Hours at minimum wage needed to afford rent

[midnight rambler]

http://rense.com/1.imagesH/hoursminwage.jpg

[slowbell]

This has to be incorrect. This has to be hours per months, not per week. I'd say, state wise, cities and small towns together, the average price for a 2 bed apartment being around $1200 per month. At a $9 per hour rate, that's about 133 hours of work. This is just a wild guess on my part, but sounds about right.

Rent is paid monthly, not weekly.

[Serpo]

Wages have not gone up to keep pace with inflation because the gov has lied for decades about this and now cost of living is too high for people to even live.

http://www.shadowstats.com/article/no-438-public-comment-on-inflation-measurement

http://www.shadowstats.com/article/no-414-hyperinflation-special-report-2012

[Glass]

This has to be incorrect. This has to be hours per months, not per week. I'd say, state wise, cities and small towns together, the average price for a 2 bed apartment being around $1200 per month. At a $9 per hour rate, that's about 133 hours of work. This is just a wild guess on my part, but sounds about right.

Rent is paid monthly, not weekly.

Thats pretty cheap. Down here its about $1600/mth I think that works out just about 100hrs/month to pay rent.

[Libertytree]

Wow...something's off kilter. Not long ago I worked 40hrs @$10 an hr, per week and netted about $300 after it was all said and done, approx $1200 total for the month. I try and live very cheap, and yeah I have my vices but housing alone is a ball breaker. If I had to pay a deposit(s) 1st/last mo's rent I could never afford it, not even on barely over min wage. Factor in everything else going up in price (utilities, gas, food, misc) and there isn't much left at the end of the month, if any. I found ways to get around some of those costs but it is not easy to survive these days, it used to be a lot easier than it is now.

[LuckyStrike]

I'd be fine living in FL, looking at this chart if it wasn't for welfare (food stamps, section 8) etc, allowing undesirables to live here for cheaper than I could. This place would be like Monaco if you take the government out of it.

[Skirnir_]

The reason that I so easily afford rent (roughly twelve silver dollars per month) is because I am not nickled and dimed by an automobile. Not all are so fortunate, and many fall into the trap of making less after taxes than the bare minimum they must spend to be able to maintain a job.

[Buddha]

My state came out almost correct. I've just finished an apartment search in my area, for a cheap one bedroom. I've found some for $350-$400 a month, I'm sure there are some two bedrooms for $450-$500. But since social security comes out and federal/state/city does too. And finding one that cheap is like finding Waldo, so there is almost no chance.


Not long ago I worked 40hrs @$10 an hr, per week and netted about $300 after it was all said and done, approx $1200 total for the month.

Not too long ago I worked for $8 an hour for as close to 40hrs a weeks as I could get with out going over and netted $500-$550 every two weeks. You're getting slammed ;)

[Sparky]

My state came out almost correct. I've just finished an apartment search in my area, for a cheap one bedroom. I've found some for $350-$400 a month, I'm sure there are some two bedrooms for $450-$500. But since social security comes out and federal/state/city does too. And finding one that cheap is like finding Waldo, so there is almost no chance.

Not too long ago I worked for $8 an hour for as close to 40hrs a weeks as I could get with out going over and netted $500-$550 every two weeks. You're getting slammed ;)

No, it's not close to correct; there's an error that Slowbell pointed out. $8/hour x 40 hours/week x 4.3 weeks/month = $1376/month.

[Libertytree]

No, it's not close to correct; there's an error that Slowbell pointed out. $8/hour x 40 hours/week x 4.3 weeks/month = $1376/month.

That's gross, not net.

[willie pete]

minimum wage varies among states, it's $7.67 in Florida, after taxes and insurance (optional) and utilities, you couldn't rent a 2br around here

[Uncle Salty]

No, it's not close to correct; there's an error that Slowbell pointed out. $8/hour x 40 hours/week x 4.3 weeks/month = $1376/month.

There is also more to life than paying rent. Like food.

[Sparky]

That's gross, not net.

Mebbe so, LT; the whole thing is lacking facts and is inconsistent. Is there an article with this?

MA says 110 hours are required. At $8/hour, if they meant monthly, that's $880/month gross, which is about the average rent across the entire state. So I think they actually meant that. (Net on that is about $700.) But why can't someone work 110/month? So the implication is that they meant 110/week. But that means the average worker has to work 473 hours per month, which would gross a minimum wage worker $3784/month, or maybe $2800-$3000/month. That's way more than the average rent. What the hell did they mean?

More shoddy journalism.

[Sparky]

There is also more to life than paying rent. Like food.

So if this is what they meant, 110 hours/month wouldn't be enough. So they must have meant 110 hours per week, which in Massachusetts is the equivalent of $45,600 gross/year to afford an $880/month apartment. Does that sound right?

[Sparky]

OK, here's the article.

http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/paying-rent-on-minimum-wage/

[Skirnir_]

I was able to locate the original article through a reverse image search.

http://bostinno.com/2012/03/19/want-a-two-bedroom-in-boston-make-25-44-an-hour-or-work-128-hours-a-week-at-minimum-wage/

This is the original article. This will likely shed light on the calculations.


A study released last month by the Center for Housing Policy reported nearly a quarter of Massachusetts residents spend at least 50 percent of their wages on housing costs, which the center classified as a “severe housing burden.” As BostInno noted then, part of the problem is housing policy. Ultimately, surging housing prices are a reflection of tight supply. Changing construction and zoning ordinances in the city is regarded by some as a step in the right direction.

I was, however, unable to locate the original study cited therein.

[madfranks]

Per the article, here's the catch:


By “affordable,” the Coalition means paying no more than 30 percent of income for housing costs (rent and utilities)

So they discount the wages one makes by 70% to purposely make it look "unaffordable". If you take minimum wage and cut 70% off the top, then yes everything will begin to look unaffordable.

[Skirnir_]

So they discount the wages one makes by 70% to purposely make it look "unaffordable". If you take minimum wage and cut 70% off the top, then yes everything will begin to look unaffordable.

I knew there was monkey business in there somewhere...