Most of Winston Salem is in Forsyth County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $37.50 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 24 ZIP codes in Winston Salem with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $960 to $1,290 a month. At the middle rent, $1,120, a full-time job would need to pay $34.88 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27101 | Forsyth County | $1,110/mo | $34.52/hr |
| 27102 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27103 | Forsyth County | $1,260/mo | $40.14/hr |
| 27104 | Forsyth County | $1,290/mo | $41.27/hr |
| 27105 | Forsyth County | $990/mo | $30.58/hr |
| 27106 | Forsyth County | $1,220/mo | $38.63/hr |
| 27107 | Forsyth County | $960/mo | $29.60/hr |
| 27108 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27109 | Forsyth County | $1,220/mo | $38.63/hr |
| 27110 | Forsyth County | $1,030/mo | $31.89/hr |
| 27111 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27113 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27114 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27115 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27116 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27117 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27120 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27127 | Forsyth County | $1,150/mo | $35.99/hr |
| 27130 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27150 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27152 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27155 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27157 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
| 27199 | Forsyth County | $1,120/mo | $34.88/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Winston Salem needs to pay at least $37.50 an hour before taxes, about $78,003 a year. That is the figure for Forsyth County, where the typical studio rent is $1,190 a month.
Yes. Across the 24 ZIP codes in Winston Salem with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $960 to $1,290 a month. At the middle rent of $1,120, the pay needed would be $34.88 an hour.
The minimum wage in Forsyth County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 5.2 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