Living Wage Calculation for Monterey County, California

The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual must earn to support their family, if they are the sole provider and are working full-time (2080 hours per year). The state minimum wage is the same for all individuals, regardless of how many dependents they may have. The poverty rate is typically quoted as gross annual income. We have converted it to an hourly wage for the sake of comparison. Wages that are less than the living wage are shown in red.

Hourly Wages One Adult One Adult, One Child Two Adults Two Adults, One Child Two Adults, Two Children
Living Wage $11.49 $20.42 $16.60 $25.55 $32.66
Poverty Wage $5.04 $6.68 $6.49 $7.81 $9.83
Minimum Wage $8.00 $8.00 $8.00 $8.00 $8.00

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.

Monthly Expenses One Adult One Adult, One Child Two Adults Two Adults, One Child Two Adults, Two Children
Food $237 $385 $457 $606 $755
Child Care $0 $620 $0 $620 $1,098
Medical $93 $183 $185 $276 $367
Housing $968 $1,111 $968 $1,111 $1,111
Transportation $275 $473 $549 $748 $946
Other $199 $391 $398 $590 $782
Monthly After-Tax Income That's Required $1,771 $3,164 $2,558 $3,951 $5,059
Annual After-Tax Income That's Required $21,252 $37,969 $30,696 $47,413 $60,703
Annual Taxes $2,637 $4,514 $3,840 $5,732 $7,240
Annual Before Tax Income That's Required $23,889 $42,483 $34,536 $53,146 $67,943

Typical Hourly Wages

These are the typical hourly rates for various professions in this location. Wages that are below the living wage for one adult supporting one child are marked in red.

Occupational Area Typical Hourly Wage
Management $43.86
Business and Financial Operations $28.69
Computer and Mathematical $32.13
Architecture and Engineering $33.24
Life, Physical and social Science $30.20
Community and Social Services $21.83
Legal $41.96
Education, Training and Library $24.37
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media $21.78
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical $34.47
Healthcare Support $21.83
Protective Service $23.05
Food Preparation and Serving Related $9.43
Building and Grounds Cleaning and maintenance $11.90
Personal care and Services $11.77
Sales and Related $16.20
Office and Administrative Support $15.31
Farming, Fishing and Forestry $10.03
Construction and Extraction $21.17
Installation, Maintenance and Repair $19.93
Production $15.13
Transportation and Material Moving $14.35