Minimum wage earners in the US cannot afford the average one-bedroom apartment, with an hourly wage of $17.90 needed to afford a modest home. Only 22 counties in five states pay enough, due to higher state wages. The US minimum wage of $7.25 has lost nearly 10% of its purchasing power since 2009.
Anyone looking for work in America can expect to be paid at least $7.25 USD per hour, but finding a place to live on that wage is far from straightforward. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), the average one-bedroom apartment in the United States is out of reach for minimum-wage earners. The NLIHC estimates that an American worker needs to earn an average of $17.90 USD per hour to afford a modest home, meaning a minimum wage worker would need to not only have a second job, but earn another $3.40 USDl ‘more hour . According to the NLIHC’s annual report, there are only 22 counties in five states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington — where minimum-wage earners can afford an apartment at a fair-market rent. This is at least in part because those states pay higher wages than the federally mandated minimum of $7.25 an hour. The NLIHC’s findings are based on the common rule of thumb that housing should consume no more than 30 percent of one’s wages.
Work at minimum:
Since it was instituted in 2009, the US minimum wage of $7.25 an hour has lost nearly 10% of its purchasing power.
As of 2019, the District of Columbia pays the highest minimum wage in the nation, at $11.50 per hour.
The average age of minimum wage earners is 36. 40% of minimum wage earners are at least XNUMX years old.
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