Bend ranked among top 10 cities to live on $55K salary
The average American household earned $55,775 in 2015. So where are the best cities to live on the median household income? In a new study, SmartAsset looked at metrics reflective of livability and affordability to uncover the best cities for living on a $55,000 salary — and Bend takes the eighth spot.
“If you love the outdoors, Bend is an especially enticing destination,” SmartAsset spokeswoman Kara Gibson said in an email.
“The city and its surrounding region are known for mountain biking, hiking and fishing. There are also 18.9 civic and entertainment establishments per 10,000 residents in the area, the fifth-highest in the top 10. Plus, Bend has the second-lowest commute time in the study.
“And while Bend has the highest median monthly housing costs in the top 10 cities, it eats up 23.8 percent of a $55,000 income, which is still below the maximum of 30 percent that many financial experts recommend.”
One key to the methodology: SmartAsset created a list of 116 cities where the median household income was between $50,000 and $60,000. Other elements among the nine metrics used to rank the cities included the unemployment rate, the poverty rate and the “number of unnecessary emergency room visits for Medicare enrollees.”
Details on the study, including full methodology and rankings, can be found here: https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-best-cities-to-live-on-55000-salary.
It’ll also be the topic of our new KTVZ.COM Poll: Do you spend less than a third of your income on housing? We’ll put the poll in its usual spot, halfway down the right side of our home page.
