This Is The ‘Living Wage’ A Single Person In Iowa Needs To Make

Yay another year of expensive stuff!

Statistics, especially when it comes to money, can be disappointing and this is no exception. GoBankingRates analyzed the living wage a single person needs to get by in every state. The good news is that Iowa's isn't as bad as other states. It could be worse.

Now that a lot of us have made a New Year's resolution to cut back on spending, save up towards retirement, or whatever financial-based goal you made, it's time to look at the numbers to see what we'll be dealing with.

What A Single Person In Iowa Should Be Making

These stats are collected from a few places, including the latest Consumer Expenditure Survey. First off, we're not as bad as Hawaii, where the living wage is $112,411.

Iowa ranked as the 9th state requiring the least money to earn a living wage. Iowa's latest living wage is $48,518. Shoutout to all the peeps who aren't quite there yet.

We all know too well the cost of existing has been on the steady increase. Nationally, groceries increased in price 1.3% from September 2023-September 2024, the largest annual price increase in 40 years. Car insurance costs went up about 25% nationwide last year and, if you noticed your health insurance premium went up, you're not alone. Premiums nationally went up for an average of 7%.

The national average rent is $1,560 (and that's expected to rise in 2026 too). If you're thinking about moving to Massachusetts or California, those are the 2nd and 3rd most expensive states to live in, with a $87,909 and $80,013 living wage respectively.