Are you still earning a ‘living wage?’ How to tell

(NEXSTAR) – Between the minimum wage rising in nearly two dozen states and your paycheck potentially getting a small bump, you may have found yourself making more money so far this year. New data shows that even with an increase, you may not be making a “living wage.”

As it has for several years, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has updated its Living Wage Calculator, which considers the costs of food, housing, transportation, childcare, healthcare, taxes, and more basic bills. Using this data, MIT then calculates how much families of varying sizes would need to cover those costs.

Once you enter your location – which can be a state, county, or major metro area – the tool will show a table breaking down the living and poverty wages by family size, as well as the typical expenses researchers have calculated.

In San Jose, California, for example, an individual with no children would need to earn at least $37.93 an hour to cover the typical expenses, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator. The Bay Area city frequently ranks as one of the most expensive in the nation. In one of the most affordable metros, Oklahoma City, the same adult would need to earn at least $21.24.

The living wage of an area changes as the family grows. For a family of four, both working adults need to earn at least $48.15 an hour. In Oklahoma City, those same adults would need an hourly wage of at least $26.02.

You can find the MIT Living Wage calculator here.

In no state is the minimum wage enough to be considered a living wage, per MIT’s calculations. The disparity is lowest in Missouri, a Nexstar analysis has found. On January 1, the minimum wage in Missouri jumped to $15 an hour. That’s $6.27 lower than $21.27 an hour that MIT’s Living Wage Calculator says a single working adult needs to earn to afford living in Missouri.

The disparity is higher in Georgia, where the state’s minimum wage is $5.15 per hour, though under “some limited exceptions,” employers in the state must pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Either hourly wage still comes in well below Georgia‘s estimated living wage of $24.21 for a single working adult.

According to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, Hawaii’s state-wide living wage sits at $31.01 an hour, the highest level in the nation. That’s about twice the state’s minimum wage of $16 an hour.

Pressure on your pocketbook may feel higher as of late amid conflict in the Middle East. While pump prices may be the most notable change – the national average price for a gallon of regular gas is up more than 50 cents since March began – the costs of goods, food, and home energy may rise. The conflict could also impact inflation.

Gregory Daco, chief economist at consulting firm EY-Parthenon, estimated that the bump in gas prices could push monthly inflation to as high as 1% in March, which would be the highest monthly increase in four years. Yearly inflation would near 3% in that case.

“That’s a significant shock in and of itself,” Daco told the Associated Press.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

More Personal Finance News

The return-to-the-office trend backfires

Thune quashes Trump push to reform filibuster for SAVE Act

Swalwell says staffer flew to Colombia to return hearing aid to deported ...

Republicans eye second GOP-only megabill, but it faces uphill climb

Odds of a ‘Super El Nino’ growing, model shows. What that could mean

Speaker Johnson floats using reconciliation to address alleged fraud in blue ...

Live results: Georgia special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene

Democratic senator says US ‘seem to be’ on path toward deploying American ...

Trump heads to Kentucky in an aggressive effort to topple a foe: GOP ...

Erika Kirk appointed to Air Force Academy board

Rand Paul: Midterms will be ‘disastrous’ for Republicans

A mega-deal to end the war

Swalwell leads wide-open California governor’s race: Poll 

In ICE masking debate, these former officers say take them off

Thompson fends off challenger to win Mississippi primary

Democrats flip New Hampshire House seat in special election 

Joe Rogan: Trump supporters ‘feel betrayed’ by ‘insane’ Iran war

2 states approved permanent standard time. Others are hoping to do the same

The Hill Podcasts – Morning Report

© The Hill