A minimum-wage worker in this state would need more than three full-time jobs to afford a two-bedroom apartment
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For a minimum wage worker in Hawaii, renting a two-bedroom apartment is almost impossible. The state ranked as the most expensive in housing costs, with a two-bedroom apartment costing an average of $1,830 – meaning a worker would need to make an hourly wage of $35.20 to afford it. The state’s minimum wage is $9.25, and the average renter wage is $15.64.
The closest occupation with the highest projected growth – and is even short by a few dollars – to Hawaii’s hourly housing wage would be registered nurses, with a median wage of $33.57.
Housing wage, as defined by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, is the hourly wage a household must earn to afford a modest rental home while spending no more than 30% of its income on housing costs.
The state’s gap between the average renter wage and two-bedroom housing wage is -$19.56, followed by Maryland with -$11.39 and California with -$10.26.
Nationwide, a full-time worker must earn $21.21 per hour for a two-bedroom apartment; a minimum wage renter would need almost three full-time jobs just to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment.
On the other end of the spectrum, in only 12 counties in Washington, Arizona and Oregon can a minimum wage-earner afford a decent one-bedroom apartment, according to CityLab. Nationwide, a minimum wage worker would need 2.4 full-time jobs (94.5 hours a week) for a one-bedroom apartment.
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