There isn’t any state in the country where a minimum wage worker can afford rent for a one-bedroom apartment working 40 hours a week.
The “Out of Reach” study by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) compared the minimum wage across the United States with the average Fair Market Rent (40th percentile of gross rents for standard rental units) for a one-bedroom apartment. The NLIHC found that just to afford a basic apartment, a minimum wage worker would have to put in anywhere from 44 hours (Puerto Rico) to 124 hours (Hawaii) to pay rent for the most basic housing arrangements.
According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) calculations, Fair Market Rent in 2016 ranges anywhere from $637/month in Kanawha County, West Virginia at the low end to $1,814/month in San Francisco County, California at the high end.
The NLIHC concluded that minimum wage should be $16.35/hour to afford a one-bedroom apartment at average Fair Market Rent, and $20.30/hour for a two-bedroom apartment. In 14 states, minimum wage workers have to clock at least 79 hours or more to afford a one-bedroom apartment. In 30 others, at least 61 to 78 hours of work per week is necessary to pay rent on a basic apartment. See where your state ranks via the map below:
