Minimum wage workers in Massachusetts need to work 135 hours per week to afford rent according to a new report from Redfin.
While minimum-wage workers would have to work 106 hours to afford the average apartment in the United States, Bay Staters are facing an even larger challenge.
With the effective minimum wage at $15, minimum wage workers here would need to work 135 hours per week to afford the median rent of $2,633.
“It’s obviously not realistic for most people to clock into their job for over 100 hours a week, but this thought experiment shines light on the massive rental affordability gap between the average American and our country’s lowest earners,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said in a statement. “It’s virtually impossible for a minimum-wage worker to afford the typical apartment on their own, which is why many have to find ways to reduce their housing expenses, like living with roommates or family members, applying for a spot in public housing, or using Housing Choice Vouchers.”
With rent increasing by 6 percent year-over-year, the number of hours a minimum-wage worker would need to work to afford the median rent also increased by eight hours.
New Hampshire is the state where minimum wage workers would need to work the most hours to afford rent. A renter earning the $7.25 minimum wage would have to work a 224-hour week to afford the $2,110 median-priced apartment. This is actually a reduction of 13 hours year-over-year.
Connecticut workers also have to work over 100 hours but are seeing a reduction in rents. Minimum wage workers in the Nutmeg state would need to work 107 hours to afford the median rent. The median rent of $2,184 is a 3.4 percent reduction.