Nailing the intersection of cities that have a lot to do and are still affordable is a difficult balance. With the biggest cities in the world charging arms and legs for rent, entry-level, minimum wage jobs don’t always cut it (though, somehow, New York made this list).
NetCredit took a look at the cost of living across the country and put together a report detailing which cities are the most forgiving for somebody with an entry-level job. They also took a look at the least forgiving. Curious which cities are the easiest to survive in with a meager paycheck? Here are the 20 best and worst.
Best: Bakersfield, California
Living Wage: $22.67
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 100%
2nd Best: Fargo, North Dakota
Living Wage: $18.74
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 93.67%
3rd Best: Toledo, Ohio
Living Wage: $19.50
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 93.07%
4th Best: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Living Wage: $19.90
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 86.59%
5th Best: Detroit
Living Wage: $21.23
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 84.85%
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6th Best: Spokane, Washington
Living Wage: $21.11
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 83.67%
7th Best: Minneapolis
Living Wage: $23.17
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 83.41%
8th Best: Cheyenne, Wyoming
Living Wage: $20.77
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 80.91%
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9th Best: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Living Wage: $20.34
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 78.99%
10th Best: Charleston, West Virginia
Living Wage: $18.75
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 78.40%
11th Best: Buffalo, New York
Living Wage: $21.74
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 78.33%
12th Best: Little Rock, Arkansas
Living Wage: $20.39
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 78.26%
13th Best: Des Moines, Iowa
Living Wage: $22.26
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 77.38%
14th Best: Milwaukee
Living Wage: $21.07
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 75.92%
15th Best: Stockton, California
Living Wage: $24.92
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 75.56%
16th Best: St. Louis
Living Wage: $21.61
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 74.70%
17th Best: Newark, New Jersey
Living Wage: $28.87
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 74.07%
18th Best: Cincinnati
Living Wage: $20.77
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 73.51%
19th Best: New York
Living Wage: $28.87
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 71.39%
20th Best: Greensboro, North Carolina
Living Wage: $20.71
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 71.38%
Worst: Honolulu
Living Wage: $30.02
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 27.69%
2nd Worst: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Living Wage: $24.61
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 32.33%
3rd Worst: Miami
Living Wage: $24.94
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 34.30%
4th Worst: Boise, Idaho
Living Wage: $25.02
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 38.72%
5th Worst: Anaheim, California
Living Wage: $28.88
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 39.13%
6th Worst: North Las Vegas, Nevada
Living Wage: $24.10
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 39.13%
7th Worst: Glendale, Arizona
Living Wage: $25.69
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 39.27%
8th Worst: Scottsdale, Arizona
Living Wage: $25.69
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 40.51%
9th Worst: Santa Ana, California
Living Wage: $28.88
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 42.00%
10th Worst: San Jose, California
Living Wage: $35.28
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 42.02%
11th Best: Mesa, Arizona
Living Wage: $25.69
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 42.99%
12th Best: Chandler, Arizona
Living Wage: $25.69
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 43.45%
13th Best: Chula Vista, California
Living Wage: $30.71
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 43.47%
14th Best: Gilbert, Arizona
Living Wage: $25.69
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 43.48%
15th Best: Portland, Oregon
Living Wage: $27.47
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 43.77%
16th Best: Atlanta
Living Wage: $26.28
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 44.87%
17th Best: Garland, Texas
Living Wage: $23.86
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 45.63%
18th Best: Orlando, Florida
Living Wage: $24.77
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 45.70%
19th Best: San Diego, California
Living Wage: $30.71
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 46.45%
20th Best: Riverside, California
Living Wage: $28.26
Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 46.83%
Every State, Ranked by Entry-Level Job Survival
- Best: Minnesota
- 2: Missouri
- 3: Wisconsin
- 4: Wyoming
- 5: Ohio
- 6: South Dakota
- 7: Indiana
- 8: Washington
- 9: New Jersey
- 10: Michigan
- 11: North Dakota
- 12: Delaware
- 13: Tennessee
- 14: New York
- 15: Illinois
- 16: Kansas
- 17: North Carolina
- 18: Georgia
- 19: Nebraska
- 20: Colorado
- 21: Texas
- 22: Pennsylvania
- 23: West Virginia
- 24: Vermont
- 25: Rhode Island
- 26: Florida
- 27: Iowa
- 28: Alaska
- 29: California
- 30: Kentucky
- 31: South Carolina
- 32:Massachusetts
- 33: Arkansas
- 34: New Hampshire
- 35: Montana
- 36: Arizona
- 37: Virginia
- 38: Maryland
- 39: New Mexico
- 40: Connecticut
- 41: Oklahoma
- 42: Oregon
- 43: Maine
- 44: Louisiana
- 45: Alabama
- 46: Idaho
- 47: Utah
- 48: Mississippi
- 49: Nevada
- 50: Hawaii
