Inflation Drives Up Income Tennessee Families Need To Cover Normal Living Expenses

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By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square –

We all require a certain amount of money each month to pay for normal living expenses, and in recent months, that amount has gotten much higher. Whether at the pump or the grocery store, Americans are being hit with a severe case of sticker shock.

The consumer price index rose an annual 8.5% in March, the highest increase since December 1981. Gas prices accounted for more than half of the rise in costs, but the cost of groceries skyrocketed 10% from the previous year, too.

According to the Family Budget Calculator published by the nonprofit think tank Economic Policy, an average family of four can expect its living expenditures in 2022 to total $86,718. This model assumes a family of two adults and two children – aged four and eight – and a modest yet adequate standard of living. Cost estimates include expenses related to housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities.

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In Tennessee, the estimated cost of living for a family of four stands at $74,197 for 2022, lower than the national average and the seventh lowest among states. Of all living expense categories, health care has the highest annual cost in Tennessee, averaging $14,990 per year for a family of four – or 20.2% of the family’s estimated annual expenses.

The average cost of living for a family of four in the state highlights the financial hardship many Tennessee families face. According to the five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, there are about 1,726,900 families living in the state, and an estimated 26.6% of them earn less than $40,000 per year.

Rank	State	Avg. living expenses for family of 4 in 2022 ($)	Most expensive cost of living category	Est. cost of most expensive category, 2022 ($)	Families earning less than $40,000 annually (%)
1	New York	112,751	Child Care	31,874	21.8
2	Hawaii	111,092	Housing	23,335	15.4
3	Massachusetts	109,184	Child Care	26,377	16.1
4	California	101,407	Housing	23,734	20.4
5	New Jersey	97,717	Child Care	20,144	16.6
6	Connecticut	95,550	Child Care	18,113	16.4
7	Alaska	94,945	Child Care	22,447	16.3
8	Vermont	94,517	Health Care	19,240	19.1
9	Oregon	92,861	Child Care	19,026	20.7
10	Washington	92,387	Child Care	18,876	16.4
11	Colorado	92,197	Child Care	19,418	16.3
12	Wyoming	91,802	Health Care	21,337	18.8
13	Virginia	91,515	Child Care	17,347	17.5
14	Maryland	89,052	Housing	17,840	14.6
15	Delaware	87,980	Health Care	17,175	19.1
16	Minnesota	87,246	Child Care	20,635	15.6
17	Illinois	86,153	Child Care	18,131	20.1
18	West Virginia	85,913	Health Care	24,483	30.6
19	Arizona	84,889	Child Care	17,391	23.8
20	Nebraska	84,527	Child Care	18,934	18.9
21	Rhode Island	84,019	Child Care	18,589	19.4
22	New Hampshire	83,859	Child Care	15,612	13.8
23	Pennsylvania	83,813	Child Care	19,039	20.7
24	Maine	83,440	Health Care	15,101	21.5
25	Florida	82,998	Housing	15,232	25.6
26	Nevada	81,680	Child Care	17,051	23.2
27	Montana	81,516	Child Care	17,025	22.6
28	Utah	80,653	Child Care	16,111	16.2
29	North Dakota	80,475	Child Care	20,541	17.5
30	Wisconsin	79,856	Child Care	17,092	19.3
31	Indiana	79,612	Child Care	18,107	22.8
32	Kansas	79,124	Health Care	16,767	20.5
33	Alabama	79,057	Health Care	17,245	28.4
34	South Dakota	78,824	Health Care	19,489	20.5
35	North Carolina	78,686	Health Care	15,361	25.8
36	Oklahoma	78,408	Health Care	16,062	27.2
37	Idaho	78,273	Transportation	15,147	22.7
38	Georgia	78,192	Health Care	15,341	25.1
39	Michigan	78,057	Child Care	17,276	22.9
40	Louisiana	76,581	Health Care	17,522	31.1
41	Texas	76,087	Transportation	13,907	24.4
42	Missouri	75,570	Health Care	16,101	23.6
43	Kentucky	74,849	Health Care	14,951	28.8
44	Tennessee	74,197	Health Care	14,990	26.6
45	Iowa	73,867	Transportation	14,656	19.5
46	Ohio	73,570	Child Care	14,489	23.3
47	New Mexico	72,948	Child Care	14,800	31.2
48	South Carolina	72,542	Health Care	14,677	26.7
49	Arkansas	70,474	Health Care	14,413	30.5
50	Mississippi	70,116	Health Care	17,460	33.3