Working couples with no kids need to earn at least $62,766 to cover their basic needs in the U.S. — far less than families who also need to cover additional expenses like child care.
That's according to a recent analysis by SmartAsset, which looked at the median cost of necessities in each U.S. state, including housing, transportation, health care, taxes and other common expenses, as tracked by the MIT Living Wage calculator. Investment contributions and discretionary expenses like entertainment are not part of these estimates.
In contrast, working couples with one child require a median income of $86,459 to cover their needs. That's mostly due to child-care expenses, which run a median of about $11,500 per year for a single child in the U.S., according to the study.
Couples who are dual-income, no kids — otherwise known as DINKs — also tend to have lower costs for expenses aside from child care, particularly food, housing and transportation.
These extra savings — roughly 20% for each category — come from having one less mouth to feed, but also because couples tend to live in smaller homes and spend less on transportation than they would otherwise.
With fewer expenses, DINKs are often in a better position to save for retirement or splurge on things like travel. But of course, having kids is not entirely a financial decision.
The amount couples need to cover basic expenses varies by state
Money Report
The difference in income needed to cover basic costs for two working adults varies widely by state, ranging from a high of $76,636 in Hawaii to a low of $54,454 in West Virginia. That's largely due to housing costs and state taxes.
Additionally, housing costs and other basic expenses tend to be much higher in large cities.
For context, the minimum wage is $12 or less per hour in most states, which works out to about $24,960 or less per year for full-time workers. The federal minimum is just $7.25 an hour, which comes to about $15,000 a year for an individual, or $30,000 for a couple — a far cry from the annual income a couple needs to cover basic expenses in most states.
The highest minimum wage in the U.S. is in California, where some fast food workers earn $20 an hour. However, that still doesn't cover the basic needs for a family with one or more children in that state.
Here's a look at how much annual income a couple needs to cover basic needs in every U.S. state.
Alabama
- Working couple with no children: $58,318
- Working couple with one child: $78,919
Alaska
- Working couple with no children: $67,798
- Working couple with one child: $97,336
Arizona
- Working couple with no children: $66,944
- Working couple with one child: $93,603
Arkansas
- Working couple with no children: $54,577
- Working couple with one child: $73,789
California
- Working couple with no children: $75,602
- Working couple with one child: $109,043
Colorado
- Working couple with no children: $69,920
- Working couple with one child: $104,536
Connecticut
- Working couple with no children: $69,794
- Working couple with one child: $108,789
Delaware
- Working couple with no children: $62,947
- Working couple with one child: $92,283
Florida
- Working couple with no children: $63,567
- Working couple with one child: $86,553
Georgia
- Working couple with no children: $64,496
- Working couple with one child: $87,202
Hawaii
- Working couple with no children: $76,636
- Working couple with one child: $118,115
Idaho
- Working couple with no children: $62,628
- Working couple with one child: $86,237
Illinois
- Working couple with no children: $65,064
- Working couple with one child: $92,026
Indiana
- Working couple with no children: $59,836
- Working couple with one child: $83,673
Iowa
- Working couple with no children: $58,263
- Working couple with one child: $84,103
Kansas
- Working couple with no children: $58,773
- Working couple with one child: $80,253
Kentucky
- Working couple with no children: $56,705
- Working couple with one child: $77,128
Louisiana
- Working couple with no children: $57,567
- Working couple with one child: $77,050
Maine
- Working couple with no children: $63,054
- Working couple with one child: $91,261
Maryland
- Working couple with no children: $68,352
- Working couple with one child: $96,154
Massachusetts
- Working couple with no children: $76,237
- Working couple with one child: $118,065
Michigan
- Working couple with no children: $58,768
- Working couple with one child: $85,127
Minnesota
- Working couple with no children: $62,904
- Working couple with one child: $94,693
Mississippi
- Working couple with no children: $56,960
- Working couple with one child: $74,404
Missouri
- Working couple with no children: $58,136
- Working couple with one child: $80,545
Montana
- Working couple with no children: $60,363
- Working couple with one child: $83,877
Nebraska
- Working couple with no children: $58,670
- Working couple with one child: $84,039
Nevada
- Working couple with no children: $64,382
- Working couple with one child: $93,985
New Hampshire
- Working couple with no children: $67,155
- Working couple with one child: $97,876
New Jersey
- Working couple with no children: $70,303
- Working couple with one child: $100,487
New Mexico
- Working couple with no children: $59,442
- Working couple with one child: $81,894
New York
- Working couple with no children: $73,630
- Working couple with one child: $108,461
North Carolina
- Working couple with no children: $61,259
- Working couple with one child: $85,416
North Dakota
- Working couple with no children: $57,189
- Working couple with one child: $80,486
Ohio
- Working couple with no children: $56,945
- Working couple with one child: $82,399
Oklahoma
- Working couple with no children: $55,727
- Working couple with one child: $77,294
Oregon
- Working couple with no children: $69,249
- Working couple with one child: $100,203
Pennsylvania
- Working couple with no children: $63,788
- Working couple with one child: $91,647
Rhode Island
- Working couple with no children: $67,601
- Working couple with one child: $98,788
South Carolina
- Working couple with no children: $59,341
- Working couple with one child: $81,470
South Dakota
- Working couple with no children: $58,568
- Working couple with one child: $78,711
Tennessee
- Working couple with no children: $58,544
- Working couple with one child: $79,299
Texas
- Working couple with no children: $60,091
- Working couple with one child: $82,285
Utah
- Working couple with no children: $64,468
- Working couple with one child: $88,135
Vermont
- Working couple with no children: $66,731
- Working couple with one child: $97,273
Virginia
- Working couple with no children: $65,582
- Working couple with one child: $92,875
Washington
- Working couple with no children: $71,238
- Working couple with one child: $101,909
West Virginia
- Working couple with no children: $54,424
- Working couple with one child: $76,231
Wisconsin
- Working couple with no children: $58,938
- Working couple with one child: $86,364
Wyoming
- Working couple with no children: $60,577
- Working couple with one child: $82,599
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