The salary a single person needs to live comfortably in every U.S. state (2024)

A single person will need to earn over six figures to live comfortably in the most expensive U.S. states, a SmartAsset analysis reveals.

"Comfortable" is defined as the monthly income needed to cover a 50/30/20 budget, which allocates 50% of your earnings for necessities like housing and utility costs, 30% for discretionary spending and 20% for savings or investments.

The income needed for each state was extrapolated based on the cost of necessities, using data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator.

Here's a look at the five most-costly states for single workers, based on how much money residents would need to earn each year to live comfortably.

  1. Massachusetts: $116,022
  2. Hawaii: $113,693
  3. California: $113,651
  4. New York: $111,738
  5. Washington: $106,496

To live comfortably on your own in these states, you'd need to earn nearly double what most single earners typically make, as the U.S median income for single, full-time workers is around $60,000, per Labor Bureau data.

The national median for living comfortably alone is $89,461, which suggests that a 50/30/20 budget might not be practical for most single people.

Living alone comes with added costs that can be more than double what you'd spend if you lived with someone else — otherwise known as the "singles tax." Housing is the most obvious expense, but single people also pay extra costs for groceries, travel, transportation and entertainment.

To make ends meetwhile living alone,youmight need to find roomin your budget. That couldmeanchoosing asmaller spaceor spending less on discretionary purchases, like travel.

Here's a look at the income needed to live comfortably in each state, listed in alphabetical order.

Alabama

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $83,824

Alaska

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $96,762

Arizona

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $97,344

Arkansas

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $79,456

California

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $113,651

Colorado

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $103,292

Connecticut

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $100,381

Delaware

Florida

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $93,309

Georgia

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $96,886

Hawaii

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $113,693

Idaho

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $88,733

Illinois

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $95,098

Indiana

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $85,030

Iowa

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $83,366

Kansas

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $84,656

Kentucky

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $80,704

Louisiana

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $82,451

Maine

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $91,686

Maryland

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $102,918

Massachusetts

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $116,022

Michigan

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $84,365

Minnesota

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $89,232

Mississippi

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $82,742

Missouri

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $84,032

Montana

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $84,739

Nebraska

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $83,699

Nevada

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $93,434

New Hampshire

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $98,094

New Jersey

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $103,002

New Mexico

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $83,616

New York

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $111,738

North Carolina

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $89,690

North Dakota

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $52,807

Ohio

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $80,704

Oklahoma

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $80,413

Oregon

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $101,088

Pennsylvania

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $91,312

Rhode Island

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $100,838

South Carolina

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $88,317

South Dakota

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $81,453

Tennessee

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $86,403

Texas

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $87,027

Utah

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $93,683

Vermont

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $95,763

Virginia

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $99,965

Washington

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $106,496

West Virginia

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $78,790

Wisconsin

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $84,115

Wyoming

  • Annual income needed to live comfortably: $87,651

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The salary a single person needs to live comfortably in every U.S. state (1)

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The salary a single person needs to live comfortably in every U.S. state (2024)

FAQs

What is a comfortable salary for one person in the US? ›

The national median for living comfortably alone is $89,461, which suggests that a 50/30/20 budget might not be practical for most single people.

What is the average salary in the US for a single person? ›

How much does the average American make a year? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the average U.S. annual salary in Q4 of 2023 was $59,384. This is up 5.4% from the same time period in 2022 when the average American was making $56,316 per year.

What is the income a family needs to live comfortably in the US? ›

Families in the top five most expensive U.S. states require an annual income exceeding $270,000 to live comfortably. This visualization illustrates the income necessary for two working adults with two children to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in each state.

Is $75000 a good salary for a single person? ›

If you make $75,000 a year, you're earning more than half of all workers in the U.S. And in fact, many people would probably consider the salary as good pay. After all, a $75,000 salary works out to around $6,250 per month, $1,442.31 per week, or $36.06 an hour.

How much do you need to live comfortably in every state? ›

Massachusetts Ranks First
RankStateSalary needed for a single working adult
3California$113,651
4New York$111,738
5Washington$106,496
6Colorado$103,293
46 more rows
Jun 12, 2024

What is the average cost of living for a single person in the US? ›

Average Expenses of U.S. Households in 2022 and 2021
20222021
MonthlyAnnually
One person$3,693$40,859
Family of two$6,372$69,382
Family of three$7,189$79,163
3 more rows
Nov 14, 2023

What salary is considered rich for a single person in USA? ›

Based on that figure, an annual income of $500,000 or more would make you rich. The Economic Policy Institute uses a different baseline to determine who constitutes the top 1% and the top 5%. For 2021, you're in the top 1% if you earn $819,324 or more each year. The top 5% of income earners make $335,891 per year.

What is the salary of a US family? ›

Highlights. Real median household income was $74,580 in 2022, a 2.3 percent decline from the 2021 estimate of $76,330 (Figure 1 and Table A-1).

What is the most expensive state to live in? ›

According to several studies on cost of living, Hawaii is the most expensive U.S. state to live in. Prices are typically double in Hawaii compared to those on the mainland, and the continued rise in inflation is making costs ranging from housing to health care much more expensive.

Is $25 an hour a livable wage? ›

An analysis of the living wage (as calculated in December 2022 and reflecting a compensation being offered to an individual in 2023), compiling geographically specific expenditure data for food, childcare, health care, housing, transportation, and other necessities, finds that: The living wage in the United States is ...

How much money do I need to live alone? ›

The average monthly expenses for a single person will depend quite a bit on where you live, and if you're living alone for the first time, you might be surprised that most things cost more, not just your rent. The national average expenses for a single person living alone are around $3,500 per month.

What is $80,000 a year hourly? ›

$80,000 is $38.46 an hour without vacation time.

If you work a full 40-hour week for 52 weeks, that amounts to 2,080 hours of work. So $80,000 a year in income divided by 2,080 is a $38.46 hourly wage.

Is $80,000 a good salary for a single person? ›

Is $80K a good salary for a single person? $80,000 is about $5,000 higher than the U.S. median household income, so many people would consider it very good for a single person. “Good” is always a relative term when it comes to salary; whether or not the amount you earn covers your expenses is a highly personal dynamic.

What is a decent salary in us? ›

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the national average salary in 2021 was $58,260. Although wages above the average could be seen as a good salary, there are no hard and fast rules regarding how to determine a good salary since there are many factors involved.

Is 200k a good salary for a single person? ›

If you had an income of $200,000, that would put you in the top 12% of household incomes or the top 5% of individual incomes in 2022. Though I prefer household income over individual income, no matter how you cut it, $200k a year puts you on the higher end of the income spectrum.

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