Living Wage Calculation for Wheeling, WV

The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support themselves and/or their family, working full-time, or 2080 hours per year. The tables below provide living wage estimates for individuals and households with one or two working adults and zero to three children. In households with two working adults, all hourly values reflect what one working adult requires to earn to meet their families’ basic needs, assuming the other adult also earns the same.

The poverty wage and state minimum wage are for reference purposes. Poverty wage estimates come from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Poverty Guidelines for 2024 and have been converted from an annual value to an hourly wage for ease of comparison. The state minimum wage data is sourced from the Labor Law Center and includes the minimum wage in a given state as of January of that year.

For further detail, please reference the Methodology page. The data on this page was last updated on February 14, 2024.

1 ADULT 2 ADULTS

(1 WORKING)

2 ADULTS

(BOTH WORKING)

0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children
Living Wage $17.92 $32.74 $41.77 $53.64 $25.71 $30.91 $35.29 $36.91 $12.84 $18.54 $23.51 $26.59
Poverty Wage $7.24 $9.83 $12.41 $15.00 $9.83 $12.41 $15.00 $17.59 $4.91 $6.21 $7.50 $8.79
Minimum Wage $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75 $8.75

Typical Expenses

The table below shows the costs of each basic need that go into estimating the living wage. Like with the living wage, their values vary by location and family size.

1 ADULT 2 ADULTS

(1 WORKING)

2 ADULTS

(BOTH WORKING)

0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 0 Children 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children
Food $3,832 $5,648 $8,472 $11,260 $7,024 $8,744 $11,261 $13,730 $7,024 $8,744 $11,261 $13,730
Child Care $0 $10,866 $20,668 $28,219 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $10,866 $20,668 $28,219
Medical $2,942 $8,019 $7,892 $8,415 $5,948 $7,892 $8,415 $7,958 $5,948 $7,892 $8,415 $7,958
Housing $7,322 $10,796 $10,796 $14,028 $8,612 $10,796 $10,796 $14,028 $8,612 $10,796 $10,796 $14,028
Transportation $9,988 $11,560 $14,561 $16,754 $11,560 $14,561 $16,754 $16,735 $11,560 $14,561 $16,754 $16,735
Civic $2,512 $4,420 $5,563 $6,443 $4,420 $5,563 $6,443 $6,022 $4,420 $5,563 $6,443 $6,022
Internet & Mobile $1,490 $1,490 $1,490 $1,490 $2,065 $2,065 $2,065 $2,065 $2,065 $2,065 $2,065 $2,065
Other $3,991 $7,123 $7,574 $10,469 $7,123 $7,574 $10,469 $10,063 $7,123 $7,574 $10,469 $10,063
Required annual income after taxes $32,076 $59,922 $77,017 $97,079 $46,753 $57,195 $66,203 $70,602 $46,753 $68,062 $86,872 $98,821
Annual taxes $5,203 $8,182 $9,875 $14,491 $6,721 $7,105 $7,193 $6,167 $6,663 $9,044 $10,946 $11,779
Required annual income before taxes $37,280 $68,104 $86,892 $111,570 $53,473 $64,301 $73,397 $76,769 $53,415 $77,106 $97,817 $110,601

Typical Annual Salaries

The average annual salaries for various occupations in the table below comes from the latest state-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. When available, this data is specific to a given metro area.

Occupational Area Typical Annual Salary
Management $95,740
Business & Financial Operations $69,110
Computer & Mathematical $69,520
Architecture & Engineering $85,550
Life, Physical, & Social Science $67,620
Community & Social Service $42,430
Legal $91,740
Education, Training, & Library $53,230
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $45,510
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $80,840
Healthcare Support $29,890
Protective Service $43,740
Food Preparation & Serving Related $26,480
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $29,600
Personal Care & Service $31,050
Sales & Related $35,340
Office & Administrative Support $37,760
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $40,830
Construction & Extraction $59,350
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $53,840
Production $45,780
Transportation & Material Moving $38,780