Here’s How Much You Need To Earn For Living In Travis County

AUSTIN, TX — The Economic Policy Institute recently released its 2018 family budget calculator that estimates how costly it is to live in each of America's 3,142 counties and 611 metro areas.

In Travis County, the group estimates a typical family of two adults and two children would need annual income of $80,766 or a monthly intake of $6,731 to live comfortably. Here's the breakdown in terms of monthly costs in the county, according to EPI researchers:

• Housing: $1,264
• Food: $749
• Child Care: $1,117
• Transportation: $1,106
• Health Care: $964
• Other Necessities: $812
• Taxes: $718

The findings aren't great news for the average family in Travis County, unless collective incomes have risen exponentially since 2016. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average household income in Travis County was $64.422 in 2016 — $16,344 short needed in order to live comfortably per the EPI assessment. Per capita income was considerably less: $36,649, according to the most recent census.

This might explain why 12.2 percent of the population in Travis County is considered to be living in poverty, according to the census reckoning.

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.

Related story: Here's How Much You Need To Earn For Living In Williamson County

Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report

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