Here's How Much You Need To Earn To Live In the Hudson Valley

It costs a pretty penny for residents to live comfortably in the Hudson Valley, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The organization's 2018 family budget calculator estimates how costly it is to live in each of America's 3,142 counties and 611 metro areas.

The totals do not include expenses usually associated with a middle-class lifestyle, including paying for college or saving for retirement.

The group estimates that in the Hudson Valley, child care, housing and transportation are among the biggest monthly costs for a family of four. The most expensive counties: Putnam and Rockland.

Here's how the group breaks it down:

Dutchess County:

• HOUSING-$1,304
• FOOD-$842
• CHILD CARE-$2,405
• TRANSPORTATION-$1,293
• HEALTH CARE-$1,330
• OTHER NECESSITIES-$866
• TAXES-$1,780
• Monthly Total-$9,821
• Annual Total-$117,856

Orange County:

• HOUSING-$1,333
• FOOD-$817
• CHILD CARE-$2,431
• TRANSPORTATION-$1,258
• HEALTH CARE-$1,330
• OTHER NECESSITIES-$867
• TAXES-$1,778
• Monthly Total-$9,814
• Annual Total-$117,767

Putnam County

• HOUSING-$1,712
• FOOD-$1,002
• CHILD CARE-$2,708
• TRANSPORTATION-$1,349
• HEALTH CARE-$1,330
• OTHER NECESSITIES-$1,095
• TAXES-$2,366
• Monthly Total-$11,563
• Annual Total-$138,750

Rockland County

• HOUSING-$1,853
• FOOD-$807
• CHILD CARE-$2,826
• TRANSPORTATION-$1,209
• HEALTH CARE-$1,237
• OTHER NECESSITIES-$1,073
• TAXES-$2,294
• Monthly Total-$11,298
• Annual Total-$135,580

Ulster County

• HOUSING-$1,155
• FOOD-$830
• CHILD CARE-$2,239
• TRANSPORTATION-$1,243
• HEALTH CARE-$1,330
• OTHER NECESSITIES-$801
• TAXES-$1,549
• Monthly Total-$9,146
• Annual Total-$109,754

Westchester County

• HOUSING-$1,687
• FOOD-$853
• CHILD CARE-$2,724
• TRANSPORTATION-$1,134
• HEALTH CARE-$1,237
• OTHER NECESSITIES-$1,025
• TAXES-$2,104
• Monthly Total-$10,764
• Annual Total-$129,166

Here's what the most mysterious category means. "Other necessities include apparel, personal care, household supplies (which include items ranging from furnishings to cleaning supplies to phone service), reading materials, and school supplies. The costs for these items come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, and use data reported for households in the second (from the bottom) fifth of households in the household income distribution."

Nearby, a family of two adults and two children in the Nassau/Suffolk metro area would need to earn a combined $139,545 per year — or $11,629 a month — to live comfortably.
SubscribeThe family budget calculator accounts for geographic differences in cost of living, but does not include many expenses associated with a middle-class lifestyle, including student loan payments or saving for college or retirement.

"Our Family Budget Calculator goes beyond traditional measures like the poverty line to paint a detailed picture of what families need to get by," EPI Senior Economist Elise Gould said in a release. "The latest update provides even greater detail on how costs vary throughout the country. It is above all else a tool for policymakers to advocate for ways to raise wages and make their communities more affordable."

If you think living in the Hudson Valley is bad, San Francisco was ranked as the most expensive metro area with a basic budget of $148,439 a year for a two-parent, two-child household. On the flipside, that same household would only need to earn $58,906 to live comfortably in Brownsville, Texas, the least expensive metro area in the country.

The group noted that many low-wage workers don't make enough money to adequately provide for their family's basic needs. Even after adjusting for higher state and city minimum wages, the group said, there is "nowhere in the country" where a minimum-wage worker would earn enough.

For example, a Hudson Valley household with two adults making $12 an hour (which will be New York's minimum wage as of Dec. 31, 2018) in two-and-a-half jobs would gross $5,760 a month. Around here that would necessitate tough choices for where to live, how to care for children, how to get to work, and what to eat — assuming they got health care benefits at work.

"It's clear from our analysis that, even in less-expensive areas, many families will struggle to meet their basic needs," said research assistant Zane Mokhiber. "The good news is we have many different ways to remedy this, from a higher minimum wage to ambitious child care reform. Policymakers should draw on a range of tools to help people meet the needs laid out in the Family Budget Calculator."

Click here to go to to the calculator. You can change the number of adults and children to see exactly what your household needs to earn to live comfortably in your county.

Do you think the estimates are accurate? What would you change for your community? Tell us in the comments.

Patch reporters Paige Mcatee and Dan Hampton contributed to this report

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