Overview
- SmartAsset released a state-by-state analysis published Aug. 25–26 that sets a national single-adult benchmark of $80,000 for a ‘comfortable’ living standard and gives higher, state-specific thresholds.
- The report builds its figures from the MIT Living Wage Calculator and applies the 50/30/20 budgeting rule, which allocates half of income to needs, 30% to wants, and 20% to savings.
- Key state figures include Pennsylvania at $97,011 for a single adult and $247,936 for a family of four, Arizona at $101,795 for a single adult and $236,870 for a family of four, and Hawaii as the most expensive with $129,002 for a single adult.
- Federal data show most Americans earn less than these levels: the U.S. Department of Labor reported median weekly earnings in Q2 2026 equal to roughly $65,000 a year, and Pennsylvania medians for single workers and four-person households are about $39,373 and $100,262 respectively.
- Reporters link the affordability gap to trends such as younger-worker out-migration, tax structure concerns and growing elder-care needs, and coverage notes there are no major policy changes tied to this SmartAsset release so far while lawmakers consider options to address cost and retention pressures.