The Thriving Wage: Where the Math Finally Works
Imagine having a budget that balances in Central Texas and allows you to live life, not just survive. No more playing financial roulette between car payments and electricity bills. This is what a thriving wage looks like.
In Sub-Article 1, the self-sufficiency wage fell short in every county, for individuals and families alike. In Sub-Article 2, the living wage got closer, but still left individuals in the red across all ten counties and families struggling in eight of ten. Two articles, twenty budget scenarios, and not a single positive balance for individuals and only two living wage counties for families.
The thriving wage is what adults and families need to live in Central Texas.
Exploring the Thriving Wage?
The thriving wage budget adds something the previous two tiers could not afford. There are budget lines for a life that includes social activities, a vacation, and holiday visits. These are not luxuries. They are the markers of a life lived and not just endured. For the first time across this entire series, the budget includes them and still finishes in the black.
For a single adult, the thriving wage yields a positive annual balance across all ten counties for the first time in this series. The surpluses are intentionally modest, ranging from $305 in Fayette County to $410 in Caldwell County. That is roughly $25 to $34 per month of breathing room above expenses.
Here is what makes that surplus meaningful. The surplus exists in addition to a savings contribution already built into the budget at 10% of net pay. A single adult at the thriving wage is not just breaking even. They are saving, carrying health insurance, enjoying a social life, taking a vacation, and still finishing the year ahead.
For families, the thriving wage delivers positive balances across all ten counties, ranging from $251 in Burnet County to $1,704 in Williamson County. Every family finishes the year ahead. Every family has savings built in. Every family has health insurance, social activities, and a vacation included in the budget.
Data Exploration: Build the Foundation
Before we delve into the data abyss one final time, it is important first to build the foundation so we’re working with the same terms and numbers. The living wage calculation was established based on expenses, not benchmarks. Starting with what a livable life requires in Central Texas, Literacy Coalition built the expense budget first. From there, using the MIT Living Wage Calculator as a reference point, wages were increased incrementally until income and expenses finally balanced. Here are the thriving wages across all ten Central Texas counties:
| County | Individual Thriving Wage Yearly | Individual Thriving Wage Hourly | Combined Thriving Wage Yearly Household Income | Combined Thriving Wage Hourly Household Income | Hours Worked per Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bastrop | $56,680 | $27.25 | $107,120 | $51.50 | 2,080 |
| Blanco | $51,376 | $24.70 | $99,840 | $48.00 | 2,080 |
| Burnet | $52,312 | $25.15 | $96,720 | $46.50 | 2,080 |
| Caldwell | $53,040 | $25.50 | $103,210 | $49.62 | 2,080 |
| Fayette | $50,960 | $24.50 | $95,680 | $46.00 | 2,080 |
| Hays | $57,096 | $27.45 | $109,200 | $52.50 | 2,080 |
| Lee | $52,770 | $25.37 | $95,680 | $46.00 | 2,080 |
| Llano | $50,440 | $24.25 | $96,096 | $46.20 | 2,080 |
| Travis | $58,240 | $28.00 | $116,480 | $56.00 | 2,080 |
| Williamson | $59,280 | $28.50 | $113,797 | $54.71 | 2,080 |
| Total | $542,194 | $261.00 | $1,033,822 | $497.03 | |
| 10-County Average | $54,219 | $26.00 | $103,382 | $49.70 |
The family thriving wage reflects the county’s average family profile rather than a fixed family type. Additionally, the model structure may vary depending on the household structure. As a result, the calculation changes based on household structure. For example, a household with two working parents and two children will have a different cost of basic needs than a single-parent household with children.
In the budget shown above, the Household Thriving Wage is calculated for two working adults with two children: one school-aged and the other above infant age but not school-age.
Data Exploration: Time to Budget
Grab your gear, and let’s dive one final time into the data abyss. So, how does the Thriving wage reflect in a real-world budget? To answer this, let’s take a look.
First, the budget categories are based on basic needs, living wage expectations, social activities, savings, and real-world expenses. They include essential things a person needs to live with stability, such as food, rent, transportation, utilities, childcare, household expenses, personal expenses, healthcare, and a savings account, as well as the activities that make life worth living.
Individual Thriving Wage Budget by County
Family Thriving Wage Budget by County
Budget Notes
- Rounded to the nearest whole number.
- Budgets reflect a single household model for comparison purposes.
- Taxes: Individual Table is based on single filer with no dependents; Family Table is based on married filing jointly with two dependents.
- Health Insurance: The health insurance deduction is based on an employer-sponsored health plan at the following rates: Individual is $350 deductible per month; Family is $500 deductible per month.
- Rent: Individual Table is based on a one-bedroom apartment; Family Table is based on a two-bedroom apartment. The rent amount is based on listings researched on Apartments.com in July 2026.
- Food: Based on a moderate diet with more fresh produce, fruit, dairy, eggs, and meat, while still keeping some processed or budget foods in the mix. Moderate is not “all healthy all the time,” and it usually does not mean organic or premium-only shopping. Cost estimates based on: Average Grocery Cost per Month: The 2026 Breakdown.
- Car Payment: Individual Table is estimated with a compact car at $350 per month; Family Table is estimated with a SUV Compact at $540 per month. Car expenses were added due to the limited public transportation in Central Texas and the expectation that a vehicle is needed in this region.
- Car Maintenance: Based on three oil changes per year at $55 each.
- Gas: Averaged price at $3.50 per gallon. The Individual Table is calculated with a 10-gallon car and 6 fill-ups per month; the Family Table is calculated with a 15-gallon car and 6 fill-ups per month.
- Childcare: Childcare estimates are based on the family having 2 children. One child requires non-infant all-day childcare, with estimated rates of $1,008, $750, or $588 per month. The second child is calculated at $366, $196, and $140 per month for after-school costs. The amounts vary by county. The monthly calculation does include any childcare subsidy from Workforce Solutions Capital and Rural Capital Area. There is no guarantee of childcare assistance, and participation depends on eligibility, provider participation, and available space.
- Household Supplies: This budget line item groups items needed for clean clothes and home cleanliness. This line item is $97 per month for individuals and $224 per month for families. Included in this line are expenses for: Laundry Supplies ($25 I, $45 F), paper goods ($25 I, $45 F), cleaning supplies ($32 I, $74 F), and linens ($15 I, $60 F). This budget assumes there is a washer and dryer in the unit and does not factor in laundromat or dry cleaning expenses.
- Personal Items: This line is $67 per month for individuals and $283 per month for families. This line includes expenses for personal cleanliness (toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, shampoo, etc.) and clothes, including shoes.
- Social Activities: The budget line for social activities includes $250 a month for individuals and $400 a month for families. These include dining out, going to a movie, birthday parties, bowling, and (a personal CEO favorite) zoo visits. Social activities are the things that help individuals and families enjoy life and spend time together.
- Vacation/Holiday Visits: The budget line for vacation/holiday visits is intended to enrich an individual’s or family’s lives by providing time away to explore or visit loved ones. Vacation and holiday visits are critical to bringing people together and enriching lives. Vacation and holiday visits are investments in family connection, mental health, and the type of life that makes work sustainable and meaningful.
- Health Visits/Medication: The Individual budget is based on $35 per month for a doctor’s visit or medication subscription. The family budget is based on $90 per month for a family of four for doctor’s visit or medication subscription.
- Savings: The savings budget line is calculated at 10% of net pay.
What Thriving Actually Feels Like
Look at what changed between the living-wage budget and the thriving-wage budget. Social activities appeared for individuals and families. Vacation and holiday visits appeared, and savings grew.
For the first time in this series, a Central Texas adult or family can take their kids to a birthday party without doing mental math first. They can book a hotel room for a holiday visit without checking the balance three times. They can put money in savings at the end of the month, not because they got lucky, but because their wages make it possible.
That is what thriving looks like. Not extravagance or luxury, just a life with enough room in it to actually be lived.
Striving for a Thriving Wage
Self-sufficiency, living, thriving, oh my. We started this series with three terms that too often get confused. We end it with clarity.
The living wage is not the real benchmark for Central Texas. It’s the thriving wage that we need to be heading toward. When adults and families reach a thriving wage, the impact extends far beyond the household budget. They spend more in the local economy, strengthening the businesses and communities around them.
Think of it as a scale. On one side: investment in literacy, job training, and the pathways that move adults and families toward a thriving wage. On the other side: the city and county resources required to meet basic needs such as housing assistance, food support, emergency services, and public health. The more weight we put on investment in adult literacy and job training programs, the less pressure there is on basic-needs public assistance.
Central Texas can set the stage for the rest of the country by adopting the Thriving Wage as the floor, not the ceiling, for adults and families. This shows that survival is no longer the accepted standard. The infrastructure exists within our ten-county region, and the only thing left is for all of us to speak the same language, mean the same thing, and move in the same direction.
