What's The Difference Between Minimum Wage and Living Wage in Madison?

Although states and local governments can set a higher minimum wage than the federal requirement of $7.25 an hour, Wisconsin is not among the 29 states that have elected to do so, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. A minimum wage job in Madison pays $15,080 per year for a full-time worker, falling below what is considered to be a living wage in the city.

The minimum wage of $7.25 is the amount determined by law to be the minimum amount paid to employees. A living wage is the amount one needs to earn to be self-supporting.

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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology gathers information on the costs of basic living expenses in metropolitan areas throughout the United States to determine the living wage in specific areas. According to MIT, to support oneself in Madison, an adult must earn $10.86 an hour. If you are supporting yourself, another adult and two children, you must earn $23.30 an hour. The living wage in Madison is $22,589 for a single adult and $48,464 per year for a family of four.

A single adult earning minimum wage makes about two-thirds of what is needed to live in Madison. At minimum wage, a single adult working to support a family of four is making about one-third of what is needed for the family to be self-sufficient.

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Madison general ordinances require that those working for the city of Madison or doing work contracted to or funded by the city be paid the city's caluculation of a living wage. In 2015, that amount was $12.62 per hour, according to the city.

Many jobs in Madison pay higher than the minimum wage. Jobs in food preparation and serving average about $9.43 an hour. Personal care and services jobs average about $10.90, and lawn care comes in at about $11.31, according to MIT.

If you are earning a living wage for a family in Madison, you might be employed as a special education teacher with earnings of about $49,500 a year, according to FindTheBest.com. Concrete finishers average about $49,570 a year. A curator of a museum earns an average of $48,810. If you are employed as a surgical technologist, you can expect to earn about $48,700.

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