed “necessities.” Based on each state’s respective cost of living index for each category, sourced from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center’s 2023 Cost of Living Data Series, the study calculated the annual cost of each necessity and summed them up to find total annual expenditure on necessities. Using the 50/30/20 budget rule, which allocates 50% of income for necessities, the study doubled the total annual expenditure on necessities in order to determine the “living wage” for a couple in each state. “Living wage” is defined as the income required to be able to allocate 50% to necessities, 30% to discretionary/luxury spending and 20% to savings. All data was collected on and up to date as of Feb. 6, 2024.