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

