Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere • Hacker News Board

Re: Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere

#31

Post by leereeves » Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 6:22 PM UTC

SomeOldThrow wrote: post #14

throwaway98434 wrote: post #8

This article like so many others makes a critical mistake in using a median price for minimum earners. A minimum wage earner is not and should not be in the market for a median priced home. A median wage earner would pursue a median priced home. A bottom quartile earner would pursue homes priced in the bottom quartile. Not the median. The title of this article is false. Minimum wage earners can often afford two bedro…

> Minimum wage earners can often afford two bedroom homes priced at the lower end. [citation needed] Looking around the bay they appear to simply become homeless, especially if there's any interruption in work, and if they're lucky they're able to move away before this happens.

Obviously not in the Bay Area. People making six figures can't afford homes in the Bay Area.

But homes are cheaper almost everywhere else in the US.

Re: Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere

#32

Post by tcfunk » Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 6:22 PM UTC

djschnei wrote: post #21

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure why people think minimum wage must be enough to afford a two-bedroom home. Ideally minimum wage should comfortably allow one person to support... Themselves, minimally. Which means a studio or one bedroom. People should not aim to remain at minimum wage long, but use it as an entry point for somewhere better.

Eh I'm not positive it should even be able to support a single person... Why do we insist on raising the bar for employment so high? If a 16 year old wants to get their first job, they shouldn't be required right of the bat have a productive output sufficient to support themselves. That's not the point of minimum wage jobs - or at least it never was until we started arbitrarily setting a minimum value.

That's all well and good if 16 year olds are the only ones making minimum wage.

And if their parents haven't kicked them out of the house already because they got pregnant too early.

Or have a sexual orientation that their parents don't agree with.

Or..

Re: Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere

#33

Post by true_religion » Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 6:22 PM UTC

Kalium wrote: post #13

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure why people think minimum wage must be enough to afford a two-bedroom home. Ideally minimum wage should comfortably allow one person to support... Themselves, minimally. Which means a studio or one bedroom. People should not aim to remain at minimum wage long, but use it as an entry point for somewhere better.

People are using a 1950s-era nuclear family model, with the idea that a minimum wage should support a family of at least two adults and one child. Preferably with a yard, lawn, dog, and white picket fence.

Minimum wage doesn’t track inflation. If it did, I would have no complaints. But it’s hard for me to understand people saying minimum wage should only be for one person eking out a bare existence, when it’s value in real money has fallen over the past 70 years.

Re: Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere

#34

Post by anarchodev » Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 6:23 PM UTC

OceanKing wrote: post #2

It seems that minimum wage is not, in fact, supposed to support a person 100%, not especially a family.

Exactly, it's meant for high school kids looking for pocket money! That's why McDonald's is always closed during school hours.

Re: Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere

#35

Post by imgabe » Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 6:23 PM UTC

Johnny555 wrote: post #12

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure why people think minimum wage must be enough to afford a two-bedroom home. Ideally minimum wage should comfortably allow one person to support... Themselves, minimally. Which means a studio or one bedroom. People should not aim to remain at minimum wage long, but use it as an entry point for somewhere better.

That's fine in an area where these better paying jobs are available, but in many areas of the country, well paying jobs for unskilled workers are scarce, and support systems to help these unskilled workers improve their skills are nonexistent. It can be hard to a person to pull himself out of life-long poverty.

And housing in those areas is also much cheaper.

Re: Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere

#36

Post by chrisseaton » Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 6:23 PM UTC

throwaway98434 wrote: post #8

This article like so many others makes a critical mistake in using a median price for minimum earners. A minimum wage earner is not and should not be in the market for a median priced home. A median wage earner would pursue a median priced home. A bottom quartile earner would pursue homes priced in the bottom quartile. Not the median. The title of this article is false. Minimum wage earners can often afford two bedro…

Is that what the article is saying? Their reference to 'median' is saying that's what other people are reporting and they want to look at something else.

They don't seem to qualify it - they simply say 'there is not one U.S. state, metropolitan area, or county in which a minimum wage worker who clocks 40 hours a week can afford a two-bedroom apartment'. They don't use the term 'median' anywhere apart from talking about other articles. The report they link to talks about 'fair market rate' - not sure who decides what's fair and what isn't.

Re: Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere

#37

Post by shados » Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 6:23 PM UTC

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #6

OceanKing wrote: post #2

It seems that minimum wage is not, in fact, supposed to support a person 100%, not especially a family.

I am not sure why people think minimum wage must be enough to afford a two-bedroom home. Ideally minimum wage should comfortably allow one person to support... Themselves, minimally. Which means a studio or one bedroom. People should not aim to remain at minimum wage long, but use it as an entry point for somewhere better.

Yeah this is a bit confusing. If minimum wage was enough to afford a 2 bedroom, why would we even bother building 1 bedroom and studios? So people who could otherwise afford 2 BR downgrade?

Re: Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere

#38

Post by SketchySeaBeast » Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 6:23 PM UTC

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #18

overthemoon wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not? Why shouldn't it? Why is this the proper state of things?

Because it in no way makes sense for someone to hire a first time employee who still lives with their parents for a zero skill job at the rate of "enough to afford a two-bedroom house".

Isn't there a huge conceit that that's who earns minimum wage? Looking around my local wal-mart, it would appear many people first entered the job market at weird times in their lives.

Re: Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere

#39

Post by antidaily » Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 6:23 PM UTC

sdinsn wrote: post #27

hello_tyler wrote: post #7

Minimum wage workers can't afford a 1 bedroom apartment or studio where I live.

So perhaps they should split a 2/3 bedroom with roommates? If someone makes the absolute legal minimum, why does every expect them to live alone?

With kids, though?

Re: Minimum Wage Still Can’t Pay For A Two-Bedroom Apartment Anywhere

#40

Post by willhk » Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 6:23 PM UTC

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #6

OceanKing wrote: post #2

It seems that minimum wage is not, in fact, supposed to support a person 100%, not especially a family.

I am not sure why people think minimum wage must be enough to afford a two-bedroom home. Ideally minimum wage should comfortably allow one person to support... Themselves, minimally. Which means a studio or one bedroom. People should not aim to remain at minimum wage long, but use it as an entry point for somewhere better.

Nobody aims to remain at minimum wage... The problem is we've been doing a great job of hollowing out the middle of our economy and replacing it with a relatively small amount of upper middle-class tech jobs and massive VC backed profits. This often leaves minimum wage jobs the only option for people who used to make more but their career tanked for reasons outside their control