Living Wage Calculator

By: BEVERLY BUTULA//August 24, 2009//

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Pennsylvania State University maintains an interesting site called the Living Wage Calculator. It was developed to “estimate the cost of living in your community or region. The calculator lists typical expenses, the living wage and typical wages for the selected location.” The main page and the “about” section outline the history and source data.

The calculator allows the searcher to select a state then obtain data by county, place or the state as a whole. The results include the living wage, minimum wage and poverty wage. It also provides general figures for expenses such as food, childcare and transportation. A third section lists typical wages for various occupations.

The Living Wage Calculator is a companion site to Penn State’s Poverty in America Project. This site includes numerous publications and tools. In addition to the calculator, the site features “Community Development Resources” which is similar to an online bibliography of relevant resources.

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