Minimum Wage in U.S. Cities Not Enough to Afford Rent, Report Says

‘A San Francisco household would need to make $39.65 an hour to afford the market rent for a two-bedroom apartment, according to a new report that highlights a wide gap between stagnant incomes and rising rents in many parts of the country.

Around the country, renter households would need to make $19.35 an hour working full time to afford a two-bedroom unit, which is $4 more than the estimated average wage of U.S. workers, according to the report released Tuesday by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Rental affordability has grown as a challenge in recent years due to a number of factors, including increasing demand as more people choose to rent or are forced to because they can’t get mortgages; a relative lack of rental construction in recent years in comparison to past cycles; and stagnant wage growth.’

Read more: Minimum Wage in U.S. Cities Not Enough to Afford Rent, Report Says