Mapped: The Income Needed to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State

Published

5 hours ago

on

June 12, 2024 Graphics/Design:

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

The Income Needed to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Individuals in the top 11 most expensive states in the U.S. need an annual income exceeding $100,000 to live comfortably.

This map shows how much income single adults need to live comfortably in each U.S. state. SmartAsset calculated the income needed using the cost of necessities sourced from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, last updated on Feb. 14, 2024.

In this case, “comfortable” was defined as the annual income required to cover a 50/30/20 budget, allocating 50% of earnings to necessities such as housing and utility costs, 30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to savings or investments.

Massachusetts Ranks First

Massachusetts is the most expensive state to live comfortably in. A single adult needs to make at least $116,022 annually or $55.78 per hour.

RankStateSalary needed for a single working adult 1Massachusetts$116,022 2Hawaii$113,693 3California$113,651 4New York$111,738 5Washington$106,496 6Colorado$103,293 7New Jersey$103,002 8Maryland$102,918 9Oregon$101,088 10Rhode Island$100,838 11Connecticut$100,381 12Virginia$99,965 13New Hampshire$98,093 14Arizona$97,344 15Georgia$96,886 16Alaska$96,762 17Vermont$95,763 18Illinois$95,098 19Delaware$94,141 20Utah$93,683 21Nevada$93,434 22Florida$93,309 23Maine$91,686 24Pennsylvania$91,312 25North Carolina$89,690 26Minnesota$89,232 27Idaho$88,733 28South Carolina$88,317 29Wyoming$87,651 30Texas$87,027 31Tennessee$86,403 32Indiana$85,030 33Montana$84,739 34Kansas$84,656 35Michigan$84,365 36Wisconsin$84,115 37Missouri$84,032 38Alabama$83,824 39Nebraska$83,699 40New Mexico$83,616 41Iowa$83,366 42Mississippi$82,742 43Louisiana$82,451 44South Dakota$81,453 45Ohio$80,704 45Kentucky$80,704 47North Dakota$80,538 48Oklahoma$80,413 49Arkansas$79,456 50West Virginia$78,790

West Virginia is the least expensive for a single adult, who only needs to make an estimated $37.88 per hour, or $78,790 annually.

To live comfortably on your own in the top five states, a person

Visualizing the Tax Burden of Every U.S. State

Published

31 seconds ago

on

May 8, 2024 Graphics/Design:

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

Visualizing the Tax Burden of Every U.S. State

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

This map graphic visualizes the total tax burden in each U.S. state as of March 2024, based on figures compiled by WalletHub.

It’s important to understand that under this methodology, the tax burden measures the percent of an average person’s income that is paid towards state and local taxes. It considers property taxes, income taxes, and sales & excise tax.

Data and Methodology

The figures we used to create this graphic are listed in the table below.

StateTotal Tax Burden New York12.0% Hawaii11.8% Vermont11.1% Maine10.7% California10.4% Connecticut10.1% Minnesota10.0% Illinois9.7% New Jersey9.5% Rhode Island9.4% Utah9.4% Kansas9.3% Maryland9.3% Iowa9.2% Nebraska9.2% Ohio8.9% Indiana8.9% Arkansas8.8% Mississippi8.8% Massachusetts8.6% Virginia8.5% West Virginia8.5% Oregon8.4% Colorado8.4% Pennsylvania8.4% Wisconsin8.3% Louisiana8.3% Kentucky8.3% Washington8.0% New Mexico8.0% Michigan8.0% North Carolina7.9% Idaho7.9% Arizona7.8% Missouri7.8% Georgia7.7% Texas7.6% Alabama7.5% Montana7.5% South Carolina7.5% Nevada7.4% Oklahoma7.0% North Dakota6.8% South Dakota6.4% Delaware6.4% Tennessee6.1% Florida6.1% Wyoming5.7% New Hampshire5.6% Alaska4.9%

From this data we can see that New York has the highest total tax burden. Residents in this state will pay, on average, 12% of their income to state and local governments.

Breaking this down into its three components, the average New Yorker pays 4.6% of their income on income taxes, 4.4% on property taxes, and 3% in sales & excise taxes.

At the other end of the spectrum, Alaska has the lowest tax burden of any state, equaling 4.9% of income. This