How many hours a week at minimum wage would you need to work just to afford rent in Indiana?

[salvorhardin]

You probably remember that graphic from the National Low Income Housing Coalition that was being shared around a couple of weeks ago which showed that it was impossible to afford a two-bedroom apartment working full-time at minimum wage. The only problem with it is that it grouped the data at the state level. Fortunately they provide the county level data for each state so I generated my own graphic with the NLIHC's data for Indiana. As you can see, it's still true that it's impossible to afford a two-bedroom apartment working only forty hours a week at minimum wage for the vast majority of people in Indiana. However, in some areas it's easier than others. Of course, finding a full-time job is a whole other story.

Interactive version of this map can be found here (hover over each county to see the numbers): http://www.openheatmap.com/view.html?map=MoncureThebanTressful

NLIHC's blog post about their report Out of Reach 2012 (including links to national and state reports and data): http://nlihc.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/talk-of-the-town-making-the-rent

[gateley]

1. Well, it's called minimun wage, not Fair Wage. It's shameful. nt

[Thinkingabout]

2. This is when many give up

For all the smart ones like Michele Bachmann who want to lower the minimal wage, this is a starting point. Minimal wage earners has to go on assistance to have a roof over their head. It is not like they can obtain $250,000 farm welfare pay to aid the family farm as her family has done.

[soc7]

3. That's an interesting link - unfortunately, it's just not true....

In just a quick look at craigslist at Indiana's three largest cities (Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne and Evansville) you don't have to look very far to find several listings for $500 or less. With a minimum wage of $7.25, that's actually about 17 hours per week to afford the rent. I'm not saying that's great, but it's not nearly as bleak as you present.

My kids go to school in Evansville and they have been able to find some really nice places for less than $500.

[salvorhardin]

4. Download the dataset. It's accurate.

You can't determine the mean rental rate from a handful of Craiglist ads.

[soc7]

5. ohhhh..... I didn't realize that there was a giant craigslist conspiracy

to post underpriced rentals out there.

I didn't say it was a scientific method to determine the mean rental rate. However, if I were looking for a modestly priced apartment - right now - i'd be able to find several in each of the three largest cities in the state.

Someone needs to notify the owners of those apartments and houses that they don't exist according to your statistics....

[nauthiz]

6. Wow...

Intelligence fail. They do exist, and more expensive ones do. Yay for averages. The dataset is accurate.

[AngryOldDem]

7. I'd like to see what's available in Indianapolis for $500 a month.

Same goes for where I live, Hamilton County.

Yes, it IS as bleak as the graphics present.

[soc7]

8. Can you stop and think about it for just a second...

The chart says that someone earning $7.25 an hour will have to work in excess of 70 hours a week to get a 2 bedroom apartment in Indiana. That's going to be AT LEAST $2170 a month.... for a 2 bedroom apartment.... IN INDIANA!

I've lived in Indiana for better than 20 years. I know people in extremely nice, 4 bedroom, 3 bath houses with a pool that don't pay nearly that much!

Come on!!! Are you telling me that it costs $2200 a month for a 2 bedroom in Hamilton County (or anywhere else in Indiana for that matter). I call bullshit!

Look - I agree... the minimum wage is too low - especially for most of the country. But, don't go beating your chest over a bunch of bullshit statistics that are blatantly bogus! Take just a casual look through any paper or housing web site in the state and you won't find anything close to this!

[eqfan592]

9. Were they maybe factoring in living expenses as well?

It's not enough just to have the apartment. A person must eat, have various hygiene products available, clothes, etc. Just a thought, as I'm very much NOT a statistician.

[caraher]

10. They were

For each jurisdiction, the report calculates the amount of money a household must earn in order to afford a rental unit in a range of sizes (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 bedrooms) at the area’s Fair Market Rent (FMR), based on the generally accepted affordability standard of paying no more than 30% of income for housing costs.

From Out Of Reach 2012

[AngryOldDem]

11. You'd think that would be obvious.

Housing expenses include more than just rent, unless you just want to sit in an cold and empty shell of a place.

That's why the housing picture is as bleak as it is. Perhaps on paper a person can afford the rent, but when everything else is factored in, that's when it gets scary. You may be able to make the rent payment just fine, but will you have enough left over for everything else, like utilities and food?

I've worked with enough people whose answer to that would be an emphatic NO. If the person who thinks otherwise knows where such a utopia exists, please, do tell.