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Yahoo Finance Plus 40 Top Cities Where Your Paycheck Goes the Furthest
The average worker traditionally receives a paycheck every two weeks, and those two checks have to cover housing and utilities, plus everything that the worker eats, drinks and does for an entire month. Needless to say, that's a whole lot easier to pull off when paychecks are big and the regional cost of living, even if on the higher side, fits within your paycheck. Dozens of cities in the United States offer exactly that dynamic -- you just have to know where to look.
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To find the 40 cities where people can spread their paychecks the furthest, GOBankingRates identified the median household income in America's 100 largest cities, the biweekly paycheck amount, the biweekly cost of necessities (including groceries, healthcare, housing, transportation and utilities), and finally, how much is left over when those necessities are paid for. The study used data from sources including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau and Sperling's Best Places, then ranked the results in ascending order with the final entry being the city where your paycheck will last the longest.
With more and more Americans working from home, a much larger percentage of the workforce can take their work with them wherever they go. This list profiles the cities that might be worth considering for people looking to get the most mileage from each paycheck.
40. Chicago, Illinois
Population: 2,699,347
Median annual household income: $62,097
Biweekly paycheck: $2,388
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,262
Amount of paycheck left: $1,126
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39. St. Petersburg, Florida
Population: 264,001
Median annual household income: $60,798
Biweekly paycheck: $2,338
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,204
Amount of paycheck left: $1,134
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38. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Population: 649,821
Median annual household income: $56,456
Biweekly paycheck: $2,171
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,026
Amount of paycheck left: $1,145
37. Kansas City, Missouri
Population: 491,158
Median annual household income: $56,179
Biweekly paycheck: $2,161
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,013
Amount of paycheck left: $1,148
36. Boise, Idaho
Population: 228,057
Median annual household income: $63,778
Biweekly paycheck: $2,453
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,303
Amount of paycheck left: $1,150
35. Atlanta, Georgia
Population: 497,642
Median annual household income: $64,179
Biweekly paycheck: $2,468
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,317
Amount of paycheck left: $1,151
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34. Aurora, Colorado
Population: 379,434
Median annual household income: $67,723
Biweekly paycheck: $2,605
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,452
Amount of paycheck left: $1,152
33. Portland, Oregon
Population: 650,380
Median annual household income: $73,159
Biweekly paycheck: $2,814
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,628
Amount of paycheck left: $1,186
32. Lexington, Kentucky
Population: 322,200
Median annual household income: $58,954
Biweekly paycheck: $2,267
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,069
Amount of paycheck left: $1,198
31. Durham, North Carolina
Population: 276,341
Median annual household income: $61,962
Biweekly paycheck: $2,383
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,180
Amount of paycheck left: $1,203
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30. Lincoln, Nebraska
Population: 286,388
Median annual household income: $60,063
Biweekly paycheck: $2,310
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,107
Amount of paycheck left: $1,204
29. Corpus Christi, Texas
Population: 326,332
Median annual household income: $57,387
Biweekly paycheck: $2,207
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,000
Amount of paycheck left: $1,207
28. Arlington, Texas
Population: 397,269
Median annual household income: $63,351
Biweekly paycheck: $2,437
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,195
Amount of paycheck left: $1,241
27. Garland, Texas
Population: 238,622
Median annual household income: $63,192
Biweekly paycheck: $2,430
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,178
Amount of paycheck left: $1,253
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26. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Population: 424,536
Median annual household income: $66,068
Biweekly paycheck: $2,541
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,286
Amount of paycheck left: $1,255
25. Omaha, Nebraska
Population: 479,529
Median annual household income: $62,213
Biweekly paycheck: $2,393
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,130
Amount of paycheck left: $1,263
24. Bakersfield, California
Population: 379,879
Median annual household income: $65,687
Biweekly paycheck: $2,526
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,253
Amount of paycheck left: $1,273
23. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Population: 471,686
Median annual household income: $67,719
Biweekly paycheck: $2,605
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,312
Amount of paycheck left: $1,293
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22. Charlotte, North Carolina
Population: 873,570
Median annual household income: $65,359
Biweekly paycheck: $2,514
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,214
Amount of paycheck left: $1,300
21. Fort Worth, Texas
Population: 892,221
Median annual household income: $64,567
Biweekly paycheck: $2,483
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,180
Amount of paycheck left: $1,304
20. Irving, Texas
Population: 240,475
Median annual household income: $66,567
Biweekly paycheck: $2,560
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,207
Amount of paycheck left: $1,353
19. Madison, Wisconsin
Population: 258,366
Median annual household income: $67,565
Biweekly paycheck: $2,599
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,235
Amount of paycheck left: $1,364
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18. Chula Vista, California
Population: 268,779
Median annual household income: $86,132
Biweekly paycheck: $3,313
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,923
Amount of paycheck left: $1,389
17. Austin, Texas
Population: 965,872
Median annual household income: $75,752
Biweekly paycheck: $2,914
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,517
Amount of paycheck left: $1,397
16. Raleigh, North Carolina
Population: 469,698
Median annual household income: $69,720
Biweekly paycheck: $2,682
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,281
Amount of paycheck left: $1,400
15. Henderson, Nevada
Population: 309,955
Median annual household income: $75,430
Biweekly paycheck: $2,901
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,465
Amount of paycheck left: $1,436
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14. Seattle, Washington
Population: 741,251
Median annual household income: $97,185
Biweekly paycheck: $3,738
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $2,251
Amount of paycheck left: $1,487
13. Washington, D.C.
Population: 701,974
Median annual household income: $90,842
Biweekly paycheck: $3,494
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,992
Amount of paycheck left: $1,502
12. Denver, Colorado
Population: 715,878
Median annual household income: $72,661
Biweekly paycheck: $2,795
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,251
Amount of paycheck left: $1,544
11. San Jose, California
Population: 1,029,409
Median annual household income: $117,324
Biweekly paycheck: $4,512
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $2,967
Amount of paycheck left: $1,545
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10. Irvine, California
Population: 272,694
Median annual household income: $108,318
Biweekly paycheck: $4,166
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $2,577
Amount of paycheck left: $1,590
9. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Population: 450,882
Median annual household income: $78,136
Biweekly paycheck: $3,005
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,315
Amount of paycheck left: $1,690
8. Anchorage, Alaska
Population: 292,090
Median annual household income: $84,813
Biweekly paycheck: $3,262
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,532
Amount of paycheck left: $1,730
7. Scottsdale, Arizona
Population: 254,995
Median annual household income: $91,042
Biweekly paycheck: $3,502
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,739
Amount of paycheck left: $1,762
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6. Chesapeake, Virginia
Population: 242,647
Median annual household income: $81,261
Biweekly paycheck: $3,125
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,325
Amount of paycheck left: $1,801
5. Chandler, Arizona
Population: 257,076
Median annual household income: $85,796
Biweekly paycheck: $3,300
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,421
Amount of paycheck left: $1,879
4. Plano, Texas
Population: 288,870
Median annual household income: $96,348
Biweekly paycheck: $3,706
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,415
Amount of paycheck left: $2,291
3. Fremont, California
Population: 234,829
Median annual household income: $142,374
Biweekly paycheck: $5,476
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $3,173
Amount of paycheck left: $2,303
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2. Gilbert, Arizona
Population: 248,349
Median annual household income: $99,154
Biweekly paycheck: $3,814
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $1,459
Amount of paycheck left: $2,354
1. Arlington, Virginia
Population: 236,434
Median annual household income: $122,604
Biweekly paycheck: $4,716
Total biweekly cost of necessities: $2,236
Amount of paycheck left: $2,480
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Jami Farkas contributed to the reporting for this article.
Methodology: To find the 40 cities where paychecks go the furthest, GOBankingRates looked at the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2020 Consumer Expenditure Survey data to find how much the typical American consumer unit spends annually and biweekly on necessities (including groceries, health, housing, transportation, utilities and miscellaneous expenses). GOBankingRates then looked at the 100 largest cities in the U.S. by population according to the Census Bureau's 2020 American Community Survey and found Sperling's Best Places' cost-of-living index for each necessity category in every city. Multiplying each city's index scores by the national biweekly spending estimates in every category, GOBankingRates was able to calculate how much consumers in each city can expect to spend on necessities per pay period. Then, GOBankingRates found the median annual household income in each city from the 2020 ACS and created a biweekly paycheck estimate for workers in each city. Finally, GOBankingRates subtracted the total biweekly cost of necessities in each city from its median biweekly paycheck to find out where workers can expect to have the most money left over after bills every pay period. All data was collected on and up to date as of April 21, 2022.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 40 Top Cities Where Your Paycheck Goes the Furthest
