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Home » The salary a single person needs to get by in every U.S. state
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The salary a single person needs to get by in every U.S. state

News RoomBy News RoomAugust 29, 20230 Views0
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Depending on where you live, the salary you need to get by as a single worker can vary immensely.

In Hawaii, the living wage for single workers is $112,411 — the highest in the U.S. — according to an analysis by personal finance website GOBankingRates.com. To determine the living wage in each state, GOBankingRates calculated the minimum amount a single person would need to follow the 50/30/20 budget, using data from Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Following this outline, 50% of income is used to cover necessities, such as housing and utility costs, 30% goes toward discretionary spending, and 20% is left for savings or investments.

Hawaii’s living wage is more than double what many single people earn, as the U.S median income for single, full-time workers is $57,200, per Labor Bureau data. In Mississippi, however, the living wage is just $45,906, according to GOBankingRates data.

Here’s a look at the five most-costly states for single workers, based on how much money they’d need each year to get by.

  1. Hawaii: $112,411
  2. Massachusetts: $87,909
  3. California: $80,013
  4. New York: $73,226
  5. Alaska: $71,570

Hawaii ranking first is not surprising, as the cost of living there is typically among the highest in the country. Because Hawaii is an isolated chain of islands, most shipping is done by sea rather than by truck or rail, which increases the cost of consumer goods. Land for real estate is also limited, which has driven up home prices.

Similarly, Massachusetts, California and New York require relatively high living wages, largely due to the fact that Boston, Los Angeles and New York City have some of the highest housing costs in the country.

Looking at the results as a whole, single workers’ median income of $57,200 only covers the living wage in 30 states.

Single people may have to make sacrifices to get by

Although the study uses the 50/30/20 budget as a guideline for determining living wage, it isn’t always a realistic measure of what people can afford, primarily because of ever-rising housing costs.

That usually means some sort of compromise is needed to make ends meet, whether that’s cutting back on retirement contributions or eliminating other costs, like owning a car. In the case of large, expensive cities, getting a roommate is sometimes the only way a single person can cover their expenses.

While couples can usually find some cost savings by splitting mortgage or rent costs, there is no such discount for single people, which is why they typically spend thousands more on housing each year, compared with what married or people pay.

Location also plays a role. Individuals who earn around $57,200 can live comfortably in more rural states in the South and Midwest, where living costs are much lower.

Again, a lot of that has to do with housing costs. Median home prices in the South and Midwest are $311,800 and  $366,600, respectively, much less than the overall U.S. median of $410,200, according to National Association of Realtors data.

Here’s a look at the cost of living in each state, in alphabetical order.

Alabama

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $46,577

Alaska

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $71,570

Arizona

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $60,026

Arkansas

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $47,111

California

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $80,013

Colorado

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $59,218

Connecticut

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $63,078

Delaware

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $56,571

Florida

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $57,064

Georgia

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $49,051

Hawaii

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $112,411

Idaho

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $58,634

Illinois

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $49,372

Indiana

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $49,855

Iowa

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $48,518

Kansas

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $47,379

Kentucky

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $47,318

Louisiana

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $50,087

Maine

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $60,862

Maryland

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $67,915

Massachusetts

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $87,909

Michigan

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $50,049

Minnesota

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $51,668

Mississippi

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $45,906

Missouri

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $47,771

Montana

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $57,056

Nebraska

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $49,009

Nevada

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $58,580

New Hampshire

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $62,935

New Jersey

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $64,463

New Mexico

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $51,214

New York

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $73,226

North Carolina

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $53,531

North Dakota

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $52,807

Ohio

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $50,157

Oklahoma

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $46,024

Oregon

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $65,763

Pennsylvania

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $53,838

Rhode Island

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $59,936

South Carolina

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $52,222

South Dakota

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $52,095

Tennessee

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $48,774

Texas

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $50,497

Utah

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $55,293

Vermont

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $65,923

Virginia

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $57,293

Washington

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $65,640

West Virginia

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $47,732

Wisconsin

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $53,122

Wyoming

  • Annual living wage for a single person: $49,666

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