Minimum wage in US not high enough in any state to rent a one-bedroom apartment, report says
Map shows what the minimum wage would need to be to rent a two-bedroom apartment in each state
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Minimum wage has been a hot issue in the US of late, with McDonald’s workers holding protests and staging walkouts aimed at securing a better wage, but a new report shows just how far removed the minimum wage is from a living wage.
The National Low-Income Housing Coalition recently released a report that shows no US state has a minimum wage that would afford a full-time worker a one-bedroom apartment without using more than 30 per cent of income, the benchmark often used for housing affordability.
In California, a minimum wage worker would have to work 92 hours to afford a one-bedroom apartment. In New York that worker would have to work 98 hours. In Washington DC, 100 hours. See the map below for how many hours working a minimum-wage job would afford a one-bedroom apartment.
The US federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, though many states and municipalities have a higher wage. Los Angeles last month passed a measure that would bring minimum wage to $15 an hour.
But for now, the cost of housing has outstripped minimum wage by a wide margin.
Another map from the housing coalition shows what the minimum wage would need to be in each state to afford a market-rate, two-bedroom apartment working full-time. See below.
“The data in Out of Reach is sobering,” wrote Oregon Governor Kate Brown in the introduction to the report. “There simply isn’t enough reasonably priced, decently maintained housing to meet the demand, and rapidly rising rents outpace wages. As a result, one out of four households spends more than half their income on housing costs.”
Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments