The Living Wage a Single Person Needs in All 50 States
Whether you’ve shopped for groceries, gas or even a car in the past year, you know that prices have risen significantly since 2022. The Consumer Price Index report from July 2023 showed that prices on the “all items index” have increased 3.2% in the past 12 months.
Because the cost of goods has increased so much, the living wage needed for a single person has also risen across the country. But how much you need to live varies dramatically by state.
GOBankingRates recently surveyed annual living expenses for a single person in each of the 50 states. The researchers used the 2021 Consumer Expenditure Survey data (the latest available) for a single person from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate the annual cost of necessities based on data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center’s 2023 Q1 Cost of Living Data Series.
With the cost of necessities in hand, researchers doubled the total annual cost of necessities to determine a living wage that also factors in discretionary spending and savings.
How does your state stack up?
States Requiring the Most Money for a Living Wage
Hawaii tops the list of states and what’s needed to earn a living wage. It’s the only state where a single person needs to make six figures to get by, pay for necessities and a few nice-to-have purchases, and stash money into savings, too.
You’ll need $112,411 to make what’s considered a living wage in Hawaii.
Massachusetts, California, New York and Alaska round out the top five most expensive states for a single person. That’s not surprising when you realize that median home values are also highest in Hawaii, California and Massachusetts, according to data from WorldPopulationReview.com.
Since housing and other necessities make up 50% of a living wage, it stands to reason that states with higher housing costs require more money to earn a living wage.
- Hawaii
- Massachusetts
- California
- New York
- Alaska
- Maryland
- Vermont
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Jersey
States Requiring the Least Money to Earn a Living Wage
On the other side of that coin sits Mississippi, where you’ll only need to make $45,906 a year to earn a living wage. That’s less than half of what you’d need in Hawaii. Rounding out the top five least expensive states to live are Oklahoma, Alabama, Kansas and Arkansas, all requiring less than $47,500 to earn a living wage.
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Kansas
- West Virginia
- Missouri
- Iowa
- Georgia
Living Wages in All 50 States
| Rank | State | Income Required |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | $45,906 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | $46,024 |
| 3 | Alabama | $46,577 |
| 4 | Arkansas | $47,111 |
| 5 | Kentucky | $47,318 |
| 6 | Kansas | $47,379 |
| 7 | West Virginia | $47,732 |
| 8 | Missouri | $47,771 |
| 9 | Iowa | $48,518 |
| 12 | Tennessee | $48,774 |
| 11 | Nebraska | $49,009 |
| 10 | Georgia | $49,051 |
| 13 | Illinois | $49,372 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $49,666 |
| 15 | Indiana | $49,855 |
| 17 | Michigan | $50,049 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $50,087 |
| 18 | Ohio | $50,157 |
| 19 | Texas | $50,497 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $51,214 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $51,668 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $52,095 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $52,222 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $52,807 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $53,122 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $53,531 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $53,838 |
| 28 | Utah | $55,293 |
| 29 | Delaware | $56,571 |
| 31 | Montana | $57,056 |
| 30 | Florida | $57,064 |
| 32 | Virginia | $57,293 |
| 34 | Nevada | $58,580 |
| 33 | Idaho | $58,634 |
| 35 | Colorado | $59,218 |
| 36 | Rhode Island | $59,936 |
| 37 | Arizona | $60,026 |
| 38 | Maine | $60,862 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $62,935 |
| 40 | Connecticut | $63,078 |
| 41 | New Jersey | $64,463 |
| 42 | Washington | $65,640 |
| 43 | Oregon | $65,763 |
| 44 | Vermont | $65,923 |
| 45 | Maryland | $67,915 |
| 46 | Alaska | $71,570 |
| 47 | New York | $73,226 |
| 48 | California | $80,013 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | $87,909 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $112,411 |
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