What is a livable hourly wage?

Asked by: Owen Okuneva Jr.  |  Last update: January 1, 2026
Score: 4.8/5 (60 votes)

A living wage is simply the minimum hourly amount that a full-time worker must earn to afford basic necessities.

What is a decent hourly wage in us?

As of Jan 6, 2025, the average hourly pay for an American in the United States is $28.16 an hour. While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $66.11 and as low as $7.93, the majority of American wages currently range between $15.87 (25th percentile) to $32.93 (75th percentile) across the United States.

Is $20 an hour a liveable salary?

At $20 an hour, a full-time worker earns a little more than $40,000 a year — it's not a lavish lifestyle, but enough to support a family, Wartzman says.

Is $17 an hour a livable wage?

It obviously depends on where you live in California but on average no. At least not comfortably. A full time job making $17/hr would be a take home pay of about $2,400/month after taxes. A one bedroom apartment in California will range from $1,500 in a really bad area to about $3,500 in a really nice expensive area.

Is $15 an hour enough to live on?

“Most of us can't do the math in our heads. If we could, we'd realize that $15 an hour amounts to only $31,200 a year, assuming full-time work—about half of the U.S. median income and a painfully small amount for living and raising children in most American cities.” It can be painfully small outside of cities, too.

The National Living Wage explained in 30 seconds

32 related questions found

What salary is $7.25 an hour?

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour (about $15,000 annually).

Is $25 an hour good for a single person?

The money covers a single person's basic expenses like housing in a studio apartment, food, health care and transportation, based on estimates from the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute's Living Wage Family Budget calculator. A $25 per hour wage works out to $52,000 per year, based on a 40-hour work week.

What rent can I afford with $20 an hour?

For example, if you're making $20 an hour, assuming you work a standard 40-hour workweek, your monthly income is $3,200. Based on the 50% needs category, you should aim to spend no more than 30% of yours income on rent, which comes out to $960 per month.

How much is 60k a year hourly?

How much is $60,000 a year per hour? A $60,000 annual salary is equivalent to earning a $28.85 hourly wage, or $230.80 each day. This is based on the employee working for eight hours a day, 52 weeks a year.

What do most people make an hour?

What is the average hourly wage in the United States? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage of United States citizens as of December 2020 is $29.81, while the average weekly wage is $1034.41.

Is $21 an hour decent pay?

As of Jan 6, 2025, the average hourly pay for a 21 An Hour in California is $19.55 an hour. While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $28.23 and as low as $8.30, the majority of 21 An Hour salaries currently range between $16.15 (25th percentile) to $22.07 (75th percentile) in California.

How many people make 30 dollars an hour?

The chart, shown above, shows that 19% of workers make less than $12.50 per hour, 32% of workers make between $12.50 and $20 per hour, 30% make between $20 and $30 an hour, 14% make between $30 and $45 per hour, and 5% make over $45 an hour.

Is 22 an hour a livable wage?

An analysis of the living wage (as calculated in December 2021 and reflecting a compensation being offered to an individual in 2022), 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 ...

What is an acceptable living wage?

The living wage in the United States was $25.02 per hour in 2022 or $104,077.70 per year before taxes, according to research from MIT. This figure is based on a family of four with two working adults. Each adult would have to work 52 weeks a year, earning $52,038.85 or $25.02 for a 40-hour workweek.

What salary do you need to afford $2000 rent?

40x Rent Rule

To find maximum rent using this rule, divide the household's annual gross income by 40. For example, a household that earns $80,000 per year can afford a maximum monthly rent of $2,000 (80,000 ÷ 40 = 2,000).

Is $20 an hour livable?

The ability to survive on a wage of $20 per hour depends on your individual circumstances. A single person with no dependents may be able to live comfortably on this amount, but if you are married and have to pay rent, it could be challenging to make ends meet with $20 per hour.

What is the salary for $23 an hour?

If you make $23 an hour, your yearly salary would be $47,840.

How much is 70K a year hourly?

$70,000 a year is how much an hour? If you make $70,000 a year, your hourly salary would be $33.65.

What is $30 an hour annually?

How much is $30 an hour annually? Earning $30 per hour results in a annual income of $62,400. How to calculate annual salary? First, determine the number of hours you work per week.

How to work out 3 days a week salary?

Other methods to calculate salary pro rata
  1. Take the new salary and divide it by 52 to calculate their weekly rate. ...
  2. Divide this weekly rate by the number of days worked. ...
  3. Minus the previous daily rate from the new rate. ...
  4. Multiply the increase by the required number of days. ...
  5. Add the result to your employee's monthly salary.

What is a great hourly wage?

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? We compiled a list of 30 jobs that pay between $30 and $39 per hour, raking in a solid $62,400 to $81,120 annually.