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The Living Wage a Family of Four Needs in All 50 States
If you’re raising a family of four in 2025, you’ll need a six-figure income in 26 states. That’s more than half of America where you’ll need to earn $100,000 or more annually to budget for and comfortably raise a family.
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GOBankingRates surveyed annual living expenses for a family of four across the United States using data from the 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey and for a married couple with children from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Living wage” is defined as the income required to cover 50% necessities, 30% discretionary spending and 20% for savings. Using the 50-30-20 budget rule, the study doubled the total annual expenditure on necessities to determine the “living wage” for a family of four in each state.
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Ranked in order from states from the lowest to highest earnings, here’s how much living wage is necessary for families of four.
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1. West Virginia
Living wage for a family of four: $82,338
Annual cost of housing: $13,454
Annual cost of groceries: $5,731
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,465
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2. Mississippi
Living wage for a family of four: $87,564
Annual cost of housing: $15,846
Annual cost of groceries: $6,750
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,373
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3. Alabama
Living wage for a family of four: $87,607
Annual cost of housing: $15,670
Annual cost of groceries: $6,675
Annual cost of healthcare: $6,949
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4. Kansas
Living wage for a family of four: $87,944
Annual cost of housing: $15,517
Annual cost of groceries: $6,610
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,141
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5. Arkansas
Living wage for a family of four: $88,312
Annual cost of housing: $16,504
Annual cost of groceries: $7,030
Annual cost of healthcare: $6,617
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6. Oklahoma
Living wage for a family of four: $90,659
Annual cost of housing: $16,394
Annual cost of groceries: $6,984
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,658
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7. Iowa
Living wage for a family of four: $91,667
Annual cost of housing: $16,548
Annual cost of groceries: $7,049
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,458
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8. Missouri
Living wage for a family of four: $91,669
Annual cost of housing: $17,250
Annual cost of groceries: $7,348
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,064
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9. Tennessee
Living wage for a family of four: $92,179
Annual cost of housing: $18,172
Annual cost of groceries: $7,741
Annual cost of healthcare: $6,756
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10. Kentucky
Living wage for a family of four: $93,349
Annual cost of housing: $17,075
Annual cost of groceries: $7,274
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,820
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11. Indiana
Living wage for a family of four: $93,544
Annual cost of housing: $16,965
Annual cost of groceries: $7,227
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,535
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12. Michigan
Living wage for a family of four: $93,807
Annual cost of housing: $17,228
Annual cost of groceries: $7,339
Annual cost of healthcare: $6,987
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13. Nebraska
Living wage for a family of four: $94,102
Annual cost of housing: $17,448
Annual cost of groceries: $7,432
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,820
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14. Georgia
Living wage for a family of four: $94,682
Annual cost of housing: $17,382
Annual cost of groceries: $7,404
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,550
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15. North Dakota
Living wage for a family of four: $94,752
Annual cost of housing: $17,514
Annual cost of groceries: $7,461
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,152
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16. Louisiana
Living wage for a family of four: $95,480
Annual cost of housing: $18,523
Annual cost of groceries: $7,891
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,342
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17. Texas
Living wage for a family of four: $95,763
Annual cost of housing: $17,843
Annual cost of groceries: $7,601
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,319
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18. New Mexico
Living wage for a family of four: $96,130
Annual cost of housing: $18,633
Annual cost of groceries: $7,937
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,105
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19. Minnesota
Living wage for a family of four: $96,640
Annual cost of housing: $17,623
Annual cost of groceries: $7,507
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,090
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20. Montana
Living wage for a family of four: $96,870
Annual cost of housing: $18,567
Annual cost of groceries: $7,909
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,450
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21. South Carolina
Living wage for a family of four: $98,082
Annual cost of housing: $18,962
Annual cost of groceries: $8,078
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,203
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22. Pennsylvania
Living wage for a family of four: $98,427
Annual cost of housing: $18,326
Annual cost of groceries: $7,806
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,072
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23. Maryland
Living wage for a family of four: $98,585
Annual cost of housing: $18,040
Annual cost of groceries: $7,685
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,110
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24. Ohio
Living wage for a family of four: $99,453
Annual cost of housing: $19,226
Annual cost of groceries: $8,190
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,488
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25. South Dakota
Living wage for a family of four: $100,000
Annual cost of housing: $19,686
Annual cost of groceries: $8,386
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,805
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26. Illinois
Living wage for a family of four: $100,332
Annual cost of housing: $18,479
Annual cost of groceries: $7,872
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,758
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27. Wyoming
Living wage for a family of four: $100,750
Annual cost of housing: $19,774
Annual cost of groceries: $8,423
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,751
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28. North Carolina
Living wage for a family of four: $104,582
Annual cost of housing: $20,981
Annual cost of groceries: $8,938
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,044
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29. Delaware
Living wage for a family of four: $107,042
Annual cost of housing: $21,179
Annual cost of groceries: $9,022
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,828
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30. Wisconsin
Living wage for a family of four: $107,324
Annual cost of housing: $21,618
Annual cost of groceries: $9,209
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,128
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31. Idaho
Living wage for a family of four: $107,412
Annual cost of housing: $21,749
Annual cost of groceries: $9,265
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,820
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32. Virginia
Living wage for a family of four: $111,303
Annual cost of housing: $22,781
Annual cost of groceries: $9,704
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,198
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33. Florida
Living wage for a family of four: $112,401
Annual cost of housing: $23,637
Annual cost of groceries: $10,069
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,350
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34. Colorado
Living wage for a family of four: $112,828
Annual cost of housing: $23,615
Annual cost of groceries: $10,060
Annual cost of healthcare: $7,982
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35. Nevada
Living wage for a family of four: $112,965
Annual cost of housing: $23,439
Annual cost of groceries: $9,985
Annual cost of healthcare: $6,486
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36. Rhode Island
Living wage for a family of four: $123,298
Annual cost of housing: $25,107
Annual cost of groceries: $10,695
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,260
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37. New Hampshire
Living wage for a family of four: $123,863
Annual cost of housing: $25,502
Annual cost of groceries: $10,864
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,506
38. Connecticut
Living wage for a family of four: $126,753
Annual cost of housing: $25,722
Annual cost of groceries: $10,957
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,661
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39. Utah
Living wage for a family of four: $128,484
Annual cost of housing: $28,465
Annual cost of groceries: $12,126
Annual cost of healthcare: $6,925
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40. Washington
Living wage for a family of four: $131,024
Annual cost of housing: $27,807
Annual cost of groceries: $11,845
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,97
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41. Arizona
Living wage for a family of four: $131,102
Annual cost of housing: $29,848
Annual cost of groceries: $12,715
Annual cost of healthcare: $6,918
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42. Oregon
Living wage for a family of four: $131,824
Annual cost of housing: $28,904
Annual cost of groceries: $12,313
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,637
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43. Vermont
Living wage for a family of four: $131,996
Annual cost of housing: $29,211
Annual cost of groceries: $12,444
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,738
44. New Jersey
Living wage for a family of four: $134,990
Annual cost of housing: $30,331
Annual cost of groceries: $12,920
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,229
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45. Maine
Living wage for a family of four: $135,943
Annual cost of housing: $29,804
Annual cost of groceries: $12,696
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,707
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46. Alaska
Living wage for a family of four: $136,990
Annual cost of housing: $25,854
Annual cost of groceries: $11,013
Annual cost of healthcare: $11,290
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47. New York
Living wage for a family of four: $155,738
Annual cost of housing: $37,354
Annual cost of groceries: $15,912
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,607
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48. California
Living wage for a family of four: $188,269
Annual cost of housing: $45,891
Annual cost of groceries: $19,549
Annual cost of healthcare: $8,213
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49. Massachusetts
Living wage for a family of four: $199,671
Annual cost of housing: $49,600
Annual cost of groceries: $21,129
Annual cost of healthcare: $10,033
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50. Hawaii
Living wage for a family of four: $258,918
Annual cost of housing: $66,412
Annual cost of groceries: $28,290
Annual cost of healthcare: $9,540
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Living Wage a Family of Four Needs in All 50 States