Living Wage Calculator - Living Wage Calculation for North Carolina (2024)

The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support themselves and/or their family, working full-time, or 2080 hours per year. The tables below provide living wage estimates for individuals and households with one or two working adults and zero to three children. In households with two working adults, all hourly values reflect what one working adult requires to earn to meet their families’ basic needs, assuming the other adult also earns the same.

The poverty wage and state minimum wage are for reference purposes. Poverty wage estimates come from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Poverty Guidelines for 2024 and have been converted from an annual value to an hourly wage for ease of comparison. The state minimum wage data is sourced from the Labor Law Center and includes the minimum wage in a given state as of January of that year.

For further detail, please reference the Methodology page. The data on this page was last updated on February 14, 2024.

1 ADULT 2 ADULTS

(1 WORKING)

2 ADULTS

(BOTH WORKING)

0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children 0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children 0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children
Living Wage $21.56 $36.68 $45.31 $57.55 $29.45 $34.92 $39.35 $41.94 $14.73 $20.53 $25.16 $28.50
Poverty Wage $7.24 $9.83 $12.41 $15.00 $9.83 $12.41 $15.00 $17.59 $4.91 $6.21 $7.50 $8.79
Minimum Wage $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25 $7.25

Typical Expenses

The table below shows the costs of each basic need that go into estimating the living wage. Like with the living wage, their values vary by location and family size.

1 ADULT 2 ADULTS

(1 WORKING)

2 ADULTS

(BOTH WORKING)

0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children 0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children 0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children
Food $4,252 $6,268 $9,402 $12,497 $7,796 $9,704 $12,498 $15,239 $7,796 $9,704 $12,498 $15,239
Child Care $0 $10,698 $19,210 $25,777 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $10,698 $19,210 $25,777
Medical $3,140 $9,770 $9,656 $10,128 $7,333 $9,656 $10,128 $9,715 $7,333 $9,656 $10,128 $9,715
Housing $12,982 $15,679 $15,679 $20,122 $13,519 $15,679 $15,679 $20,122 $13,519 $15,679 $15,679 $20,122
Transportation $9,968 $11,535 $14,531 $16,720 $11,535 $14,531 $16,720 $16,700 $11,535 $14,531 $16,720 $16,700
Civic $2,165 $3,810 $4,795 $5,553 $3,810 $4,795 $5,553 $5,191 $3,810 $4,795 $5,553 $5,191
Internet & Mobile $1,492 $1,492 $1,492 $1,492 $2,071 $2,071 $2,071 $2,071 $2,071 $2,071 $2,071 $2,071
Other $3,903 $6,966 $7,407 $10,238 $6,966 $7,407 $10,238 $9,841 $6,966 $7,407 $10,238 $9,841
Required annual income after taxes $37,902 $66,219 $82,172 $102,527 $53,031 $63,843 $72,887 $78,880 $53,031 $74,541 $92,097 $104,657
Annual taxes $6,947 $10,080 $12,077 $17,172 $8,228 $8,797 $8,953 $8,362 $8,228 $10,874 $12,587 $13,889
Required annual income before taxes $44,848 $76,299 $94,250 $119,699 $61,259 $72,640 $81,840 $87,241 $61,259 $85,416 $104,684 $118,545

Typical Annual Salaries

The average annual salaries for various occupations in the table below comes from the latest state-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. When available, this data is specific to a given metro area.

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $126,640
Business & Financial Operations $82,730
Computer & Mathematical $104,530
Architecture & Engineering $85,090
Life, Physical, & Social Science $74,320
Community & Social Service $51,620
Legal $102,780
Education, Training, & Library $52,930
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $66,670
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $87,180
Healthcare Support $33,240
Protective Service $42,860
Food Preparation & Serving Related $28,190
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $31,760
Personal Care & Service $33,440
Sales & Related $47,660
Office & Administrative Support $41,880
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $38,270
Construction & Extraction $47,720
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $52,160
Production $41,140
Transportation & Material Moving $38,520
Living Wage Calculator
       - Living Wage Calculation for North Carolina (2024)

FAQs

Living Wage Calculator - Living Wage Calculation for North Carolina? ›

Family-sustaining wages in North Carolina range from $16.83 per hour for one working adult living alone to $42.45 per hour for one working adult supporting three children.

What is a livable wage in NC? ›

Family-sustaining wages in North Carolina range from $16.83 per hour for one working adult living alone to $42.45 per hour for one working adult supporting three children.

How is a living wage calculated? ›

The living wage is calculated by first establishing the cost for the basic but decent life in a specific region, inclusive of food, housing, education, healthcare, transportation, clothing and other essential needs for a family including unexpected events. The exact costs reflect local items and prices.

What is a good hourly wage in NC? ›

As of Jul 12, 2024, the average hourly pay for a Hourly in North Carolina is $22.57 an hour. While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $38.45 and as low as $15.51, the majority of Hourly salaries currently range between $22.74 (25th percentile) to $25.34 (75th percentile) in North Carolina.

Is $20 an hour a livable wage? ›

California. California's living wage is $19.41, or $40,371 a year for an individual. A family of four requires $27.42, or $101,378 a year.

Is $19 an hour a livable wage? ›

The figure makes clear that location plays an important role in determining a living wage: For a family of two full-time working adults and two children, the living wage in 2022 for one of those adults spans between $18.75 and $40.16 in the lowest and highest cost counties, respectively.

Is $15 an hour a livable wage? ›

The state's current minimum wage is the same as the federal benchmark—just $7.25 an hour—a sum that Shapiro has said is “not a livable wage in the year 2023.” That is unquestionably true. But here's the thing: Neither is $15 a livable wage for the vast majority of Americans.

What is the difference between living wage and living income? ›

Living wage refers specifically to the context of hired workers (in factories, on farms, etc.), whereas living income refers to any self-employed income earner, such as farmers.

How do you calculate real wage from cost of living? ›

Real Wage Rate: The average hourly wage rate measured in the dollars of a given reference base period. It shows that the quantity of goods and services that an hour work can buy. Real wage rate = (Nominal wage rate in current year/ CPI in current year) x 100%.

How much money does a family of four need to live comfortably? ›

A family of four needs to earn at least $106,903 a year to cover their necessities in most U.S. states, a recent SmartAsset study reveals. The findings are based on cost estimates for housing, child care, transportation, health care, taxes and other common expenses, as tracked by the MIT Living Wage calculator.

What is a good salary for a single person in North Carolina? ›

According to the report, single adults need about $88,317 to live comfortably and families of four need $200,762.

What is the average cost of living in North Carolina? ›

The average cost of living in North Carolina was $38,295 a year. In 2022, the median price for a family home in North Carolina was $369,500. The average cost for electricity, water, and gas/fuel in North Carolina comes in at around $260 per month.

Is $30 an hour considered good? ›

The national mean salary in the United States is $56,310 according to the National Compensation Survey. That works out to be $27 per hour. So in order to be above average, you have to earn more than $28 per hour. Why not be way above average and find a job that pays $30 more than the average hourly salary?

What is a realistic livable wage? ›

Living Wage Calculation for California
1 ADULT2 ADULTS (BOTH WORKING)
0 Children2 Children
Living Wage$27.32$33.26
Poverty Wage$7.24$7.50
Minimum Wage$16.00$16.00

Is $25 an hour livable? ›

The living wage in the United States was $25.02 per hour in 2022 or $104,077.70 per year before taxes based on a family of four with two working adults and two children. 4 This varies by state, however.

Is $23 an hour a livable wage? ›

SmartAsset says a single working adult must earn at least $114,000, or about $55 an hour, to support themselves in the Golden State. When it comes to a basic “living wage,” MIT says a single adult in California needs to earn $27.32 per hour or $56,800 per year.

What is a good salary in NC? ›

$39,470 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $66,427 is the 75th percentile.

What is middle class income in NC? ›

In North Carolina, your annual income typically falls within a specific range, from $42,994 to $206,606, to be considered middle class. This depends on your family size. This article provides a detailed breakdown of these income ranges for various family sizes, from two-person households to families of seven.

Is 30k a year poverty for a single person? ›

In 2023, the federal poverty level definition of low income for a single-person household is $14,580 annually. Each additional person in the household adds $5,140 to the total. For example, the poverty guideline is $30,000 per year for a family of four.

What is a good wage to live comfortably? ›

Key Findings. On average, an individual needs $96,500 for sustainable comfort in a major U.S. city. This includes being able to pay off debt and invest for the future.

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