The best cities to be a minimum wage worker forbes. Even in the most affordable states in the country, a minimum wage job leaves workers unable to rent a small apartment. In new jersey, the higher minimum wage wouldnt help you get your own place. As part of its 2012 report on rent affordability, the national low income housing coalition released a chart thats been floating around the internet. A minimumwage worker would have to put in lots of overtime to be able to afford a modest, twobedroom apartment anywhere in the country. But even with recent wage growth for the lowestpaid workers, there is still nowhere in the country where someone working a fulltime minimumwage job could afford to rent a modest twobedroom apartment, according to an annual report released wednesday by the national lowincome housing coalition. In only 22 counties out of more than 3,000 counties nationwide can a fulltime minimum wage worker afford a onebedroom rental home at fair market rent. A minimumwage worker cant afford a typical onebedroom apartment on a single fulltime job in 31 oregon counties. In virginia, for example, a household would have to work 128 hours a week at the states minimum wage or 3. Minimum wage wont let you afford a 2bedroom rental. In the district of columbia, its a solid 100 hours. The study found that minimum wage workers are only able to afford a one bedroom apartment in 22 of 3,000 counties. Even onebedroom apartments are mostly out of reach.
The odds of a minimum wage worker being able to afford a one or twobedroom apartment in just about every city in canada are next to nil. At minimum wage, rent for one bedroom apartment requires. Illinois national low income housing coalition nlihc. Wonkblog claims minimum wage workers cant afford a 2bedroom apartment anywhere. Nowhere in america can fulltime minimum wage worker. Minimum wage workers cant afford 2bedroom home citylab. Minimum wage workers cannot afford 2bedroom rental anywhere in. Hourly pay to afford a 2bedroom apartment is triple the. For those thinking the simple solution would be to make do with a onebedroom apartment, the outlook there isnt much rosier. This is how much you need to earn for rent in washington. Yet another report on the high cost of housing in metro atlanta, this one released wednesday, shows that a person earning minimum wage would have to work 87. The minimum wage required to afford an average apartment.
A fulltime minimumwage job wont get you a 1bedroom. Twobedroom apartments are out of reach for minimum wage. States where minimum wage covers the rent cbs news. Minimum wage not enough to afford a onebedroom apartment. All of those counties are located in five states where the minimum wage is. The reports central statistic, the housing wage, is an estimate of the hourly. A minimum wage worker would have to put in lots of overtime to be able to afford a modest, two bedroom apartment anywhere in the country. The preface to the report, penned by oregon governor kate brown, reads in part. Its next to impossible to pay the rent working full time for minimum. The map shows that workers making the minimum wage and working a 40hour week would not be able to afford a one bedroom apartment in any state without paying more than 30 percent of their income. Minimumwage workers cant afford typical 1bedroom apartment in. Hourly pay to afford onebedroom rent is more than double. The percentage of american fulltime minimum wage workers who can afford to rent a one bedroom apartment in any u.
A one bedroom apartment is cheaper, but still, its well above the minimum wage workers salary. Where minimum wage earners can find affordable apartments. How much rent can americans afford on minimum wage. Minimum wage workers cannot afford 2bedroom rental. A minimumwage worker cant afford a 2bedroom apartment. The percentage of american fulltime minimumwage workers who can afford to rent a onebedroom apartment in any u. Rent affordability on minimum wage the new york times. It assumes two minimum wage earners share a two bedroom, three minimum wage earners share a three bedroom apartment, so right off the bat it assumes that you have no kids and live with roommates. To rent a onebedroom at minimum wage, youd need to work 67 hours a week. Minimum wage workers cant afford twobedroom apartments. How much do you need to earn to rent an apartment in each.
The canadian centre for policy alternatives found such a worker could afford the average onebedroom rental rate in 9 per cent of 795. Minimum wage doesnt cover the rent anywhere in the u. Full time minimum wage workers cant afford the rent on a. In texas, a minimum wage worker needs to put in 73 hours a week to afford a onebedroom unit. At federal minimum wage, the average american worker would need to log 117hour weeks for 52 weeks per year to afford a twobedroom apartment or rental home, according to the report. How many hours making minimum wage to rent an apartment. Minimum wage is way too low for rental rates in massachusetts. Affordable rental housing is nearly nonexistent for minimumwage. Many minimum wage workers cant even afford a modest one bedroom apartment, according to the national low income housing coalitions annual report. In some states, minimum wage workers would have to work well over 90 hours in order to afford an average one bedroom. Not according to the national low income housing coalitions report.
Can you afford a one bedroom apartment on minimum wage. According to a new report by the national low income housing coalition, hourly wage workers need to make three times the minumum wage. A fulltime minimum wage isnt enough money to rent an averagely priced onebedroom home anywhere in the u. For the overwhelming majority, not even sharing a dual income with a federal minimum wageearning partner would cover a twobedroom rental in their state. The report found that minimum wage will cover a onebedroom apartment in just 20 counties nationwide on such a budget. About out of reach national low income housing coalition. A lowincome worker earning the federal minimum wage would need 2. Even with rising minimum wages and a booming economy, there is nowhere in the u. Oor19 shows how difficult it is for renters in illinois to find affordable housing. The minimum wage has never afforded a two bed apartment so.
1124 1142 1409 806 1004 335 324 1423 375 732 337 1376 904 595 666 1308 103 15 1329 1324 1328 1284 492 1458 792 533 907 1016 1316 421 333