Most of Meridian is in Lauderdale County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $29.45 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 7 ZIP codes in Meridian with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $790 to $1,070 a month. At the middle rent, $880, a full-time job would need to pay $26.83 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39301 | Lauderdale County | $860/mo | $26.17/hr |
| 39302 | Lauderdale County | $880/mo | $26.83/hr |
| 39303 | Lauderdale County | $880/mo | $26.83/hr |
| 39304 | Lauderdale County | $880/mo | $26.83/hr |
| 39305 | Lauderdale County | $980/mo | $30.10/hr |
| 39307 | Lauderdale County | $790/mo | $23.88/hr |
| 39309 | Lauderdale County | $1,070/mo | $33.05/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Meridian needs to pay at least $29.45 an hour before taxes, about $61,251 a year. That is the figure for Lauderdale County, where the typical studio rent is $960 a month.
Yes. Across the 7 ZIP codes in Meridian with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $790 to $1,070 a month. At the middle rent of $880, the pay needed would be $26.83 an hour.
The minimum wage in Lauderdale County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.1 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads