The Living Wage a Family of Four Needs in All 50 States
If you’re thinking of starting a family, or are already raising children, you know that having kids can be expensive. But just how expensive? It costs more than $112,000 for a single person to earn a living wage in Hawaii, yet a family of four can make it for $182,900, according to recent data compiled and analyzed by GOBankingRates.
Lending credence to the theory that “two people can live cheaper than one,” (and having four people under one roof can also save money), our data showed that it’s nowhere near four times more costly for four people to live than one.
The data used to calculate a “living wage” allows 50% for necessities, which includes housing, 30% for discretionary/luxury spending and 20% for savings.
Take heart. There are much cheaper places to raise a family than Hawaii. For instance, it only costs $73,381 to make a living wage to support a family of four in Mississippi. If you wanted to survive — and maybe even thrive — as a single-income family, this might be one state where you could do it.
Take a look at the cheapest states to earn a living wage for a family of four, the most expensive and everything in between.
States Where It Costs The Least for a Family of Four to Live
The cheapest states to live as a family of four all need under $79,000 to earn what’s considered a living wage. They are all in the South or Midwest, with Oklahoma, Alabama, Kansas and Arkansas following Mississippi as the cheapest.
Here are the 10 states a family needs the least amount of money to live:
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- Alabama
- Kansas
- Arkansas
- West Virginia
- Missouri
- Kentucky
- Iowa
- Georgia
States Where It Costs The Most for a Family of Four to Live
On the other side of that, the states where you need the most money to earn a living wage for four people all require an income of more than $100,000. These are all coastal states known for high real estate prices, including Hawaii, Massachusetts, California, New York and Alaska.
Here are the 10 states where families need the most money to live:
- Hawaii
- Massachusetts
- California
- New York
- Alaska
- Maryland
- Oregon
- Vermont
- Washington
- New Jersey
The Living Wage For a Family of Four in All 50 States
| Rank | State | Living Wage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | $73,381 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | $74,253 |
| 3 | Alabama | $75,724 |
| 4 | Kansas | $75,924 |
| 5 | Arkansas | $76,456 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $76,905 |
| 7 | Missouri | $77,197 |
| 8 | Kentucky | $77,842 |
| 9 | Iowa | $78,025 |
| 10 | Georgia | $78,448 |
| 11 | Nebraska | $79,007 |
| 12 | Tennessee | $79,054 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $79,879 |
| 14 | Illinois | $79,899 |
| 15 | Indiana | $80,144 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $80,451 |
| 17 | Michigan | $80,998 |
| 18 | Ohio | $81,006 |
| 19 | Texas | $81,374 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $81,931 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $82,047 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $83,708 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $83,852 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $84,062 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $84,156 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $84,957 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $87,500 |
| 28 | Utah | $89,936 |
| 29 | Delaware | $91,293 |
| 30 | Virginia | $91,955 |
| 31 | Florida | $92,271 |
| 32 | Montana | $92,367 |
| 33 | Idaho | $94,874 |
| 34 | Colorado | $95,563 |
| 35 | Nevada | $95,755 |
| 36 | Rhode Island | $95,929 |
| 37 | Arizona | $97,345 |
| 38 | Maine | $99,158 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $100,436 |
| 40 | Connecticut | $101,030 |
| 41 | New Jersey | $104,770 |
| 42 | Washington | $105,080 |
| 43 | Vermont | $106,692 |
| 44 | Oregon | $106,779 |
| 45 | Maryland | $110,244 |
| 46 | Alaska | $113,079 |
| 47 | New York | $118,127 |
| 48 | California | $130,239 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | $142,341 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $182,900 |
