Introduction to the Living Wage Calculator

[J.T.M.]

Living wage in Hancock county Iowa for 2 adults is $ 13.00 an hour . So says this site .
http://livingwage.mit.edu/

[RubyRed]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

[J.T.M.]

Originally Posted by RubyRed

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

and you have a interesting siggy ...

[RubyRed]

Originally Posted by J.T.M.

and you have a interesting siggy ...

Interesting, as in good, or bad?

Edited to add: Hancock county is next door to my old stomping grounds, I believe. Was born and raised in Wright county.

[J.T.M.]

Originally Posted by RubyRed

Interesting, as in good, or bad?

Edited to add: Hancock county is next door to my old stomping grounds, I believe. Was born and raised in Wright county.

Im on the wright / hancock border . Kanawha

[RubyRed]

Yep! Been in that town a few times....way back in the day! lol

[sustainabilly]

Thanks for this JTM. Great reference resource.

[Wanda]

I think the wages posted for my local do not reflect the wages paid.

[where I want to]

That was interesting. It seems pretty clear that a single parent household with children is at a distict disadvantage, due to increased taxes and childcare, along with not sharing housing costs with another. It did not include the most common sort of family- the one where both adults work. These were all for one person being the support.
Which seems to go against the common thread I hear in various threads about taxes not be paid by the average family due to EIC, shild care credits and deductions.
So there is a definite problem. I don't think the website takes into account various welfare progams, tax credits and subsidies, including child care subsidies, which is likely as they are so hard to pin down. I think they simply used the tax tables for a certain income level with standard deductions.

[mnn2501]

So the monthly housing allotment for my county for 2 adults is $740. Yet you can not rent an apartment for less than $1000 a month around here. What idiot came up with these numbers?

[where I want to]

If you check the "about" link, it will give a brief explanation of the source of expenses.

[edcopp]

What a joke this is. I just printed out my state (OHIO) and county (VINTON).

The fattest game in town seems to be the welfare "MaMa" with 3 young-uns.
Her living wage is $27.47 per hour, not available to her by any legal means except as a welfare hand out. She may fully expect the welfare handout because this is the major industry in my county.

She may sell a little "weed" or barter a little "self" from time to time. This is part of the local economy.

Housing will cost $805 per month for them (see HUD).

Medical costs will be $367 (see Medical card).

Child care will be $1,267 (I know not why, she will not be expected to work).

Food will be $749 (See: SNAP card, endless food banks, WIC and many more sources)

Transportation $736.

Other $270 (I am not sure what else is covered here besides pizza, beer, and cigarettes).

Of course she is creating jobs.

Things like:
Management @ $42.38 per hour (local wage)

Business and finance. @ $27.26 Hr.

Computer and mathematical @ $32.67 Hr.

Community services @ $18.81 Hr.

Legal @ $29.52

Education, training and library. @ $22.08 Hr.

Health practitioner @ $26.20

Protective service (security) @ $17.88 Hr.

There are many other service jobs that she and her herd will help to create along the way.

Her standard of living is $27.47 in a county where the standard for one adult is $7.57 per hour. WHAT A JOKE THIS IS.

[keenataz]

[QUOTE=edcopp;6840180]What a joke this is. I just printed out my state (OHIO) and county (VINTON).

The fattest game in town seems to be the welfare "MaMa" with 3 young-uns.
Her living wage is $27.47 per hour, not available to her by any legal means except as a welfare hand out. She may fully expect the welfare handout because this is the major industry in my county.

She may sell a little "weed" or barter a little "self" from time to time. This is part of the local economy.

Housing will cost $805 per month for them (see HUD).

Medical costs will be $367 (see Medical card).

Child care will be $1,267 (I know not why, she will not be expected to work).

Food will be $749 (See: SNAP card, endless food banks, WIC and many more sources)

Transportation $736.

Other $270 (I am not sure what else is covered here besides pizza, beer, and cigarettes).

Of course she is creating jobs.

Things like:
Management @ $42.38 per hour (local wage)

Business and finance. @ $27.26 Hr.

Computer and mathematical @ $32.67 Hr.

Community services @ $18.81 Hr.

Legal @ $29.52

Education, training and library. @ $22.08 Hr.

Health practitioner @ $26.20

Protective service (security) @ $17.88 Hr.

There are many other service jobs that she and her herd will help to create along the way.

Her standard of living is $27.47 in a county where the standard for one adult is $7.57 per hour. WHAT A JOKE THIS IS

I am just curious where you got any number for welfare from that table? I don't see it.

Are you saying welfare pays that much? By my quick calculations based on a 40 hr week that would be $57,000 a year.

That seems an awful lot. I think here in BC you get about $13000/yr. Plus medical I think. That's for a family of 4

[Laura Zone 10]

For my county:

For 2 adults, 3 children

Living: $21.43

Poverty: $12.40

Minimum: $7.25

Required income annually: 44,581.00

NOW imagine being divorce, and you are 1 adult, 3 kids kinda family
Required income annually? 59,608

[plowjockey]

Originally Posted by edcopp

What a joke this is. I just printed out my state (OHIO) and county (VINTON).

The fattest game in town seems to be the welfare "MaMa" with 3 young-uns.
Her living wage is $27.47 per hour, not available to her by any legal means except as a welfare hand out. She may fully expect the welfare handout because this is the major industry in my county.

She may sell a little "weed" or barter a little "self" from time to time. This is part of the local economy.

Housing will cost $805 per month for them (see HUD).

Medical costs will be $367 (see Medical card).

Child care will be $1,267 (I know not why, she will not be expected to work).

Food will be $749 (See: SNAP card, endless food banks, WIC and many more sources)

Transportation $736.

Other $270 (I am not sure what else is covered here besides pizza, beer, and cigarettes).

Of course she is creating jobs.

Things like:
Management @ $42.38 per hour (local wage)

Business and finance. @ $27.26 Hr.

Computer and mathematical @ $32.67 Hr.

Community services @ $18.81 Hr.

Legal @ $29.52

Education, training and library. @ $22.08 Hr.

Health practitioner @ $26.20

Protective service (security) @ $17.88 Hr.

There are many other service jobs that she and her herd will help to create along the way.

Her standard of living is $27.47 in a county where the standard for one adult is $7.57 per hour. WHAT A JOKE THIS IS.

How do you figure 1 adult with 3 children is making $27.47 per hour, in government benefits?

SNAP, for example, in your county would only be about $416 per month, about half of the average food costs.

Also your county still has a nearly 10% unemployment rate. Wouldn't that account for a lot of people who are poor?

http://www.city-data.com/food/food-Vinton-Ohio.html

[Shrek]

The calculator indicated wages for the five county area at 60 cents to a $1.15 below what the majority of entry level high school diploma jobs offer as starting pay per hour.

So much for the living wage march song.

[Buffy in Dallas]

The "living wages" stated on here are ludicrously low. Virtually impossible to live on. Medical costs $131. a month??? Seriously? There is no way in Hades I could live where I live on $1,437 a month.

[Drewberry]

I agree. This chart is not 'on target.' You can't rent a house, or apartment around here for less then $1,500 a month. Those are the small hud complex they gifted us with. According to this chart, you should be able to rent for $700.00 each month.

I can live extremely frugally but its the rising taxes, energy costs and inflation that does my paycheck in.

Drewberry..

[KIT.S]

It also is at least 2 years old, as the Oregon minimum wage January 1 is $9.10. In 2013 it is $8.95.
Kit

[where I want to]

Originally Posted by Drewberry

I agree. This chart is not 'on target.' You can't rent a house, or apartment around here for less then $1,500 a month. Those are the small hud complex they gifted us with. According to this chart, you should be able to rent for $700.00 each month.

I can live extremely frugally but its the rising taxes, energy costs and inflation that does my paycheck in.

Drewberry..

Not only rent but mortgage costs too. In some places it costs less to buy and even then some of the property taxes would appear in the tax catagory, where any property tax effecting rentals does not.