When it comes to finding a place to rent in Los Angeles, no one will be surprised by a new study that shows that it's virtually impossible to earn minimum wage in California and live modestly. But, believe it or not, that's not the worst part.
But first, the bad news. A study from the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows that for the average California resident to live modestly and live in a two-bedroom apartment, they need to make around $30.92 per hour in a 40-hour work week.
Diane Yentel, President and CEO of the Coalition says the wages are just too low for workers to afford a decent place.
"Nowhere do minimum wage full-time workers earn enough to afford a decent two-bedroom apartment. And in only twelve counties throughout the entire country, can a minimum wage worker afford a one-bedroom apartment."
California ranks third in the country on the list with highest housing wages. The wage is determined by how much money a full-time worker must earn to live modestly, and not spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs.
Besides California, other high-rent areas included Hawaii and the District of Columbia. Maryland and New York round out the rest of the top five.
The worse news? The jobs that are expected to grow the most over the next decade won't pay enough.
"Jobs like customer service representative, nursing assistant, retail salesperson, home health aide, personal care aide - those jobs fall below, and sometimes well-below the national housing wage," Yentel said.
Housing costs aren't expected to go down anytime soon. Yentel says costs are rising so fast, they're becoming out of reach for the average renter and low-wage worker.