2024 Report: Household Bills as a Percentage of Income in the U.S.
How does the cost of living in your state impact your income?
doxo provides key insights about household expenses in all 50 states and 5,000 cities and towns across the U.S., breaking down localized bill pay data figures and providing insight into the cost of living and how it changes according to location.
The data sheds light on each state and city’s cost of living through other metrics, such as indicating how much more or less expensive specific towns are in relation to national and state averages.
Absolute dollar amounts don’t tell the whole story. The “percentage of household income” metric provides a more proportional look at bill spending in a particular location. U.S. households, on average, spend 34% of income on bills.
Which U.S. States see the largest impact on personal income from household bills?
New Mexico households spend 38% of their income on household costs, which is a higher share than many states where households pay more expensive bills. And, Washington residents, though they live in the 6th most expensive state for bills, spend just 33% of household income on them.
Louisiana residents use the highest percentage of income for household bills
Out of the 50 states in the US, residents of Louisiana use the highest amount of their income for household bills, amounting to 40% of the state’s average annual household income of $59,359. However, Louisiana ranks 31st in the US for household expenses overall, paying an average of $1,977 per month for bills.
Following Louisiana for the states where the highest percentage of income used for household bills are:
- Hawaii, second largest with 40% of household income
- Florida, third largest with 39% of household income
- New Mexico, fourth largest with 38% of household income
Utah ranks 19th in the U.S. for household bills and pays an average of $2,097 per month, making it more expensive than Louisiana. However, despite the high cost, Utah residents spend the lowest percentage of their personal income on household bills. On average, they use only 33% of their annual household income of $75,219 for household bills.
Nebraska ranks 38th in the U.S. for household bills and pays an average of $1,879 per month. However, despite the high cost, Nebraska residents spend the lowest percentage of their personal income on household bills. On average, they use only 30% of their annual household income of $74,151 for household bills.
50 States Ranked Highest to Lowest on Income Used for Bills
| Rank | State | Annual Bill Spend | Average Hh Income | Percent Hh Income |
| 1 | Louisiana | $23,720 | $59,359 | 40% |
| 2 | Hawaii | $37,090 | $95,409 | 39% |
| 3 | Florida | $27,104 | $71,445 | 38% |
| 4 | New Mexico | $22,389 | $59,217 | 38% |
| 5 | Mississippi | $20,625 | $53,697 | 38% |
| 6 | Nevada | $27,354 | $74,674 | 37% |
| 7 | Arkansas | $21,142 | $57,123 | 37% |
| 8 | California | $36,115 | $99,201 | 36% |
| 9 | Oregon | $28,353 | $79,189 | 36% |
| 10 | Maine | $24,852 | $69,859 | 36% |
| 11 | Montana | $23,931 | $66,638 | 36% |
| 12 | Alabama | $21,968 | $61,438 | 36% |
| 13 | New York | $31,528 | $88,943 | 35% |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $29,626 | $83,651 | 35% |
| 15 | Arizona | $26,208 | $75,762 | 35% |
| 16 | Tennessee | $23,196 | $66,557 | 35% |
| 17 | South Carolina | $23,006 | $65,540 | 35% |
| 18 | Kentucky | $21,398 | $61,507 | 35% |
| 19 | West Virginia | $19,153 | $54,931 | 35% |
| 20 | Colorado | $30,637 | $91,038 | 34% |
| 21 | Alaska | $28,918 | $86,140 | 34% |
| 22 | Texas | $26,498 | $77,449 | 34% |
| 23 | Georgia | $25,539 | $74,321 | 34% |
| 24 | Wyoming | $25,025 | $72,721 | 34% |
| 25 | Idaho | $24,335 | $71,143 | 34% |
| 26 | North Carolina | $23,705 | $69,311 | 34% |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $21,427 | $63,029 | 34% |
| 28 | Massachusetts | $33,807 | $102,709 | 33% |
| 29 | Washington | $31,725 | $95,033 | 33% |
| 30 | Vermont | $24,834 | $75,372 | 33% |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $24,413 | $73,712 | 33% |
| 32 | New Jersey | $33,627 | $104,132 | 32% |
| 33 | Maryland | $32,106 | $101,920 | 32% |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $29,783 | $92,699 | 32% |
| 35 | Illinois | $26,446 | $82,621 | 32% |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $24,262 | $76,537 | 32% |
| 37 | North Dakota | $23,673 | $74,702 | 32% |
| 38 | Iowa | $23,292 | $72,107 | 32% |
| 39 | Michigan | $22,767 | $70,993 | 32% |
| 40 | Ohio | $22,434 | $69,508 | 32% |
| 41 | South Dakota | $22,252 | $69,281 | 32% |
| 42 | Missouri | $22,018 | $68,450 | 32% |
| 43 | Connecticut | $30,822 | $98,025 | 31% |
| 44 | Virginia | $28,876 | $93,397 | 31% |
| 45 | Utah | $27,480 | $88,613 | 31% |
| 46 | Minnesota | $26,592 | $86,752 | 31% |
| 47 | Delaware | $25,713 | $82,498 | 31% |
| 48 | Kansas | $22,364 | $73,161 | 31% |
| 49 | Indiana | $21,428 | $68,897 | 31% |
| 50 | Nebraska | $22,548 | $74,151 | 30% |
View average monthly payments infographic for the 10 most common household bill categories, state-level rankings, most common time and method of payment, and more.
You can also browse similar infographics for more than 5,000 cities across the U.S., and all 50 states. Learn about doxoINSIGHTS methodology.