A 111-hour workweek to pay NYC rent

Want a one-bedroom apartment in New York City? Well, if you’re earning the city’s minimum wage of $15 an hour, you’ll have to work 111 hours a week to afford the rent. That’s the staggering finding of a new study by United Way of the National Capital Area, based on data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Affordable housing remains scarce in the city and across much of the U.S., a result of high demand outweighing tight supply.

San Jose, Dallas and Chicago are even more unaffordable for minimum wage workers, who would have to pull 141 hours, 120 hours and 112 hours a week, respectively, to afford a one-bedroom.
Buffalo, N.Y., and Tucson, Ariz., are the only cities included in the study where a minimum wage worker can work less than 50 hours a week and still afford rent.

Andrea Gerson(She/Her) out of network3rd+Workforce Technology Founder & Senior Career Strategist

11h(edited)

111 hours is a shocking number. But what I find more shocking is the actual conditions that most minimum wage workers in large cities are faced with: Living in shelters or cars while holding down said job. Waiting years to qualify for “affordable” housing. Sharing that one-bedroom apartment with multitudes of other low-paid workers and family members, sleeping on floors. Commuting 3+ hours each day to get to work.

Let’s not kid ourselves: minimum wage workers are not living solo in one-bedroom apartments.

Editor’s Note: People are not going to continue to live like this. There will be a breaking point where the downtrodden will violently strike out to improve their lot in life. When they do their anger will make it unsafe for anyone who is NOT prepared. Get ready. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when!

You better be thinking tactical!