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The Income Needed to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State
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Individuals in the top 11 most expensive states in the U.S. need an annual income exceeding $100,000 to live comfortably.
This map shows how much income single adults need to live comfortably in each U.S. state. SmartAsset calculated the income needed using the cost of necessities sourced from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, last updated on Feb. 14, 2024.
In this case, “comfortable” was defined as the annual income required to cover a 50/30/20 budget, allocating 50% of earnings to necessities such as housing and utility costs, 30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to savings or investments.
Massachusetts Ranks First
Massachusetts is the most expensive state to live comfortably in. A single adult needs to make at least $116,022 annually or $55.78 per hour.
RankStateSalary needed for a single working adult
1Massachusetts$116,022
2Hawaii$113,693
3California$113,651
4New York$111,738
5Washington$106,496
6Colorado$103,293
7New Jersey$103,002
8Maryland$102,918
9Oregon$101,088
10Rhode Island$100,838
11Connecticut$100,381
12Virginia$99,965
13New Hampshire$98,093
14Arizona$97,344
15Georgia$96,886
16Alaska$96,762
17Vermont$95,763
18Illinois$95,098
19Delaware$94,141
20Utah$93,683
21Nevada$93,434
22Florida$93,309
23Maine$91,686
24Pennsylvania$91,312
25North Carolina$89,690
26Minnesota$89,232
27Idaho$88,733
28South Carolina$88,317
29Wyoming$87,651
30Texas$87,027
31Tennessee$86,403
32Indiana$85,030
33Montana$84,739
34Kansas$84,656
35Michigan$84,365
36Wisconsin$84,115
37Missouri$84,032
38Alabama$83,824
39Nebraska$83,699
40New Mexico$83,616
41Iowa$83,366
42Mississippi$82,742
43Louisiana$82,451
44South Dakota$81,453
45Ohio$80,704
45Kentucky$80,704
47North Dakota$80,538
48Oklahoma$80,413
49Arkansas$79,456
50West Virginia$78,790
West Virginia is the least expensive for a single adult, who only needs to make an estimated $37.88 per hour, or $78,790 annually.
To live comfortably on your own in the top five states, a person would need to earn nearly double the typical income for single earners, as the U.S. median income for single, full-time workers is around $60,000, according to Labor Bureau data.
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out this graphic, which ranks the income a family needs to live comfortably in every U.S. state.
The post Mapped: The Income Needed to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State appeared first on Visual Capitalist.