The MIT Living Wage Calculator helps you translate local costs into a clear hourly and annual wage for real life. It models the basics people actually pay for and updates on a regular cadence. As of February 10, 2025, the data reflects current cost patterns across states, counties, and metro areas.
Use the MIT Living Wage Calculator in four quick moves. Choose a state and county. Pick a family type and working adults. Review the living wage plus the expense breakdown and taxes. Compare against your pay or offer, then plan a budget or a negotiation strategy based on the gap.
How To Use The MIT Living Wage Calculator
Choose your state and county
Type your location and select the exact county or metro area. Location choice matters because housing and childcare shift a lot by neighborhood and commute distance.
Select family type and working adults
Pick the household that fits your reality. One adult or two. Children or none. Mark how many adults work full time so the tool spreads expenses across earners.
Compare wages and review expense breakdown
Scan the hourly and annual living wage, then look line by line at housing, food, transportation, healthcare, childcare, internet and mobile, other necessities, and estimated income taxes. Note the largest drivers and where tradeoffs exist.
What The MIT Living Wage Calculator Covers
Basic needs and taxes included
The model centers on a no-frills budget. It includes core expenses and income and payroll taxes so the wage reflects take home realities. Savings and discretionary spending are not included.
Geographic levels and family types
Results appear for states, counties, and metro areas. You can view twelve common family compositions and see how costs scale as kids and earners change.
Built by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The calculator is an MIT project grounded in publicly available data and updated annually to keep pace with costs. It uses a market based approach rather than a single national benchmark.
Living Wage Definition And Minimum Wage Comparison
A living wage is the pay needed for a full time worker to cover basic needs without outside assistance. Minimum wage is a legal floor and in many places falls below the living wage, which is why gaps show up so often.
Use Cases For Employers And Workers
Benchmark pay and job offers
Use local figures to set salary bands or sanity check offers. A store manager in a high rent county will need a higher floor than the same role elsewhere.
Budget planning for individuals and families
Run your own scenario, then map each category to a monthly plan. A childcare worker in Los Angeles who sees housing and care costs exceed pay can use the numbers to guide a move or a raise request.
Policy insights for residents and practitioners
Community groups and planners can spot where wages lag and which expenses push families to the brink. The pattern often points to housing and childcare first.
Explore The Living Wage Map
California and Los Angeles
High housing and childcare lift the living wage. Urban cores read hot while some inland counties cool slightly. Commute choices change the picture you see.
Texas
Statewide averages look moderate, yet big city counties raise the bar. Austin and Dallas trend higher than rural areas, with housing as the main lever.
Ohio
Mixed costs across metro and small town counties. Columbus and Cincinnati rise above state averages while some counties track closer to national medians.
FAQs
What does MIT living wage mean?
It is the hourly pay a full time worker needs to meet basic needs for a specific place and family type, including taxes and typical expenses.
Is $50,000 a year a livable wage?
It depends on location and family size. In lower cost counties it can work for a single adult. In higher cost metros it often falls short.
What is a liveable salary in 2025?
There is no single number. Use your county and family setup to see the hourly and annual figure that matches local prices in 2025.
Is $100,000 a liveable wage?
Often yes for single adults in moderate cost areas. In the highest cost cities a six figure salary can still trail the local living wage.
Bottom line. Start with your county and family type, compare your pay to the modeled figure, then act. The MIT Living Wage Calculator turns fuzzy cost pressure into clear next steps.