Income a Family Needs to Live Comfortably in Every State (2026)
Key Takeaways
- A family of four needs nearly $330,000 in annual income to live comfortably in Massachusetts in 2026, the highest requirement in the country.
- Three states require incomes higher than $300,000: Massachusetts, Hawaii, and California.
- Mississippi has the lowest threshold at about $188,000, roughly $142,000 less than Massachusetts.
How much does a family of four need to earn in your state?
This visualization maps the pre-tax annual income that a household with two working adults and two children needs to live comfortably in every U.S. state.
The data for this visualization comes from SmartAsset, with figures as of February 2026.
Comfortable living is based on a 50/30/20 budget, with 50% of earnings going toward necessities, 30% toward discretionary spending, and 20% toward savings or other financial goals. The figures therefore represent a budgeting standard rather than the minimum income needed to cover basic expenses.
Massachusetts Has the Highest Income Threshold
Massachusetts tops the ranking, with a family of four needing $329,555 per year to meet the 50/30/20 benchmark.
Hawaii follows at $313,165, while California ranks third at $302,682.
| Rank | State | Income needed for family of four (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $329,555 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $313,165 |
| 3 | California | $302,682 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $298,189 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $295,110 |
| 6 | New York | $291,533 |
| 7 | Colorado | $283,213 |
| 8 | Washington | $281,798 |
| 9 | Oregon | $280,966 |
| 10 | Vermont | $280,384 |
| 11 | Alaska | $272,064 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $267,904 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $264,659 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $263,078 |
| 15 | Maryland | $257,837 |
| 16 | Maine | $250,931 |
| 17 | Montana | $249,434 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $247,936 |
| 19 | Illinois | $244,109 |
| 20 | Virginia | $242,944 |
| 21 | Nevada | $242,278 |
| 22 | Indiana | $241,696 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $238,451 |
| 24 | Arizona | $236,870 |
| 25 | Utah | $235,789 |
| 26 | Delaware | $228,134 |
| 27 | Ohio | $226,221 |
| 28 | Idaho | $226,054 |
| 29 | Florida | $223,392 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $223,142 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $223,059 |
| 32 | Missouri | $217,734 |
| 33 | Georgia | $214,573 |
| 34 | Michigan | $214,323 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $212,909 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $212,410 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $212,410 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $211,910 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $210,496 |
| 40 | Kansas | $207,917 |
| 41 | Iowa | $204,422 |
| 42 | Texas | $203,424 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $202,592 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $201,760 |
| 45 | Alabama | $198,931 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $197,933 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $197,267 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $195,437 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $194,854 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $187,533 |
Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York aren’t far behind, bringing the number of states with comfortable-income thresholds above $290,000 to six.
Colorado and Vermont Make the Top 10
As expected, many of the highest income thresholds are concentrated in the Northeast and along the West Coast.
However, Colorado has the seventh-highest threshold in the country at $283,213, ranking above Washington and Oregon.
Vermont rounds out the top 10 at $280,384, despite having the second-smallest population of any U.S. state. Meanwhile, nearby states like New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island all fall outside the top 10.
Just Six States Come in Below $200,000
Despite the wide range in living costs across the country, only six states have a comfortable-income threshold below $200,000 for a family of four.
Mississippi ranks lowest at $187,533, followed by Kentucky. The states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama also fall below the $200,000 mark.
The gap between Massachusetts and Mississippi exceeds $142,000 per year, meaning the Massachusetts benchmark is about 76% higher.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Household Income Distribution in the U.S. Visualized as 100 Homes on Voronoi.