Is $17 an hour a living wage?
Yes, you can do it, and as you can see that it is possible with the sample budget of $17 per hour. Living in a higher cost of living area would be more difficult. So, you may have to get a little creative. For example, you might have to have a roommate.
$17 per hour is actually a good salary in most of the USA. There are larger cities where this would not be the case such as NYC, LA or Seattle, among others. This is more than double the minimum wage in most places in the US.
So to calculate your weekly income, see below: $17 an hour multiplied by 40 hours per week is $680 per week income.
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.
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 ...
The median annual living wage — defined as the minimum amount you need to cover expenses while saving for retirement — is $61,617 per household in the U.S., according to calculations by personal finance website GOBankingRates.
$17 hourly is how much per week? If you make $17 per hour, your Weekly salary would be $680.
Minimum wages in the United States, by state 2023. The federally mandated minimum wage in the United States is 7.25 U.S. dollars per hour, although the minimum wage varies from state to state. As of January 1, 2023, the District of Columbia had the highest minimum wage in the U.S., at 16.50 U.S. dollars per hour.
$17.50 an hour is $35,000 a year in annual income.
If you earn an hourly wage of $17.50 an hour and work for an average of 40 hours a week for 50 weeks a year, you'll earn a yearly salary of $35,000.
An average person works about 40 hours per week, which means if they make $50,000 a year, they earn $24.04 per hour.
How much is $40,000 a year per hour?
So if an employee earns $40,000 annually working 40 hours a week, they make about $19.23 an hour (40,000 divided by 2,080).
A annual salary of $70,000, working 40 hours per week — assuming it's a full-time job of 8 hours per day — will get you $34.31 per hour.

Median weekly earnings of full-time workers were $1,085 in the fourth quarter of 2022. Women had median weekly earnings of $975, or 82.9 percent of the $1,176 median for men.
Yes, you can do it, and as you can see that it is possible with the sample budget of $16 per hour. Living in a higher cost of living area would be more difficult. So, you may have to get a little creative. For example, you might have to have a roommate.
Easy, good, paying jobs include pet care, dog walking, home sitting, technical writing, patient care, delivery driving, massage therapy, and political science jobs. Most of these jobs only need the skill set and perhaps a post-secondary qualification.
# | State | Livable Wage |
---|---|---|
1 | District of Columbia | $23.13 |
2 | Hawaii | $21.99 |
3 | New York | $21.99 |
4 | Massachusetts | $21.88 |
The minimum wage does not provide a living wage for most American families. A typical family of four (two working adults, two children) needs to work nearly two full-time minimum wage jobs each (a 77-hour work week per working adult) to earn a living wage.
Average ₱16,927 per month.
The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as households that earn between two-thirds and double the median U.S. household income, which was $65,000 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 21 Using Pew's yardstick, middle income is made up of people who make between $43,350 and $130,000.
In a 2021 modern wealth survey, Americans told Charles Schwab that they need an average net worth of $934,000 to be financially comfortable. Another survey by Personal Capital says that Americans believe that they need to save an average of $516,000 to maintain financial health.
What is the highest paying occupation?
Rank | Occupation | 2021 Median Wages |
---|---|---|
Employment column two Annual | ||
1 | Anesthesiologists | $208,000+ |
1 | Cardiologists | $208,000+ |
1 | Dermatologists | $208,000+ |
At least not comfortably. A full time job making $17/hr would be a take home pay of about $2,400/month after taxes. Is it possible for the cost of living to be less expensive in California in the future?
Part-time work means a person works a set number of hours each week, which can range from a few to around 30 hours.
Washington, D.C. boasts the nation's highest minimum wage at $16.10 an hour, according to the Department of Labor. But if we're getting technical, the northwest state of Washington has the highest consolidated state minimum wage in the U.S. at $14.49 an hour.
The highest minimum wage is in Washington D.C. at $16.10 per hour, followed by Washington at $14.49 and Massachusetts at $14.25. Here is a list of all the states with a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage.
If you make $700 per week, your hourly salary would be $17.50. This result is obtained by multiplying your base salary by the amount of hours, week, and months you work in a year, assuming you work 40 hours a week.
$17.50 hourly is how much per month? If you make $17.50 per hour, your Monthly salary would be $3,033. This result is obtained by multiplying your base salary by the amount of hours, week, and months you work in a year, assuming you work 40 hours a week.
Results. A salary of $36,000 equates to a monthly pay of $3,000, weekly pay of $692, and an hourly wage of $17.31.
$100,000 is $50.00 an hour.
$50.00 is the hourly wage a person who earns a $100,000 salary will make if they work 2,000 hours in a year for an average of 40 hours per week, with two weeks of total holidays. We take the annual salary of $100,000 and divide it by 2,000 to get to a $50.00 hourly rate.
For many people, $50,000 is enough income to live comfortably, although your location and lifestyle are important factors. In coastal cities, that money doesn't go as far, but there are certainly households in New York City that live on one or two Social Security incomes amounting to less than $50,000.
What is $22 an hour annually?
$22 hourly is how much per year? If you make $22 per hour, your Yearly salary would be $45,760. This result is obtained by multiplying your base salary by the amount of hours, week, and months you work in a year, assuming you work 40 hours a week. How much tax do I pay if I make $22 per hour?
If you make $17 per hour, your Yearly salary would be $35,360. This result is obtained by multiplying your base salary by the amount of hours, week, and months you work in a year, assuming you work 40 hours a week.
$80,000 is $40.00 an hour.
$40.00 is the hourly wage a person who earns a $80,000 salary will make if they work 2,000 hours in a year for an average of 40 hours per week, with two weeks of total holidays. We take the annual salary of $80,000 and divide it by 2,000 to get to a $40.00 hourly rate.
While a $40,000 a year salary might categorize you in the lower-middle class and below the median individual income in America, it's still plenty of money for you to survive on. However, there are tons of factors that determine if you will struggle with $40k or live more comfortably than you expected.
From career achievements to family milestones, these are the years in which you'll see the hard work you put in during your 20s and 30s really start to pay off. These decades are known as your peak earning years, as full-time workers with bachelor's degrees tend to make the most money in their 40s and 50s.
Results. A salary of $90,000 equates to a monthly pay of $7,500, weekly pay of $1,731, and an hourly wage of $43.27.
Let's say you earn $70,000 each year. By using the 28 percent rule, your mortgage payments should add up to no more than $19,600 for the year, which equals a monthly payment of $1,633. With that magic number in mind, you can afford a $305,000 home at a 5.35 percent interest rate over 30 years.
Age Range | Median Weekly Earnings | Median Annual Earnings |
---|---|---|
20-24 | $684 | $35,568 |
25-34 | $975 | $50,700 |
35-44 | $1,155 | $60,060 |
45-54 | $1,172 | $60,944 |
That means American households earning as little as $47,189 and up to $141,568 are technically in the middle class.
Is $30 an hour good?
The average income per individual in the US is $35,384 per year, but the median income in the US is $64,994, which is right around the 30-dollar-an-hour mark. Since 30 dollars an hour is above the average income per individual, it's a livable wage, but it depends on a few factors.
A $40-per-hour job provides an annual income of around $83,200. Not bad at all.
Assuming you work a standard 40 hour work week, $32 an hour is $66,560 annually. This is a very livable wage in most parts of the United States.
- Cooks. ...
- Fast-Food and Counter Workers. ...
- Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers. ...
- Dishwashers. ...
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers. ...
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers. ...
- Pressers of Textiles, Garments, and Related Materials. ...
- Food-Preparation Workers.
According to data that FinanceBuzz compiled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), some low-stress jobs that typically yield a six-figure salary include mathematician, software developer, political scientist, physicist, chemical engineer, astronomer, and ...
Agriculture, logging and forestry have the highest levels of self-reported happiness — and lowest levels of self-reported stress — of any major industry category, according to our analysis of thousands of time journals from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey.
If all you can manage, with your education and training, is $17 an hour, then you cannot reasonably expect to live the lifestyle of your choosing. By the same measure, if your general store makes $200 a day on average, you cannot reasonably expect to afford a staff of four or five full-time workers at $17 and hour.
Despite making more than double the federal minimum wage, families relying on $15 an hour wouldn't make enough to cover necessities such as food, rent and health care.
1 ADULT | 2 ADULTS (1 WORKING) | |
---|---|---|
0 Children | 2 Children | |
Living Wage | $21.82 | $46.75 |
Poverty Wage | $6.19 | $12.74 |
Minimum Wage | $15.00 | $15.00 |
Ready to make more money? $17 hourly is how much per week? If you make $17 per hour, your Weekly salary would be $629.
What is middle class in California?
The study defines "middle class" as earning between $47,000 to $141,000 a year. However, it says family size and location also determines the status. According to the report, "middle class" in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim is $165,000 for a family of three.
- Look for free activities. ...
- Ask for a raise. ...
- Start a side hustle. ...
- Replace costly habits with inexpensive ones. ...
- Plan sequenced reward opportunities. ...
- Create accountability. ...
- Seek out low-cost alternatives to your hobbies.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage across all occupations in 2021 was $58,260 [1]. For a person living in Phoenix, Arizona, where the median wage is $56,610, earning above the national average may be considered very good.
Household Size | Very-Low Income | Low-Income |
---|---|---|
1 | $11,550 or less | $11,551 - $19,300 |
2 | $13,200 or less | $13,201 - $22,050 |
3 | $14,900 or less | $14,901 - $24,800 |
4 | $16,550 or less | $16,551 - $27,550 |
“Clearly, $18 an hour is not a living wage for most people in California unless they're single and in a very specific part of the state,” Bahr said. “We're under no illusions about the cost of living here.” The MIT Living Wage Calculator removes any such illusions.
The good news is that millions of people are living in California on around 50K a year. On a comfortable budget, 50K is a realistic income. On a shoestring budget, 30K is a reasonable income for living in California. You can make $24.96 an hour and live comfortably in California.
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