80k is a good salary in Los Angeles. For context, the median household income in Los Angeles County is $69,000, which means that 80k is more than double the average salary for an LA resident. It’s also higher than the median cost of rent in LA, which means that if you’re earning 80k per year, you should be able to pay your rent without spending too much of your monthly income on housing.
But what if you don’t live in Los Angeles? You might think that 80k isn’t enough money to make ends meet elsewhere. However, this depends on where you live and how much income taxes are taken out of your paycheck each year. For example, if you live in Seattle and earn $80K per year before taxes are taken out of your paycheck, then 80K will likely be enough money to get by comfortably as long as there aren’t any hidden fees associated with living there (such as expensive parking fees or tolls).
Is 80k A Good Salary In Los Angeles
Living Wage Calculation for Los Angeles County, California
The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support his or herself and their family. The assumption is the sole provider is working full-time (2080 hours per year). The tool provides information for individuals, and households with one or two working adults and zero to three children. In the case of households with two working adults, all values are per working adult, single or in a family unless otherwise noted.
The state minimum wage is the same for all individuals, regardless of how many dependents they may have. Data are updated annually, in the first quarter of the new year. State minimum wages are determined based on the posted value of the minimum wage as of January one of the coming year (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). The poverty rate reflects a person’s gross annual income. We have converted it to an hourly wage for the sake of comparison.
For further detail, please reference the technical documentation here.
| 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 | $21.89 | $44.71 | $55.32 | $73.96 | $33.85 | $41.47 | $47.44 | $54.09 | $16.93 | $24.24 | $30.73 | $37.56 |
| Poverty Wage | $6.19 | $8.38 | $10.56 | $12.74 | $8.38 | $10.56 | $12.74 | $14.92 | $4.19 | $5.28 | $6.37 | $7.46 |
| Minimum Wage | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 |
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.
| 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 | $3,999 | $5,893 | $8,853 | $11,742 | $7,332 | $9,124 | $11,764 | $14,321 | $7,332 | $9,124 | $11,764 | $14,321 |
| Child Care | $0 | $11,191 | $22,382 | $33,574 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $11,191 | $22,382 | $33,574 |
| Medical | $2,288 | $7,462 | $7,249 | $7,559 | $5,764 | $7,249 | $7,559 | $7,347 | $5,764 | $7,249 | $7,559 | $7,347 |
| Housing | $17,775 | $26,721 | $26,721 | $35,511 | $20,839 | $26,721 | $26,721 | $35,511 | $20,839 | $26,721 | $26,721 | $35,511 |
| Transportation | $4,938 | $8,762 | $11,391 | $13,456 | $8,762 | $11,391 | $13,456 | $14,613 | $8,762 | $11,391 | $13,456 | $14,613 |
| Civic | $2,581 | $4,144 | $5,120 | $6,686 | $4,144 | $5,120 | $6,686 | $5,314 | $4,144 | $5,120 | $6,686 | $5,314 |
| Other | $4,748 | $7,080 | $6,477 | $9,424 | $7,080 | $6,477 | $9,424 | $9,115 | $7,080 | $6,477 | $9,424 | $9,115 |
| Required annual income after taxes | $36,452 | $71,377 | $88,316 | $118,074 | $54,044 | $66,206 | $75,731 | $86,345 | $54,044 | $77,397 | $98,113 | $119,919 |
| Annual taxes | $9,084 | $21,622 | $26,754 | $35,768 | $16,372 | $20,056 | $22,941 | $26,157 | $16,372 | $23,446 | $29,722 | $36,327 |
| Required annual income before taxes | $45,536 | $92,999 | $115,070 | $153,842 | $70,416 | $86,262 | $98,673 | $112,502 | $70,416 | $100,843 | $127,835 | $156,247 |
Typical Annual Salaries
These are the typical annual salaries for various professions in this location.
| Occupational Area | Typical Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Management | $138,148 |
| Business & Financial Operations | $84,198 |
| Computer & Mathematical | $119,872 |
| Architecture & Engineering | $105,770 |
| Life, Physical, & Social Science | $91,100 |
| Community & Social Service | $58,272 |
| Legal | $117,935 |
| Education, Training, & Library | $64,168 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media | $69,625 |
| Healthcare Practitioners & Technical | $105,245 |
| Healthcare Support | $33,159 |
| Protective Service | $52,280 |
| Food Preparation & Serving Related | $31,993 |
| Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance | $37,461 |
| Personal Care & Service | $34,047 |
| Sales & Related | $38,049 |
| Office & Administrative Support | $46,994 |
| Farming, Fishing, & Forestry | $31,169 |
| Construction & Extraction | $62,681 |
| Installation, Maintenance, & Repair | $58,497 |
| Production | $40,168 |
| Transportation & Material Moving | $37,578 |
