How Much Salary Does a Single Person Need in Washington State?
How Much Money Does A Single Person Need To Make In Washington State?
When I first started working in Washington State, my hourly salary was $3.35 an hour. I rented my first studio apartment for $150 a month and yes my first radio full-time salary was $600 a month.
What's A Good Salary For A Single Person In Washington State?
It's amazing what it takes today to survive even with the bare minimum in Washington State.
The average single-person rental is $1200 a month and even with a $15.74 an hour minimum wage, the gap in what salary you need to survive in Washington State has grown.
Going back as far as the late 90's, I managed to live on $35,000 a year in Seattle but there's no way you could do that today, even as a single person.
So what is the basic salary you need to get by in Washington State if you are a single person?
According to an article from CNBC.com, the average salary is $65,640.
I know that's a shocker to me as well but it makes sense as the average home across the US now costs $410,000.
Of course, other states are more expensive or cheaper to live in but even the lowest salaries in states like Idaho is $58,000, and Kentucky at $47,800.
If you are looking for a cheaper state to live in, the article continues that the Mid-West and The South might be somewhat cheaper but even their average homes will cost you between $300,000 and $350,000.
I remember renting a 3-bedroom 1.5 bath for the family at Le Verde apartments in Richland for $750 in the early 2010s and now those are averaging $1400 a month.
As a young single person entering the workforce, that $65,640 is just the start of what you might need for a salary in the future of Washington State.
You can read more about other state's salaries here.