Financial Stability
Living Wage Rate, 2021

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Living Wage Rate, 2021

What does this measure?

The level of income needed for households of different sizes and types in a region to be able to pay for necessities including housing and food without outside assistance.

Why is this important?

The level of income needed to afford basic expenses often exceeds the minimum wage, forcing the working poor to work multiple jobs or seek public assistance to make ends meet. Understanding the true level of income required to cover housing, food, clothing, child care, transportation and medical expenses provides a more accurate benchmark for assessing the jobs available in a region or local area. The living wage also adjusts for regional variation in costs.

How is the region performing?

In 2021, a living wage for two working parents with two children in the Mid-Hudson Valley would be $27.15, representing an annual income of just over $112,900. This was slightly higher than the state's living wage (excluding NYC) of $25.06. Within the region, the living wage would be substantially higher for a two-parent, two-child household in which only one parent works, at $40.42, and for a single working parent with two children, at $48.18. For two adults with no children, the living wage is far lower, at $14.29. These wages also were a bit higher than those at the state level (outside NYC).

The required living wage for all household types in the region increased since 2015. The rise was most pronounced for two parents with two children in which one parent works (61%) and two working adults with no children (54%) followed closely by two working parents with two children (53%).

Likely reflecting differences in the cost of living throughout the region, the estimated living wage for two working parents with two children was lowest in Sullivan ($24.29), Greene ($24.35) and Columbia counties ($25.29), and highest in Putnam ($32.95). The living wage was the same in Dutchess and Orange counties, at $27.94.

Notes about the data

Figures are in 2021 dollars and assume a 40-hour work week. The living wage model is an alternative measure of basic needs. It is a market-based approach that draws upon geographically specific expenditure data related to a family's likely minimum food, child care, health insurance, housing, transportation, and other basic necessities (e.g. clothing, personal care items, etc.) costs. More information on the sources of data for costs is available at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Living Wage Rate, 2021
1 earning adult, 2 children2 adults (1 earning), 2 children2 earning adults2 earning adults, 2 children
Region$48.18$40.42$14.29$27.15
Columbia$44.47$37.87$13.36$25.29
Dutchess$49.77$41.48$14.55$27.94
Greene$42.58$38.02$13.28$24.35
Orange$49.77$41.48$14.55$27.94
Putnam$59.78$46.06$17.04$32.95
Sullivan$42.47$37.90$13.23$24.29
Ulster$48.43$40.14$14.00$27.27
NYS (excluding NYC)$44.00$37.98$13.32$25.06

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Notes: Figures are in constant 2019 dollars.




Annual Income, 2021
1 earning adult, 2 children2 adults (1 earning), 2 children2 earning adults2 earning adults, 2 children
Region$100,217$84,077$59,435$112,932
Columbia$92,498$78,770$55,578$105,206
Dutchess$103,522$86,278$60,528$116,230
Greene$88,566$79,082$55,245$101,296
Orange$103,522$86,278$60,528$116,230
Putnam$124,342$95,805$70,886$137,072
Sullivan$88,338$78,832$55,037$101,046
Ulster$100,734$83,491$58,240$113,443
NYS (excluding NYC)$91,517$79,001$55,406$104,234

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Notes: Figures are in constant 2019 dollars and assume working 40 hours each week.




INDICATORS TREND | STATE
Children Living in Poverty Increasing
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families Increasing
Single-Parent Families, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Rate of Child Abuse and Neglect Decreasing
Rate of Foster Care Admissions Decreasing
Teen Pregnancy Decreasing
Average Charitable Giving Increasing
Voter Registration Rate Increasing
Voter Participation Rate Increasing
Total Population Increasing
Population by Age Not Applicable
Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Household Types Not Applicable
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Employment by Sector Not Applicable
Spending for County Government Increasing
Tourism Revenue Increasing
Preschoolers Receiving Special Education Services Increasing
Prekindergarten Participation Decreasing
Students Receiving Special Education Services Increasing
Per-Student Spending Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 4 English, by Economic Background Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 4 English, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 4 Math, by Economic Background Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 4 Math, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
High School Cohort Dropout Rate Decreasing
High School GED Rate Decreasing
Education Levels of Adults Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income Maintaining
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty Increasing
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Seniors Living in Poverty Maintaining
Veterans Living in Poverty Decreasing
Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care Decreasing
Students Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Lunch Increasing
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation Decreasing
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Deaths from Drug Overdoses Increasing
Early Prenatal Care, by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Living Wage Rate by Household Type Not Applicable
Income in Relation to Poverty Level Not Applicable
Babies with Low Birth Weights Increasing
People Living wth HIV Increasing
Mental Health Clinic Visits Decreasing
Homeownership Rates Increasing
Homeless Persons Decreasing
Cost of Homeownership Maintaining
Cost of Renting Not Applicable
Violent Crimes Decreasing
Domestic Violence Decreasing


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