Live data from Hacker News

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

citylab.com

41–50 of 168 posts

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

#41
post #27

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?

Or maybe we can actually pay people a wage allowing them to lead some semblance of a decent life? Why does it fall on them, instead of the actual businesses paying them?

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

#42

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".

> a first time employee who still lives with their parents

what makes you think this is the typical minimum wage earner?

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

#44

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.

If that 16 year old works 40 hours a week, then they definitely should be able to live on it.

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

#45

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.

Location location location. Try looking around some city not well known for insane housing prices.

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

#46
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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..

It would be easier and better to just help out edge cases directly. A 16 year old kicked out of their house for a pregnancy shouldn’t be forced to work minimum wage, but rather receive community support so they can finish schooling and rise to the point where they can prosper.

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

#47

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.

the bay is not lower end is it

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

#49
post #27

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?

Why do you think a company should be allowed to not pay a livable wage?

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

#50

> And only in 28 of the country’s counties can a 40-hour-a-week minimum wage worker afford a one-bedroom [home] So where do they live?

Studios, or with multiple minimum wage salaries? Or a lower end one bedroom home (turns out there's a range).

Other options include overtime or getting multiple jobs. And while it shouldn't be an option, unreported tips and under the table pay is also a thing and its likely impacting purchasing power of some of the people in the statistics. My parents were "minimum wage workers" for a really long time and made more than I made as a software engineer for the first half of my career in practice.

Post reply on HN