Living wage in the United States
The living wage in the United States vary by county and state and is the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs.[1] These needs include shelter (housing) and other incidentals such as clothing and nutrition.
Living wage is the wage that a person working forty hours a week, with no additional income, should be able to afford the basics for quality of life;
- Food
- Housing
- Utilities
- Clothes
- Transport
- Health care
- Recreation
- Upgrade their education
- Childcare
- Savings for retirement
- Legal fees
- Insurance
- Taking care of a sick or elderly family member, among other.
Living wage activists define a living wage as the wage equivalent to the poverty line for a family of four. This is two adults working full-time with one child age nine and another of age four.
Living wage allow workers to gain money at the time that cover their living expenses, and allow social mobility avoiding to citizens to stay in a poverty trap caused by low and unfair minimum wages.
Living wage by states in the US
The following is a table with minimum wage vs living wage in the US for families of 4 (2 parents and 2 children) with one of the parents working in 2016:
City | Minimum wage ($/Hr) | Living wage for a family of four ($/Hr) | Wage gap ($/Hr) |
---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles | 10[2] | $28.10[3] | 18.10 |
Miami | 8.05[4] | 22.72[5] | 14.72 |
Washington D.C. | 10.50[6] | 21.18[7] | 10.68 |
See also
- Living wage
- Family wage
- Labour law
- Employee benefits
- Minimum wage in the United States
- Basic income in the United States
References
- ↑ Alderman, Liz; Greenhouse, Steven (October 27, 2014). "Fast Food in Denmark Serves Something Atypical: Living Wages". New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
- ↑ http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/FAQ_MinimumWage.htm
- ↑ http://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/06037
- ↑ http://www.floridajobs.org/minimumwage/Announcement_2013.pdf
- ↑ http://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/12086
- ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/mike-debonis/wp/2014/01/15/d-c-minimum-wage-hike-is-signed-into-law/
- ↑ http://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/11001
External links
- Living Wage Calculator comparing minimum wage, living wage, and poverty wage for New York City
- http://livingwage.mit.edu/ Living wage calculator
- Living wage in the United States at DMOZ
- Measuring the Full Impact of Minimum and Living Wage Laws from Dollars & Sense magazine
- LaborFair Resources - Link to Fair Labor Practices
- The Economic Policy Institute - Living Wage
- The Economic Policy Institute Family Budget Calculator
- (London) Living Wage Unit page
- Living Wage Calculator
- ACORN Living Wage campaign
- Universal Living Wage Campaign
- -Link to New York Living Wage Campaign
- The Living Wage Campaign at The University of Virginia
- Doug Miller of Northumbria University, UK propose to use IE techniques to determine Living Wage
- Living Wages, Rarity for U.S. Fast-Food Workers, Served Up in Denmark. The New York Times. October 27, 2014.