Independent County Living Wage Estimate

Independent county-level planning model

Choose any U.S. county and get an instant estimate

Select a state, county, and household. The result combines federal public datasets into one clear hourly wage and annual household budget.

Independent estimate — not MIT or Living Wage Institute data.Built from Census county geography, revised HUD FY 2026 rents, and other federal planning benchmarks.

Coverage: 50 states + DC
Locations: 3,144 counties
Households: 12 structures
Work year: 2,080 hours

Location

Choose an exact county

State51 state and district choicesCounty or county equivalent58 choices in California · FIPS 06037

Selected countyLos Angeles County, CaliforniaModeled home: 1-bedroom · HUD monthly gross rent $2,328

Household

Who needs this budget?

Adults and workers

Children

Your hourly wage optional

/ hr

Compare one worker’s hourly pay with the estimate.

Independent estimate · model v2026.1

Los Angeles County, CA

1 adult, 1 working, 0 children

HUD area

Hourly living-wage estimate$27.06per hour, per working adult

Per worker: $56,289 / year
Annual household requirement: $56,289 / year

2026 poverty guideline$7.67 / hr$15,960 household annual

Your wage comparisonAdd your wageUse the optional field to see the hourly gap.

Annual expense breakdown

Where the money goes

After-tax essentials$47,408

Housing58.9% of essentials

HUD area$27,936

Food8.5% of essentials

National fallback$4,033

Child care0.0% of essentials

Model rule$0

Transportation14.3% of essentials

National fallback$6,803

Health care9.1% of essentials

National fallback$4,293

Communications2.4% of essentials

National fallback$1,158

Other basics6.7% of essentials

National fallback$3,185

Modeled taxes

From essentials to gross income

Total modeled tax$8,881

Federal income tax single: $4,575
Employee payroll tax Social Security + Medicare: $4,306
State and local income tax Not modeled · $0 placeholder: $0
Required household income before modeled taxes: $56,289

Traceable assumptions

Every result shows its data level

“County” or “HUD area” marks local housing input. “National benchmark” marks a U.S.-wide planning value rather than a county observation.

County identityCounty2025

County identity and five-digit FIPS 06037.

CENSUS_2025_COUNTY_GAZETTEER

HousingHUD areaFY 2026 revised

HUD area Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area; selected bedroom gross rent multiplied by 12.

HUD_FY2026_REVISED_FMR

FoodNational fallbackJanuary 2026

Age-proxy monthly food baskets, household-size adjustment, and contiguous-U.S. factor.

USDA_THRIFTY_FOOD_PLAN_2026_01

Child careModel rule2026-independent-v1

No children are present.

MODEL_CHILD_CARE_ASSUMPTION

TransportationNational fallback2023, CPI-adjusted for this 2026 model

Household-size benchmark multiplied by CPI factor 1.06744.

BLS_CEX_2023_SIZE_OF_CONSUMER_UNIT

Health careNational fallback2023, CPI-adjusted for this 2026 model

Household-size benchmark multiplied by CPI factor 1.06744.

BLS_CEX_2023_SIZE_OF_CONSUMER_UNIT

CommunicationsNational fallback2026

$96.46 monthly planning benchmark multiplied by 12.

FCC_2026_FIXED_BROADBAND_BENCHMARK

Other basicsNational fallback2023, CPI-adjusted for this 2026 model

Household-size benchmark multiplied by CPI factor 1.06744.

BLS_CEX_2023_SIZE_OF_CONSUMER_UNIT

Federal income taxNational benchmarktax year 2026

single brackets and base standard deduction; no credits modeled.

IRS_2026_ORDINARY_INCOME_PARAMETERS

Payroll taxNational benchmark2026

6.2% Social Security up to $184,500 per worker plus 1.45% Medicare; equal earnings assumed for two workers.

FEDERAL_2026_EMPLOYEE_FICA

State and local taxState fallback2026-independent-v1

$0 placeholder shown explicitly; it is not a state-specific observation.

STATE_LOCAL_TAX_NOT_MODELED

Poverty guidelineNational benchmark2026

48 contiguous states and DC schedule for household size 1.

HHS_2026_POVERTY_GUIDELINES

Model warnings — read before using this estimate

This is an independent planning estimate, not a legal wage requirement.
State and local income taxes are not modeled; the state/local tax line is $0.
Federal credits, benefits, debt, savings, and unusual household costs are not modeled.
Transportation, health care, communications, and other costs use national planning benchmarks rather than county observations.

Model 2026-independent-v1 · Hourly figures use 2,080 hours per worker per year.

Independent public-data model · U.S. counties · 12 household types

How the independent county living-wage estimate works

Choose a state, county, and household structure to build a basic-needs estimate from federal public data. The page keeps the location, expense inputs, tax step, result, model edition, and fallback labels together so the estimate can be read without opening another site.

Location path: State → county
Model edition: 2026 public inputs
Family choices: 12 household structures
Full-time basis: 40 × 52 = 2,080 hours

The direct input path

Build an estimate in four steps

The two-stage location control makes the exact geography explicit. Household controls then recalculate the complete result together; they do not splice rows from different places or family types.

Choose a state
Start with the State field. It narrows the next control to counties and county-equivalents in that state, so similarly named places do not get mixed together.
Choose an exact county
Select the county whose housing market you want to model. The result keeps its county-and-state label and five-digit FIPS code attached to every scenario.
Define the household
Choose one or two adults, one or two workers, and 0–3 children. These controls cover 12 household structures and update the care and per-worker assumptions together.
Read the estimate and its evidence
Review the hourly rate, annual household requirement, expense mix, poverty reference, and source-level badges. A fallback badge identifies any national planning value.

Resolution is visible, not implied

County identity does not mean every input is county-level

The selected county determines the housing record and result label. Other public datasets are published at state, regional, or national resolution. Every category therefore carries a source-level badge and a fallback marker when a broader planning value is used.

The local housing anchor

County or HUD area

FY2026 Fair Market Rent supplies the monthly gross-rent input for the selected county or the HUD market area that contains it. The bedroom count follows the selected number of children.

A HUD area can cross county boundaries. The badge beside Housing states whether the value is county-specific or shared across a broader HUD rent area.

A documented geographic adjustment

State or regional rule

Alaska and Hawaii use their applicable federal food and poverty schedules. The other states and the District of Columbia use the contiguous-U.S. schedule where the source defines one.

A state or regional adjustment is not a county observation. It remains labeled at the level actually supplied by the public source.

A transparent planning fallback

National benchmark

Transportation, health care, communications, and other essentials use named national public benchmarks. When verified child-care prices are unavailable, purchased care stays at $0 with an exclusion warning instead of invented local precision.

National values can miss local prices and household circumstances. Treat them as planning inputs and replace them with a personal budget for consequential decisions.

County + stateFive-digit FIPSSource-level badgeModel edition + warning

3 adult-worker groups × 4 child counts

Twelve household structures, one consistent result column

First choose the adult and worker arrangement, then 0, 1, 2, or 3 children. Worker count changes the per-worker wage. Children change food and bedrooms. When every adult works and children are present, the page also activates a visible warning if verified paid-care prices are unavailable.

1 adult1 working adult

0children1child2children3children

One worker supports the household. With children, purchased care would normally apply; this edition leaves it at $0 when no verified schedule is available and displays an exclusion warning.

2 adults1 working adult

0children1child2children3children

One adult works and one is modeled as available for care. The current planning model therefore sets paid child care to zero for this group.

2 adultsBoth working

0children1child2children3children

Two workers share the household requirement. With children, purchased care stays at $0 when no verified schedule is available, and the hourly result remains per worker.

A public-data basic-needs ledger

Seven expense groups, then taxes

Housing is the main local input. Food follows USDA household composition rules, while the remaining categories use transparent public planning benchmarks at their published resolution. The result shows annual dollars and each category's share of after-tax needs rather than hiding the inputs inside one wage number.

1. HousingFY2026 HUD gross rent × 12, with utilities already represented
2. FoodUSDA 2026 Thrifty Food Plan by household composition
3. Child careExplicit $0 exclusion and warning when verified paid-care prices are unavailable
4. TransportationBLS Consumer Expenditure Survey benchmark by household size
5. Health careBLS Consumer Expenditure Survey benchmark by household size
6. CommunicationsFCC fixed-broadband planning benchmark
7. Other essentialsBLS apparel, housekeeping, personal-care, and miscellaneous inputs

Annual reconciliation

Step ASum seven needs= annual after-tax need

Step BGross up for federal taxincome tax + employee payroll tax

Step CRequired gross incomebefore taxes, for the household

The gross-up solver increases income until estimated gross income minus federal income and employee payroll taxes covers the annual expense total. State and local income taxes are currently zero in the model and are called out as an exclusion, not silently guessed.

From public inputs to an hourly estimate

Follow the complete calculation chain

The calculation preserves the household total through the tax step, then divides by working adults and 2,080 hours. Keeping those stages separate prevents a two-worker household total from being mistaken for one worker's annual requirement.

1 · Annual after-tax needsN = H + F + C + Tr + M + Com + Oseven expense categories for one household

2 · Required household gross incomeFind G where G − federal tax(G) − FICA(G) ≥ N2026 filing status and federal brackets; state/local tax excluded

3 · Per-worker hourly estimateHourly estimate = G ÷ W ÷ 2,080W is one or two working adults

Read the number with its source level

The estimate, poverty reference, and personal wage answer different questions

The headline is a modeled basic-needs wage per worker. The HHS poverty guideline is a separate federal reference, while an entered personal wage measures only a user-defined comparison. None is a statutory minimum wage or a promise that a household will balance.

Illustrative arithmetic only

$24 entered wage vs. $30 independent estimate

This example is not tied to a selected county.

Hourly comparison−$6.00/hour$24 − $30

80.0% hourly coverage

Schedule entered2,000 paid hours40 hours × 50 weeks

2,000 entered2,080 model basis

80 fewer paid hours than the full-time basis

Annual comparison−$14,400/year$48,000 − $62,400

76.9% annual coverage

Here, $24 × 2,000 = $48,000 current annual gross. The illustrative per-worker requirement is $30 × 2,080 = $62,400. The hourly and annual views differ because the entered schedule has fewer hours.

Below 100%

Coverage is incomplete

A negative gap is the modeled shortfall against this scenario. It is not a debt, benefit amount, required raise, or eligibility determination.

Exactly 100%

The entered value matches

A zero displayed gap means equality at the page's rounding precision. It does not prove that an actual household budget is sufficient.

Above 100%

The entered value is higher

A positive gap is the amount above this planning estimate. Debt, savings, benefits, deductions, and omitted needs can still change disposable income.

Gapcurrent − estimated requirementnegative = below · zero = match · positive = above

Coveragecurrent ÷ estimated requirement × 100%rate-to-rate for hourly; income-to-income for annual

A model has an edition and evidence trail

Keep data vintage and fallback level with the result

A result can combine a FY2026 housing value, 2026 food and tax rules, inflation-adjusted expenditure inputs, and an explicit child-care exclusion. The model edition records that combination; it is not a claim that every component was observed in the county on one date.

1Keep the FIPSthe exact county identity
2Keep model editionthe calculation and data bundle
3Read source badgescounty, HUD area, state, or national
4Keep warningsfallbacks and exclusions travel with the number

What this planning estimate does and does not say

Keep conclusions inside the model boundary

What the calculator can show

A consistent estimate for the selected county and household structure
The local HUD housing anchor and each broader public-data input
A household gross requirement and per-worker hourly conversion
A category-level expense mix, poverty reference, and optional wage gap

Important exclusions and fallbacks

State and local income taxes are not yet modeled; the tax result is not a return or withholding estimate
Purchased child care is explicitly excluded at $0 when no verified schedule is available; the result is not a county provider quote
Transportation, health care, communications, and other essentials can differ materially from national benchmarks
Savings, debt, retirement, benefits, emergencies, special care, and individual consumption choices are outside the model

When the task is comparing two places from user-entered household costs rather than estimating one county's basic-needs wage, use the Cost of Living Calculator. Keep its two-location comparison separate from this page's public-data model, source levels, and per-worker wage conversion.

Independent estimate — not MIT or Living Wage Institute data. This educational planning tool is not a statutory minimum wage, official poverty determination, employer quote, benefits decision, tax advice, relocation recommendation, or guarantee of household sufficiency. Verify consequential decisions with current official records and qualified professionals as needed.

Important limitations

This independent planning model is not a legal wage, personal tax return, employer recommendation, benefit determination, affordability guarantee, or MIT result. State and local income taxes are not modeled, and verified child-care prices are excluded when unavailable rather than invented.

Review the stated scope, calculation method, assumptions, supported inputs, and effective dates, and obtain qualified advice before using a high-stakes result.

This formula passed its registered engineering tests and is published under an explicit site-owner policy authorization. No independent expert, QA, editorial, legal, or third-party review is claimed. Verify consequential results with a qualified professional.

This subject may affect health, finance, tax, legal, or other consequential decisions. It has not received an independent domain-expert review; consult a qualified professional before relying on it.

Independent public-data model · U.S. counties · 12 household types

How the independent county living-wage estimate works

Location path: State → county
Model edition: 2026 public inputs
Family choices: 12 household structures
Full-time basis: 40 × 52 = 2,080 hours

The direct input path

Build an estimate in four steps

The two-stage location control makes the exact geography explicit. Household controls then recalculate the complete result together; they do not splice rows from different places or family types.

Choose a state
Start with the State field. It narrows the next control to counties and county-equivalents in that state, so similarly named places do not get mixed together.
Choose an exact county
Select the county whose housing market you want to model. The result keeps its county-and-state label and five-digit FIPS code attached to every scenario.
Define the household
Choose one or two adults, one or two workers, and 0–3 children. These controls cover 12 household structures and update the care and per-worker assumptions together.
Read the estimate and its evidence
Review the hourly rate, annual household requirement, expense mix, poverty reference, and source-level badges. A fallback badge identifies any national planning value.

Resolution is visible, not implied

County identity does not mean every input is county-level

The local housing anchor

County or HUD area

FY2026 Fair Market Rent supplies the monthly gross-rent input for the selected county or the HUD market area that contains it. The bedroom count follows the selected number of children.

A HUD area can cross county boundaries. The badge beside Housing states whether the value is county-specific or shared across a broader HUD rent area.

A documented geographic adjustment

State or regional rule

Alaska and Hawaii use their applicable federal food and poverty schedules. The other states and the District of Columbia use the contiguous-U.S. schedule where the source defines one.

A state or regional adjustment is not a county observation. It remains labeled at the level actually supplied by the public source.

A transparent planning fallback

National benchmark

National values can miss local prices and household circumstances. Treat them as planning inputs and replace them with a personal budget for consequential decisions.

County + stateFive-digit FIPSSource-level badgeModel edition + warning

3 adult-worker groups × 4 child counts

Twelve household structures, one consistent result column

1 adult1 working adult

0children1child2children3children

One worker supports the household. With children, purchased care would normally apply; this edition leaves it at $0 when no verified schedule is available and displays an exclusion warning.

2 adults1 working adult

0children1child2children3children

One adult works and one is modeled as available for care. The current planning model therefore sets paid child care to zero for this group.

2 adultsBoth working

0children1child2children3children

Two workers share the household requirement. With children, purchased care stays at $0 when no verified schedule is available, and the hourly result remains per worker.

A public-data basic-needs ledger

Seven expense groups, then taxes

1. HousingFY2026 HUD gross rent × 12, with utilities already represented
2. FoodUSDA 2026 Thrifty Food Plan by household composition
3. Child careExplicit $0 exclusion and warning when verified paid-care prices are unavailable
4. TransportationBLS Consumer Expenditure Survey benchmark by household size
5. Health careBLS Consumer Expenditure Survey benchmark by household size
6. CommunicationsFCC fixed-broadband planning benchmark
7. Other essentialsBLS apparel, housekeeping, personal-care, and miscellaneous inputs

Annual reconciliation

Step ASum seven needs= annual after-tax need

Step BGross up for federal taxincome tax + employee payroll tax

Step CRequired gross incomebefore taxes, for the household

From public inputs to an hourly estimate

Follow the complete calculation chain

1 · Annual after-tax needsN = H + F + C + Tr + M + Com + Oseven expense categories for one household

2 · Required household gross incomeFind G where G − federal tax(G) − FICA(G) ≥ N2026 filing status and federal brackets; state/local tax excluded

3 · Per-worker hourly estimateHourly estimate = G ÷ W ÷ 2,080W is one or two working adults

Read the number with its source level

The estimate, poverty reference, and personal wage answer different questions

Illustrative arithmetic only

$24 entered wage vs. $30 independent estimate

This example is not tied to a selected county.

Hourly comparison−$6.00/hour$24 − $30

80.0% hourly coverage

Schedule entered2,000 paid hours40 hours × 50 weeks

2,000 entered2,080 model basis

80 fewer paid hours than the full-time basis

Annual comparison−$14,400/year$48,000 − $62,400

76.9% annual coverage

Here, $24 × 2,000 = $48,000 current annual gross. The illustrative per-worker requirement is $30 × 2,080 = $62,400. The hourly and annual views differ because the entered schedule has fewer hours.

Below 100%

Coverage is incomplete

A negative gap is the modeled shortfall against this scenario. It is not a debt, benefit amount, required raise, or eligibility determination.

Exactly 100%

The entered value matches

A zero displayed gap means equality at the page's rounding precision. It does not prove that an actual household budget is sufficient.

Above 100%

The entered value is higher

A positive gap is the amount above this planning estimate. Debt, savings, benefits, deductions, and omitted needs can still change disposable income.

Gapcurrent − estimated requirementnegative = below · zero = match · positive = above

Coveragecurrent ÷ estimated requirement × 100%rate-to-rate for hourly; income-to-income for annual

A model has an edition and evidence trail

Keep data vintage and fallback level with the result

1Keep the FIPSthe exact county identity
2Keep model editionthe calculation and data bundle
3Read source badgescounty, HUD area, state, or national
4Keep warningsfallbacks and exclusions travel with the number

What this planning estimate does and does not say

Keep conclusions inside the model boundary

What the calculator can show

A consistent estimate for the selected county and household structure
The local HUD housing anchor and each broader public-data input
A household gross requirement and per-worker hourly conversion
A category-level expense mix, poverty reference, and optional wage gap

Important exclusions and fallbacks

State and local income taxes are not yet modeled; the tax result is not a return or withholding estimate
Purchased child care is explicitly excluded at $0 when no verified schedule is available; the result is not a county provider quote
Transportation, health care, communications, and other essentials can differ materially from national benchmarks
Savings, debt, retirement, benefits, emergencies, special care, and individual consumption choices are outside the model

Choose an exact county

Who needs this budget?

Los Angeles County, CA

Where the money goes

From essentials to gross income

Every result shows its data level

Build an estimate in four steps

Choose a state

Choose an exact county

Define the household

Read the estimate and its evidence

County identity does not mean every input is county-level

County or HUD area

State or regional rule

National benchmark

Twelve household structures, one consistent result column

Seven expense groups, then taxes

Follow the complete calculation chain

The estimate, poverty reference, and personal wage answer different questions

$24 entered wage vs. $30 independent estimate

Coverage is incomplete

The entered value matches

The entered value is higher

Keep data vintage and fallback level with the result

Keep conclusions inside the model boundary

Important limitations

Choose an exact county

Who needs this budget?

Los Angeles County, CA

Where the money goes

From essentials to gross income

Every result shows its data level

Build an estimate in four steps

Choose a state

Choose an exact county

Define the household

Read the estimate and its evidence

County identity does not mean every input is county-level

County or HUD area

State or regional rule

National benchmark

Twelve household structures, one consistent result column

Seven expense groups, then taxes

Follow the complete calculation chain

The estimate, poverty reference, and personal wage answer different questions

$24 entered wage vs. $30 independent estimate

Coverage is incomplete

The entered value matches

The entered value is higher

Keep data vintage and fallback level with the result

Keep conclusions inside the model boundary