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December 21, 2004

Working for minimum wage? 4 counties in the U.S. are affordable

By GENARO C. ARMAS
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — In only four of the nation's 3,066 counties can someone working full-time and earning federal minimum wage afford to pay rent and utilities on a one-bedroom apartment, an advocacy group on low-income housing reported Monday.


‘You get pushed into a situation where some necessities don’t get paid for... For people on low-wage fixed incomes, that’s a chronic way of life.’

-- Sheila Crowley,
National Low Income Housing Coalition

A two-bedroom rental is even more of a burden — the typical worker must earn at least $15.37 an hour to pay rent and utilities, the National Low Income Housing Coalition said in its annual "Out of Reach" report. That's nearly three times the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour.


 
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