Living Wage Calculator - Living Wage Calculation for New Jersey (2024)

The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support his or herself and their family. The assumption is the sole provider is working full-time (2080 hours per year). The tool provides information for individuals, and households with one or two working adults and zero to three children. In the case of households with two working adults, all values are per working adult, single or in a family unless otherwise noted.

The state minimum wage is the same for all individuals, regardless of how many dependents they may have. Data are updated annually, in the first quarter of the new year. State minimum wages are determined based on the posted value of the minimum wage as of January one of the coming year (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). The poverty rate reflects a person's gross annual income. We have converted it to an hourly wage for the sake of comparison.

For further detail, please reference the technical documentation here.

1 ADULT 2 ADULTS

(1 WORKING)

2 ADULTS

(BOTH WORKING)

0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children 0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children 0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children
Living Wage $18.71 $39.65 $53.03 $71.17 $28.92 $35.34 $40.09 $45.13 $14.46 $21.81 $28.44 $35.56
Poverty Wage $6.53 $8.80 $11.07 $13.34 $8.80 $11.07 $13.34 $15.61 $4.40 $5.54 $6.67 $7.81
Minimum Wage $14.13 $14.13 $14.13 $14.13 $14.13 $14.13 $14.13 $14.13 $14.13 $14.13 $14.13 $14.13

Typical Expenses

These figures show the individual expenses that went into the living wage estimate. Their values vary by family size, composition, and the current location.

1 ADULT 2 ADULTS

(1 WORKING)

2 ADULTS

(BOTH WORKING)

0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children 0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children 0Children 1Child 2Children 3Children
Food $4,559 $6,729 $10,111 $13,402 $8,359 $10,413 $13,429 $16,341 $8,359 $10,413 $13,429 $16,341
Child Care $0 $14,095 $28,190 $42,284 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $14,095 $28,190 $42,284
Medical $3,238 $8,134 $8,144 $8,070 $6,635 $8,144 $8,070 $8,223 $6,635 $8,144 $8,070 $8,223
Housing $13,955 $19,667 $19,667 $24,976 $16,084 $19,667 $19,667 $24,976 $16,084 $19,667 $19,667 $24,976
Transportation $4,470 $8,040 $9,831 $11,821 $8,040 $9,831 $11,821 $12,675 $8,040 $9,831 $11,821 $12,675
Civic $2,882 $5,725 $6,394 $8,719 $5,725 $6,394 $8,719 $6,933 $5,725 $6,394 $8,719 $6,933
Other $4,339 $7,570 $8,932 $9,804 $7,570 $8,932 $9,804 $10,966 $7,570 $8,932 $9,804 $10,966
Required annual income after taxes $33,575 $70,092 $91,401 $119,207 $52,545 $63,513 $71,641 $80,245 $52,545 $77,608 $99,830 $122,529
Annual taxes $5,335 $12,373 $18,910 $28,820 $7,617 $9,996 $11,754 $13,632 $7,617 $13,130 $18,467 $25,404
Required annual income before taxes $38,910 $82,465 $110,311 $148,028 $60,162 $73,509 $83,395 $93,877 $60,162 $90,738 $118,297 $147,933

Typical Annual Salaries

These are the typical annual salaries for various professions in this location.

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $166,141
Business & Financial Operations $90,088
Computer & Mathematical $112,359
Architecture & Engineering $105,987
Life, Physical, & Social Science $89,096
Community & Social Service $64,587
Legal $111,962
Education, Training, & Library $68,015
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $68,004
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $88,346
Healthcare Support $39,757
Protective Service $54,234
Food Preparation & Serving Related $32,227
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $39,085
Personal Care & Service $32,811
Sales & Related $39,945
Office & Administrative Support $50,772
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $33,760
Construction & Extraction $68,864
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $65,171
Production $41,808
Transportation & Material Moving $41,080
Living Wage Calculator
       - Living Wage Calculation for New Jersey (2024)

FAQs

What is a livable wage in New Jersey? ›

Living Wage Calculation for New Jersey
1 ADULT2 ADULTS (BOTH WORKING)
0 Children2 Children
Living Wage$24.76$30.19
Poverty Wage$7.24$7.50
Minimum Wage$15.13$15.13

How is living wage calculated? ›

The federal and state income and payroll taxes are added to the annual family budget less taxes, yielding the total annual family budget needed to meet all basic needs, including tax. The total annual family budget is then divided by the total number of workers in a family.

Is 150K a good salary in New Jersey? ›

As of Apr 15, 2024, the average hourly pay for a 150K in New Jersey is $17.56 an hour. While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $22.21 and as low as $11.23, the majority of 150K salaries currently range between $13.17 (25th percentile) to $18.32 (75th percentile) in New Jersey.

Is 130K a good salary in New Jersey? ›

We've identified seven states where the typical salary for a 130K job is above the national average. Topping the list is New Jersey, with Tennessee and Hawaii close behind in second and third. Hawaii beats the national average by 4.7%, and New Jersey furthers that trend with another $8,283 (6.7%) above the $124,412.

Is $30,000 a livable wage? ›

Yes, You can! You typically can get by on $30,000 in annual take-home pay. But you would probably live more comfortably on that money in Kansas than in New York City—given the much lower cost of living. Still, it usually can be done no matter where you live.

What is a comfortable income in NJ? ›

An individual needs $96,500, on average, to live comfortably in a major U.S. city. That figure is even higher for families, who need to earn an average combined income of about $235,000 to support two adults and two children.

What is a livable wage by state? ›

Living Wage Calculation for California
1 ADULT2 ADULTS (BOTH WORKING)
0 Children3 Children
Living Wage$27.32$40.24
Poverty Wage$7.24$8.79
Minimum Wage$16.00$16.00

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.

What rate is the real living wage? ›

The real Living Wage applies to all workers over 18 – in recognition that young people face the same living costs as everyone else. It enjoys cross party support. The UK Living Wage for outside of London is £12 per hour. The London Living Wage is £13.15 per hour.

What is middle class salary in NJ? ›

For families in New Jersey, being part of the middle class means earning between $56,409 to $257,572 annually, again depending on your family size. The table below provides a detailed picture of these income ranges for different family sizes, from two-person households to families of four.

What is top 5% income in NJ? ›

New Jersey is one of the eight states (including Washington, D.C.) that require at least $250,000 in income to crack the top 5%, the data shows. The list also includes notoriously pricey places such as California, Connecticut and New York.

What is the top 1% income in New Jersey? ›

The threshold to be a top 1% taxpayer in the Garden State is $825,965. For the top 5%, the lower limit sits at $338,884. New Jersey residents within the top 5% account for 55.60% of the state's income taxes, with the top 1% making up 33.58%.

What is upper middle class income NJ? ›

Given the high cost of living in New Jersey, an upper middle-class income in the state may generally range from around $100,000 to $250,000 or more per year.

How many Americans make over 150k? ›

Income Brackets in the United States
Income Bracket*Percentage of Americans
$75,000-$99,99912.3%
$100,000-$149,99916.4%
$150,000-$199,9999.2%
Over $200,00011.9%
5 more rows
Apr 12, 2024

Is 200k a year middle class? ›

In 2020, according to Pew Research Center analysis, the median for upper income households was around $220,000 and the median for middle income households was slightly above $90,000.

What salary is considered middle class in NJ? ›

For families in New Jersey, being part of the middle class means earning between $56,409 to $257,572 annually, again depending on your family size. The table below provides a detailed picture of these income ranges for different family sizes, from two-person households to families of four.

What's considered low income in NJ? ›

It's getting more expensive to be considered low-income in New Jersey. A New Jersey family of four in 2018 has to earn $71,900 a year or less to be considered low-income, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development — an almost six percent increase from last year.

What is a good wage to live comfortably? ›

An individual must earn $96,500 a year before taxes to afford housing, groceries, transportation and entertainment, while also paying off debt and putting some money into savings, according to personal finance website SmartAsset.

At what wage can you live comfortably? ›

But just how much does a single person in California need to make to live comfortably? A new study from Smart Asset determined that a person must make at least $ 89,190 to get by comfortably.

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