@LDRSHIP Gotcha! So in my state the median income is approximately 57k (rounding up), but the median for my specific city is around 17k. Minimum wage in my state is set to $11, which brings you a bit over 20k before taxes if you are working full time.
Given that rent for a studio in my area is around 500, a year’s worth rent will run 6k with 14k leftover. This is, of course, presuming that someone is a single income household with no partner or dependents.
Again, not an economist and I suck at math but I feel like someone can get by okay on the minimum wage of our area, but it depends on a person’s priorities: car? phone? cable? pet? partner? family? Once you continue adding various comforts, the minimum wage starts looking less and less comfortable.
Trying to wrap my head around that same minimum wage working in a much more expensive part of the state (with higher poverty, unemployed, and homeless rates) completely boggles my mind.