What a living wage looks like across metro Atlanta's core counties

A single adult living in metro Atlanta needs to make between $24 and more than $27 an hour just to cover basic living expenses, according to data from the Living Wage Calculator.What a living wage costs in metro AtlantaThe Living Wage Calculator, maintained by the Living Wage Institute, calculates the hourly rate full-time workers must earn to cover food, housing, healthcare, transportation and basic utilities without government or private assistance.Across the five core metro Atlanta counties, the required hourly wage for a single adult with no children breaks down as:Gwinnett County: $27.32 per hour ($56,821 annually before taxes)Cobb County: $27.10 per hour ($56,371 annually before taxes)Fulton County: $26.73 per hour ($55,599 annually before taxes)DeKalb County: $26.07 per hour ($54,233 annually before taxes)Clayton County: $23.79 per hour ($49,487 annually before taxes)For families with children, the required income climbs sharply. A single parent with one child in Fulton County n