You can’t rent a one-bedroom apartment anywhere in America on a minimum-wage job

A new report by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition shows that there is no state in the U.S. where a full-time, minimum-wage worker can afford the rent of a one-bedroom apartment, Vox reports.

According to the report, the national average Housing Wage in 2015 is $19.35 for a two-bedroom unit, and $15.50 for a one-bedroom unit, while the federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 per hour in 2015, which hasn’t been raised since 2009. In 13 states and D.C., Housing Wage is more than $20 per hour. The Housing Wage is an estimate of the full-time hourly wage that a household must earn to afford a decent apartment at HUD’s estimated Fair Market Rent (FMR) for no more than 30% of their income.

The data from the report show a gap between wages and rents across the country. In no state or D.C. can a full-time minimum-wage earning worker at the federal minimum wage afford a one- or two-bedroom apartment for his or her family. With the exception of just a few counties in Washington and Oregon (where the state minimum wage is $9.47 and $9.25, respectively), in no county in the U.S. a one-bedroom unit at the FMR is affordable to someone working 40 hours a week at the minimum wage, according to the report.

A map included in the report shows the hours a worker would have to work each week to afford a one-bedroom apartment. Among the states where a worker has to work the most hours to afford housing are Hawaii (125), Maryland (101), DC (100), New Jersey (100) and California (92).

In some localities where the state and local minimum wages are higher than the federal minimum wage, the Housing Wages are also much higher than the minimum wages, according to the report. In San Francisco, California, for instance, the state and local minimum wages are $9.00 and $12.25, respectively, while the Housing Wages for a one- and a two-bedroom apartment are $31.44 and $39.65, respectively.

These data may help explain the findings of a Brookings Institution report. According to the report, an average resident of a U.S. metro area lives 90 minutes or less away from only 30 percent of the jobs in that area.

Living far away from jobs, in turn, can impede residents’ ability to earn more, Vox’s Joseph Stromberg points out. A recent study which tracked 5 million children starting in the 1980’s found that among factors such as crime rates, schools, and levels of inequality, a neighborhood’s average commuting time strongly correlated with its residents’ ability to ascend to a higher income bracket than their parents.

 

Actually in Pittsburgh you can make it on minimal wage, by an hair tho

My mortgage is $419 for an 3 bedroom 1.5 bath in the hood but my street is full of elderly black folk who care about they properties

My rent is $440 plus electric which fluctuates from $60 to $300 depending the time of the year in an middle class neighborhood

 

And I'm willing to bet that if there's any other place where you can make it on minimum wage that the jobs are not plentiful anyway.

 

Lord I wish

 

Feel bad for the mofos working minimum wage in Hawaii. Guess that's why families are packed into houses out there.

 

people need to start living like they did back in the day.....multigenerational families in one home
until they young family stacked their cash.

if i had a son and he was thirty and working....i would advise him to live with me until he has a large savings to buy a home.

lets say it....its less pressure for girls to move out than boys.

 

Far less pressure
We view men living with family as losers. That outdated thinking needs to go

 

You don't have a 19 yr old son living in your house either lol ,, I'm not rushing him out but the clock is ticking,, he is too damn comfortable and I'm ready to move to the next stage of life,

 

yeah...if the dude is paying in and carrying his part...its a win win

lol....

 

Man I priced car ins for his ass just got his license 18 months ago, 2 speeding tickets young male equal he added $300 a month by himself to my policy ,, I ain't charging him rent just keep grass cut, my shit knee high all the time can't make his ass do anything since "he grown" he is paying toward his car ins and note, not the whole amount trying to let him find himself goodlove you said 30 but you can say that without a 28 yr old man living in your house,, by 21 the sand will be at the bottom,, I will come home one day hold my hand out for my keys and give his ass 30 days , I'm raising him right he will be ok but can't protect em forever

 

That shit won't fly in Fox Chapel

 

He needs a plan

 

He hates school lasted a month in college and scared to death of his Uncle Sam ,, I don't know what the boy gonna do, good news tho he ain't chasing girls ,,

 

Shit chasing girls is what he put me employed and going to school. Girls love accomplished dudes, shit my girl is gorgeous and I doubt she would have given me the time of day without an education and gainful employment.
Make him volunteer then so he can get idea of how hard life is and what he might want to do with his life.

 

no finance

no romance

 

Usually once they start having to pay in and really are carrying their weight they can't wait to get out. Which is a good thing!

 

Yep - once they have something motivating them things start to change pretty fast. Just have to make sure they have something (or someone) motivating some action.

 

oh yes...that too. if a kid is smart theyll look at the numbers and say.....maybe dad is not so dumb after all

 

$785 for one bedroom one bath in a suburb 20-30 mins outside of Sacramento in one of the tax credit/income restricted/affordable housing complexes (read low income) + water/sewage/garbage + gas & electric

$1082 (+$100 w/s/g + gas & electric) for 3 bedroom 2 bath same complexes.

 

Super cheap
In our building you have make at least 57k as a single person and 108k as a couple
And a two bedroom goes for 2300 now. Fucking insane out here