Key figures from the map
- Massachusetts needs the highest income, $301K a year before tax for two working adults with two children.
- Hawaii ($295K), Connecticut ($280K), New York ($279K) and California ($277K) complete the top five, all above $270K.
- Mississippi needs the least, $178K, followed by Arkansas ($181K) and West Virginia ($189K).
- The gap between the highest and lowest state is about $123K (our arithmetic).
- “Comfortable” means enough to cover a 50/30/20 budget: 50% on necessities, 30% on discretionary spending and 20% on savings.
All figures are from the map by Visual Capitalist, which cites SmartAsset with data as of 14 February 2024.
The income a family needs in every state
Title: The Income a Family Needs to Live Comfortably in the U.S. Subtitle box: “Based on two working adults with two children”. States are shaded from pale cream ($178K) to deep red ($301K). The map shows rounded figures; the exact SmartAsset figures come from the Visual Capitalist article [1]. Rank order is from that article; Montana and Iowa, and North Carolina and Ohio, are tied.
| Rank | State | On the map | SmartAsset figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts (MA) | $301K | $301,184 |
| 2 | Hawaii (HI) | $295K | $294,611 |
| 3 | Connecticut (CT) | $280K | $279,885 |
| 4 | New York (NY) | $279K | $278,970 |
| 5 | California (CA) | $277K | $276,723 |
| 6 | Colorado (CO) | $265K | $264,992 |
| 7 | Washington (WA) | $257K | $257,421 |
| 8 | Oregon (OR) | $257K | $257,338 |
| 9 | New Jersey (NJ) | $251K | $251,181 |
| 10 | Rhode Island (RI) | $249K | $249,267 |
| 11 | Vermont (VT) | $248K | $248,352 |
| 12 | Minnesota (MN) | $245K | $244,774 |
| 13 | New Hampshire (NH) | $244K | $244,109 |
| 14 | Alaska (AK) | $243K | $242,611 |
| 15 | Maryland (MD) | $239K | $239,450 |
| 16 | Nevada (NV) | $237K | $237,286 |
| 17 | Virginia (VA) | $235K | $235,206 |
| 18 | Illinois (IL) | $232K | $231,962 |
| 19 | Arizona (AZ) | $231K | $230,630 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania (PA) | $230K | $230,464 |
| 21 | Maine (ME) | $230K | $229,549 |
| 22 | Delaware (DE) | $229K | $228,966 |
| 23 | Wisconsin (WI) | $225K | $225,056 |
| 24 | Utah (UT) | $218K | $218,483 |
| 25 | Michigan (MI) | $214K | $214,490 |
| 26 | Nebraska (NE) | $213K | $213,075 |
| 27 | Georgia (GA) | $213K | $212,826 |
| 28 | Montana (MT) | $211K | $211,411 |
| 28 | Iowa (IA) | $211K | $211,411 |
| 30 | Idaho (ID) | $211K | $211,245 |
| 31 | North Carolina (NC) | $209K | $209,331 |
| 31 | Ohio (OH) | $209K | $209,331 |
| 33 | Florida (FL) | $209K | $209,082 |
| 34 | Indiana (IN) | $206K | $206,003 |
| 35 | New Mexico (NM) | $204K | $203,923 |
| 36 | Wyoming (WY) | $203K | $203,424 |
| 37 | Missouri (MO) | $202K | $202,259 |
| 38 | North Dakota (ND) | $202K | $202,176 |
| 39 | Texas (TX) | $201K | $201,344 |
| 40 | South Carolina (SC) | $201K | $200,762 |
| 41 | Kansas (KS) | $197K | $196,768 |
| 42 | Tennessee (TN) | $196K | $195,770 |
| 43 | Oklahoma (OK) | $194K | $194,106 |
| 44 | Alabama (AL) | $194K | $193,606 |
| 45 | South Dakota (SD) | $193K | $192,608 |
| 46 | Kentucky (KY) | $190K | $190,112 |
| 47 | Louisiana (LA) | $190K | $189,613 |
| 48 | West Virginia (WV) | $189K | $189,363 |
| 49 | Arkansas (AR) | $181K | $180,794 |
| 50 | Mississippi (MS) | $178K | $177,798 |
Footer: “Data as of Feb. 14, 2024. Source: SmartAsset”. Method note as printed: “Comfortable was defined as the annual income required to cover a 50/30/20 budget, allocating 50% of earnings to necessities, 30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to savings.” Washington, D.C. is not shown.
How SmartAsset worked out a comfortable income
SmartAsset applied the 50/30/20 budget rule to cost of living data in each state, for a single adult and for two working adults raising two children [2]. Visual Capitalist explains that the cost of necessities came from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, last updated on 14 February 2024, and that this cost was treated as the 50% share [1].
The MIT calculator estimates what a full-time worker needs to cover a family’s basic needs, with costs for food, childcare, health care, housing, transport, other necessities and taxes, at county, metro and state level for 12 family types [3]. So a “comfortable” income here is roughly twice the cost of basic needs, which is why even the cheapest state needs $178K.
Single adults compared with families
The same SmartAsset study also ranked single adults. A single adult in Massachusetts needs $116,022 to live comfortably, or $55.78 an hour, while West Virginia is cheapest for a single adult at $78,790 [2]. The rankings differ: California is third most expensive for a single adult but fifth for a family, and Connecticut is third for a family but only 11th for a single adult [2].
Notes on this infographic
- Data date. Figures are SmartAsset’s 2024 study using MIT data updated on 14 February 2024. Costs change every year, so newer studies give different numbers.
- Pre-tax and combined. Each figure is total family income before tax across both working adults [1].
- A benchmark, not advice. The 50/30/20 split is a budgeting rule of thumb, and these figures are state averages that hide large differences between cities and rural areas.
- Rounding. We checked all 50 rounded figures on the map against SmartAsset’s exact values; every one matches.
Questions about the income a family needs to live comfortably
How much money does a family of 4 need to live comfortably?
In SmartAsset’s 2024 study it ranges from $177,798 a year in Mississippi to $301,184 in Massachusetts, for two working adults with two children [1]. Those figures cover a full 50/30/20 budget, including 20% for savings.
How much do you need to live comfortably in each state?
The table above gives the figure for a family of four in all 50 states. For single adults, SmartAsset’s estimates run from $78,790 in West Virginia to $116,022 in Massachusetts [2].
Which state needs the lowest income for a family to live comfortably?
Mississippi needs the least, $177,798 a year before tax for two working adults with two children, shown as $178K on the map. Arkansas is next at $180,794, followed by West Virginia at $189,363. Massachusetts needs the most, $301,184, so the gap between the highest and lowest state is about $123K. The figures come from SmartAsset's 2024 study, with data as of 14 February 2024 [1].
How does SmartAsset define living comfortably?
SmartAsset defines a comfortable income as the annual income needed to cover a 50/30/20 budget, with 50% of earnings on necessities, 30% on discretionary spending and 20% on savings. The cost of necessities came from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, last updated on 14 February 2024, and was treated as the 50% share [1]. A comfortable income is therefore roughly twice the cost of basic needs.
Sources
- Visual Capitalist, The Income a Family Needs to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State, by Bruno Venditti, 22 May 2024 (archived copy).
- SmartAsset, Salary Needed to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State, 2024 study.
- MIT Living Wage Calculator, What is a living wage and how is it estimated?
Last reviewed 29 October 2026
