Minimum wage workers cannot afford rent in any U.S. state

[BigmanPigman]

Full-time minimum wage workers cannot afford a two-bedroom rental anywhere in the U.S. and cannot afford a one-bedroom rental in 95% of U.S. counties, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual “Out of Reach” report.

In fact, the average minimum wage worker in the U.S. would need to work almost 97 hours per week to afford a fair market rate two-bedroom and 79 hours per week to afford a one-bedroom, NLIHC calculates. That’s well over two full-time jobs just to be able to afford a two-bedroom rental.

Nationally, NLIHC puts the “housing wage” for 2020 — or what a full-time worker must make in order to afford a fair market rental without spending more than 30% of his or her income — at $23.96 per hour for a two-bedroom rental and $19.56 per hour for a one-bedroom.

That means even the average hourly worker who earns $18.22 per hour cannot afford rent, the report says. Many workers deemed essential during the coronavirus pandemic earn even less. “Grocery store cashiers earn a median wage of $11.61 per hour, while building cleaning workers and home health and personal care aides earn $12.94,” per NLIHC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/14/minimum-wage-workers-cannot-afford-rent-in-any-us-state.html

[Newest Reality]

1. How can that be?

Last edited Thu Jul 16, 2020, 10:19 AM - Edit history (1)

Wasn't the economy just boom, boom, booming for a long, long time?

Flat wages for decades. Increasing productivity for the owners of production.

What is most interesting is how the large population of the unboomed have been ignored in order to paint a rosy picture and plaster over the reality of it. The boom has been very exclusive, but we are supposed to believe it was widespread.

[Igel]

4. Because of math.

They came up with an average.

Then want us to believe that one standard deviation is $0.01, 2 standard deviations are $0.02.

All apartments can only be had for average and above average rents. There are no below-average price apts.

[Newest Reality]

5. Yup.

That reminds me of the idea that, if you had 100 people in room and first calculated their average income and then Bill Gates walks in and you recalculate it...well, you get the picture

[appalachiablue]

2. Exactly with average annual income in America around $18,000.

Makes you believe people who emphasize the arrival of a new techno-feudal era and dystopia.

K/R Thanks for posting, changes have to be made for any kind of real civilization to survive.

[BigmanPigman]

3. Ali Velshi was discussing this

while subbing for Rachel Maddow tonight.