By Jason Lalljee, October 22, 2022
In the city that never sleeps, some workers literally can’t because they need to work to afford a place to live.
That’s according to a July study by United Way of the National Capital Area, based on data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). The non-profit group found that workers earning the city’s minimum wage — $15 an hour — would need to work 111 hours per week to afford a one bedroom rental at a “fair market” price, which the NLIHC defines as $1,693 per month for New York. When looking at affordability for minimum wage workers, the United Way researchers say that even a fair-market price is out of reach based on their current rate of pay.