How Many Hours Do Idahoans Work To Pay Rent?

How many hours are Idahoans working just to pay rent?

According to this handy infographic from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Idahoans making minimum wage have to work 59 hours in order to pay rent on an affordable one-bedroom apartment.  Now, what's considered "affordable?"  According to the NLIHC, 2015 Fair Market Rent comes in at $806 per month. I looked around Twin Falls and we seem to come in pretty close to that, give or take.

That means that if you work a typical, every-other-week pay cycle, you're working into Wednesday of your second week to pay rent on a one-bedroom apartment. It's a fact. If you make minimum wage, you don't make enough to be able to afford a one bedroom apartment without paying more than 30% of your income.

And if you think Idaho is bad, you should be glad you're not living in California or New York.

Now you should decide for yourself what this means to you but here's something you might find interesting. I asked a couple of twenty-somethings what they thought about this statistic. One of them said rent was just too high and the other said this was a fine example of why we should raise the minimum wage. Then I asked my father what he thought. He's pushing 80 and still works full-time. My dad said, "Looks like you either need to get a roommate, a second job, or work your way into a position that pays more than minimum wage."

Interesting.