Only 57% of working families earn above a livable wage in the U.S. This city offers the best shot

19 Nov Only 57% of working families earn above a livable wage in the U.S. This city offers the best shot

You don’t need to be a politician to live in Washington, D.C., and now new data has given us a fresh reason to relocate to the nation’s capital.

For families comprised of two working adults and one child, it’s the best place to live to earn a living, according to a newly released analysis by LendingTree.

The research found that, nationwide, 57.2% of Americans work for a median pay that is greater than the living wage. But in D.C., 75.4% of people have jobs that pay more, on average, than the local livable wage of $20.69 per working adult. The No. 2 place is North Dakota at 71%, followed by Alaska at 70.9%.

What state do you not want to move to if your family looks like that? California, because only 46.9% of working adults have occupations that earn more than the local livable rate of $21.76. Also, avoid Arkansas at 47.6% and Hawaii at 48.4%

LendingTree used 2020 data from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.

Source: Fast Company