Just how expensive is Kansas? Here’s what one analysis says is the minimum living wage

Kansas has one of the lowest living wages in the U.S., according to one recent analysis from financial company GoBankingRates. The state falls right behind Kentucky and ahead of West Virginia.

According to the analysis, the average single person in Kansas needs to make $47,379 a year to live comfortably in the state. The state ranks No. 6 in the country for the lowest living wage, while Mississippi took the top spot for the lowest wage at just under $46,000.

The review determined Hawaii has the highest living wage in the U.S., with single individuals needing to earn $112,411 annually. Massachusetts has the second highest living wage.

The company used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to compile the ranking.

Inflation has affected the cost of living across the country in recent months.

While the price of a some categories has gone down in the U.S, the cost of all items has gone up by 3.2% as of this October from 12 months prior, according to the Consumer Price Index. The cost of food has gone up 3.3% as Americans feel pressure at the grocery store, and cost of energy in the country has gone down by 4.5%, according to the CPI.

What is the cost of living in Kansas?

The minimum wage in Kansas sits at $7.25 an hour for workers older than 18. That holds with the federal minimum wage. Kansas also requires overtime pay if employees work more than 46 hours in a single week.

In 2021, the median household income in the state sat at $64,521, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. That same year the median income in Sedgwick County was $60,593.

The average home value in Wichita is around $183,706, according to popular home website Zillow, compared to the country’s average of $346,653. According to RentCafe, a company focused on the rental market, the average cost of rent in Wichita is $852 a month.

Looking at homes in south-central Kansas, in October the median home sale price sat at $203,000, while the median active listing price was higher, at $280,490, according to South Central Kansas MLS.

US states with the highest and lowest living wages

Here are the five states with the lowest living wage in the U.S., according to GoBankingRates:

1. Mississippi, $45,906
2. Oklahoma, $46,024
3. Alabama, $46,577
4. Arkansas, $47,111
5. Kentucky, $47,318

Here the five states with the highest living wage in the U.S.:

1. Hawaii, $112,411
2. Massachusetts, $87,909
3. California, $80,013
4. New York, $73,226
5. Alaska, $71,570
   
   

Lindsay Smith

The Wichita Eagle

Lindsay Smith is a suburban news reporter for the Wichita Eagle, covering the communities of Andover, Bel Aire, Derby, Haysville and Kechi. She has been on The Eagle staff since 2022 and was the service journalism reporter for three years. She has a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Wichita State, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Sunflower, for two years. You can reach her via email at lsmith@wichitaeagle.com.