We would all love to be rich, right? But that is out of the realm of possibility for most of us.

So, what’s the next best thing?

How about getting by?

Well if you can live with that then South Dakota is the place for you because people in the Mount Rushmore State need less money to make ends meet than in any other state in America.

According to the ‘Living Wage Calculator’ designed by the smart folks at MIT, South Dakota is the only place in the U.S. where a person can make less than $22,000 annually ($21,593) and still be able to afford what they call ‘basic needs’:

• Food - $3,058 (South Dakota is tied for 17th overall with 11 other states)
• Housing - $6,063 (South Dakota is the lowest in the nation)
• Health Insurance - $2,177

Anything beyond those three things is considered a luxury and not factored in.

No restaurant meals.

No savings.

No vacations.

No gym memberships.

No car payments.

Right behind South Dakota in doling the most on the least amount of money are 11 other states:

• Arkansas -$22,092
• Tennessee - $22,369
• Ohio -$22,426
• Kentucky - $22,508
• West Virginia - $22,539
• Iowa - $22,659
• Oklahoma - $22,770
• Kansas - $22,793
• Nebraska - $22,920
• Idaho - $22,957
• Mississippi - $22,973

As for the states which require the most money to get by, California, Hawaii, Maryland, and New York all require more than $30,000 annually just to secure those same basic needs.


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