Most of Saint Joseph is in Buchanan County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $25.26 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 8 ZIP codes in Saint Joseph with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $830 to $930 a month. At the middle rent, $855, a full-time job would need to pay $26.09 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 64501 | Buchanan County | $830/mo | $25.26/hr |
| 64502 | Buchanan County | $850/mo | $25.92/hr |
| 64503 | Buchanan County | $890/mo | $27.25/hr |
| 64504 | Buchanan County | $870/mo | $26.59/hr |
| 64505 | Buchanan County | $930/mo | $28.57/hr |
| 64506 | Buchanan County | $850/mo | $25.92/hr |
| 64507 | Buchanan County | $860/mo | $26.26/hr |
| 64508 | Buchanan County | $850/mo | $25.92/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Saint Joseph needs to pay at least $25.26 an hour before taxes, about $52,534 a year. That is the figure for Buchanan County, where the typical studio rent is $830 a month.
Yes. Across the 8 ZIP codes in Saint Joseph with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $830 to $930 a month. At the middle rent of $855, the pay needed would be $26.09 an hour.
The minimum wage in Buchanan County is $15.00 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 1.7 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