📹 What Is a Living Wage?
What’s the difference between miniimum wage and a living wage? Find out in this short explainer.
Is 70k a good salary in NYC?
New York’s average gross annual salary ranges between $90, 000 and $100, 000, or $71, 596 – $99, 434 after tax. This income allows for a monthly net salary of $5, 966 to $8, 286, covering expenses and savings. Families with one child need to earn at least $70, 000 per person, while a single person’s minimum annual gross income is $75, 000. Most of the monthly budget goes towards rent, making it crucial to find affordable options when exploring homes for rent in New York.
Is 250 000 a good salary in NYC?
A salary of $250, 000 is considered to be above the average income level in all regions of the United States, including Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and New York City. It is not unreasonable to conclude that those who earn this amount of money will be able to cope with the resulting financial pressures. In states with high tax rates, an individual earning $250, 000 annually can expect to receive approximately $12, 000 in take-home pay each month.
Is 100k a good salary in Florida?
The absence of a state income tax in Florida allows individuals to maintain a tropical paradise lifestyle with an annual income of $100, 000. Nevertheless, the state is also home to ultra-wealthy enclaves where a $100, 000 salary may prove insufficient for maintaining a modest standard of living. It is possible to find similar lifestyles in other places for $100, 000 a year, as Florida’s lack of a state income tax allows for greater disposable income and additional savings.
What is a livable salary in the US?
The living wage in the United States is $26. 02 per hour, or $104, 077. 70 per year, for a family of four in 2022, significantly lower than the minimum wage of $100, 498. 60 in 2021. This means that a typical family of four needs to work more than two full-time minimum-wage jobs to earn a living wage. Single-parent families need to work almost twice as hard as families with two working adults to make a living wage. A single mother with two children earning the federal minimum wage of $7.
25 per hour needs to work 252 hours per week, equivalent to almost six full-time minimum-wage jobs. The living wage exceeds the poverty threshold, but state minimum wages provide only a portion of it.
Is $100 000 a good salary in us?
The middle class is defined as income that is two-thirds to double the national median income, or $47, 189 and $141, 568. In Spokane, WA, a middle-class household needs to earn between $39, 338 and $117, 428 per year, while in Jackson, MS, it ranges from $27, 085 and $81, 262. Some professions that pay around $100, 000 a year include accounting, finance, and marketing.
Earning $100, 000 can feel like a major professional milestone and provide a comfortable middle-class lifestyle with room for savings, investments, and discretionary income. However, in expensive cities, $100, 000 may not leave much left over, so creating a budget can help maximize salary. Creating a budget that can be stick to can help individuals maximize their income and achieve a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle.
What is a living wage in NYC?
The living wage calculation for New York County, New York, outlines the hourly rate an individual must earn to support themselves and their family, working full-time for 2080 hours per year. The tables provide estimates for individuals and households with one or two working adults and zero to three children. The poverty wage and state minimum wage are for reference purposes, sourced from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Poverty Guidelines for 2024 and Labor Law Center data.
Is $75000 a good salary in USA?
A $75, 000 annual salary is considered good pay by many Americans, equated to $6, 250 per month, $1, 442. 31 per week, or $36. 06 an hour. SoFi Learn is a resource that helps individuals navigate their financial journey by providing content on various topics and staying updated on the latest trends. However, living on this salary may require more careful planning and budgeting if living in an expensive area or having significant debt.
What is a livable salary in Texas?
A good salary in Texas depends on household size and lifestyle, but most earn between $45, 000 and $100, 000 annually. Living costs vary across cities, with Austin being more expensive than Amarillo. A good salary allows for savings, vacations, and dining out. Living wage figures are released annually by MIT, indicating the income required to cover basic living expenses for one or two working adults, with or without children, as an hourly rate.
Is 80 000 a year a good salary in Texas?
The median salary is $80. The 422nd percentile salary represents an outlier, with the 90th percentile salary being $92, 264.
What is a livable wage in Florida?
The Living Wage Calculator from MIT indicates that a single Florida resident with no children can anticipate a sustainable income of approximately $46, 000 before taxes.
📹 How Much is a Living Wage? | Meet the Press Reports
A rise in the cost of living and stagnant wages affect voter attitudes and political preferences. » Subscribe to NBC News: …
I don’t know what the answer is, but something is very wrong. I am old. When I got a full time job as a grocery clerk in the early 1970’s, I made enough to live happily without debt. I bought a decent used car, rented a clean apartment, ate ok, bought a six pack of Bud and a chuck steak on Fridays, and paid my bills on time. More importantly, in two years I was able to save a downpayment for a small house in Ventura, CA where I lived. Now that house costs $1,000,000 and a grocery clerk will never be able to buy one. We are not the country we once were, we are far less.
When owners starts talking about how “this company is like a family” run as far & fast as you can. They will without question try to manipulate & take advantage of you eventually. You are there to exchange your time & labor for money. Never let them manipulate you into thinking otherwise. This doesn’t mean be rude or disrespectful to your employers. Build as many bridges & advantageous relationships as possible. But never forget your individual value as a human being & do not let yourself be taken advantage of. Employers take advantage of people’s desperation when they say they can’t pay you a livable wage. They are nothing without your labor. If they can’t pay employees a livable wage then they are prioritizing the companies expansion & the growth over their workers. If they can’t pay a livable wage then they shouldn’t have so many employees.
A living wage should: Pay rent or house mortgage Pay for food Pay for utilities, phone, internet Raise 1 kid Pay for transportation to work Pay for health insurance/ insurances Anything less is pretty much a slave labor life. That’s why some people prefer to be homeless, instead of working to death and get nothing, when you not working and get nothing, but less stress.
I agree with Tamica’s sentiments. The system has a flaw where if your income surpasses a specific threshold, your benefits are taken away. Furthermore, the state considers the income of other individuals living in your household, even if they don’t contribute any money. This practice can inadvertently push you over the threshold, leading to the loss of your benefits. In the end, you find yourself struggling once again, being pushed back into poverty. The system is inherently flawed, an unending cycle that seems to work against you at every turn.
Who should we blame for this problem? Who can solve it? Who are the ones who raise the price of things you buy, goods or services? Who decides how much labor is paid? The bosses, the billionaires who own the multinationals corporation, make these decisions. Yet, we blame “Biden” or who ever is in office. The billionaire class controls our government, all 3 branches and the media companies. Yet, rarely do Americans blame those who decide what we get paid and what we pay for what we need.
As someone who can’t work for more than $10,000 a year without losing state insurance this issue is extremely underrepresented. There’s so many poverty traps in this country. I have medical and mental issues but there’s no step up program I can work towards. If I make too much, I lose it all. I make less money making more money.
My dad worked full time in a warehouse that paid enough for him to buy a house, a car, and cash for his trade school at 25. By the time he was my age, he made as much money as I do now, but 30 years later and I’m smarter, more educated, and more capable in 90% of everything. There are aspects of his job that I can do despite never having directly studied or worked in his industry. Somehow, I’m unqualified to make a decent living and my retirement is on pace to be in my 80s.
I know in the US couples without children aren’t considered a family, but those “non-family” people are struggling, too. Yet somehow they are overlooked and ignored. P.S. if your job is a “family” run away a fast as you can! Your job is just that, a job. Keep family separated from your job. Your co-workers are not your besties. Again, run away as fast as you can form those types of bosses!
The top 1% intentionally set us up this way. Corpos purposely maintain wages just below the line for government assistance. WM is notorious for paying just enough so they’re employees qualify. That way corpos pocket more millions in bonuses for CEOs and board members. But employees need help with medical, food, housing, transportation and the big one child care. They also like this method cuz if the employee speaks up, due to pitiful raises or insurance coverage requests, they can no fault fire. Replace with a shiny new minimum wage probationary employee. Repeat process.
I have the very similar level government job to what my father had before he retired. At my age he was able to raise a family with 3 kids, have two vehicles, take some vacations and build a house on waterfront, good meals on the table and have savings. I can barely afford a tiny one bedroom in the outskirts of the city and have no kids or a car, struggle to afford groceries now. The only big difference was he didn’t need a degree to get the job back in those days now I did have to and started my adult life 50k in debt just to start my career. Just feels like the deck is stacked against us compared to the previous generation.
In my college town a married young woman with 3 kids and a husband in prison started receiving government assistance; to get it she had to either be working or going to school. She went to school to get certified to be a hospital worker; I don’t remember what kind. She worked hard and graduated with new hope, did a job search and got an good offer at the local hospital. The amount of income was not enough for her to take the job without the government assistance, so she had to decline the offer that just put her over the line to lose her benefits. She was forced to continue her benefits by working a low-wage job, wondering why she made the effort to learn all she had learned. Hopeless. And a continuing burden on the taxpayer. The whole reason for the rules was to get people off welfare.
When Adam Smith wrote “the wealth of nations”, he wrote one chapter on the wages of labor. He basically said there needs to he a living mininum wage for the economy to work. He even defined that living wage as 2x the cost of living. This allows for people to be able to sypport themselves and the freedom to participate in society and the economy without worrying about your next meal
We are light yrs behind if we’re still asking this question. Minimum wage should have NEVER strayed from the concept of “the minimum wage required to live in a state” . The day people started considering it unskilled labor or just starter jobs is when we lost our way …….. almost everyone is underpaid but many people only argue that lesser earnring people don’t deserve more money instead of realizing they should ask for more from their ” middle class” jobs. There is no middle class, there is only the working class. Meanwhile we have trillionares throwing money into the literal void of space
The man with the “print shop” saying people used to work 80 hours a week for nothing and that was “okay” is just insane. We know their quality of life, from his own statement, was terrible, their mental health would’ve been shot, and that would’ve all been passed on to their children. Why did the successive generations fights for a 40 hour work week, minimum wage guarantees, etc? Some people are so dull it’s amazing. It’s not about money, it’s about quality of life.
I love the question she asked the man why does the product price have to increase when they increase employee wages. perusal him dance around the question. He is an perfect example of what’s wrong with this country. The answer is, what he really wanted to say is. That extra money isn’t going to be taken out of my check. I’m going to either raise the product cost or start cutting jobs. It’s really sad when you break down the salary difference between the CEO and the employees that are actually doing the work. I believe the owners and CEO’s deserve there money. But when you see these owners and high ups with a house in every state and I’m eating ramen noodles every night it’s a sad world for the government to let this happen.
Chuck Todd asks “What do these people want the government to do for them?” People just want a government not controlled by special interest corporate donors. We want the government to stop subsidizing corporations. We want a higher minimum wage. We want free health care, like all other developed nations have. We want free college and no-interest student loans.
Depends what you consider living. If you’re cool living in your car and eating fast food and bulk candy, you can probably get by on minimum wage. If you want to sleep on a couch in someone’s living room and have some fruits or vegetables in your diet, you’re gonna need to lie your way into a management level position. If you want to have your own room and be able to eat out on once or twice a year, you’re gonna need one of them fancy union jobs. If you want to want to own your own home and shop at a grocery store, you’re gonna wanna start an onlyfans. If you want to retire some day, you need to find a way to win a major lawsuit against someone with money (human or corporation will do) America is the land of opportunity. Good luck! P.S. it goes without saying that you will not be able to afford having kids unless you can find a way to monetize their childhood (maybe try turning them into instagram stars?)
At this point in America, the government assistance programs are really just corporate subsidies. If your employees aren’t paid enough to be able to afford food and shelter within a reasonable distance of the workplace, those benefits are corporate benefits rather than support for the people using them.
I think there should be a regulation that creates minimum percentage of profit, to use toward employees for companies that’re making over a million each year.that way it could create a balance between advantage or disadvantage on both side. This way when business are booming employees will not be taken advantaged of, and when business sideways it won’t apply to them heavily.
History for the working poor has not changed signicantly. My grandmother worked in the fields of the South, and as a maid $1.00 a day in the fields, during harvest times based on her production; in addition 1.25 a week doing housework. My mother, $12.00 a week as maid full time. Making extra $ washing and ironing, and part time housework. She raised 5 children, first generation high schoolers, and first generation of college graduates. She placed a priority on behavior, and education in our home. Ater graduate school,, for me, also a generational first, a career began with about 25,000 a year. But, inflation, downsizing, layoffs, cuts of federal funded programs stopped my progress before I even considered the ‘red flag’ of education loan repayments. The possibility of my home ownership applications denied, because of my education loans, debt to income ratios, and unpaid education loans.Thankfully through the years,I have kept the basics of my well being, having one child and me, in7 my lifestyle budget; my apartment rentals, food, clothing, transportation. Still, however, in debt to Department of Education. Here is a despairing problem, for college graduates in America. Many of whom, are utilizing tech work for a viable income level. Others are working jobs not nearly commensurate with their educational hopes. Yet, the American working poor, continues, paying taxes, asking for fairness, but they know whatever happens economically, they must find a way somehow to live. I am retired 5 years now, and I worked 1 full time job, a myriad of part time jobs for many years until my late 50’s.
Unsaid here is also that ppl are working 3 PT jobs to accommodate shift flexibility mandated by corporate efficiency standards. No more reliable 8 hour shifts. If you aren’t actively productive, you don’t work. If the moment doesn’t call for active productivity, you better have another job/momentary gig lined up for those hours. Or you don’t eat. Or you’re on the street.
There are, to me, two facets to a living wage. The first is that it provides enough money to sustain my lifestyle in my city of my state.. which brings us to the second, we should not have to spend 2/3rds or more of our waking life AT WORK just to survive. I also live in Ohio, I need about 2000 a month to live comfortably with enough left for “emergencies”, such as an oil change. I am fifty three. I do not have a career, I did not even lose out on that for anything dire; no drug or alcohol problems, no injuries just choices and limited opportunities, I did have ongoing mental health issues.. the “usual” ones of the modern age; depression, anxiety and often to actually crippling degree. Lastly, COVID… I was on the literal cusp of finding that balance; I had a good job at a good company that maintained a good balance of work and life, the dreamt of four day work week with solid pay and sensible benefits.. and then COVID closed it down and they had to let us go. I had to MOVE to another state in the middle of the pandemic and it took everything I had rebuilt, I literally had to leave behind nearly everything I owned, unrecoverably and I am still fighting to back to it.. old, tired, scared and heart sick… I am tired of getting kicked down and right now, I can barely get myself on my feet at all. The system is broken, and we need a change. Now.
What we need is a maximum wage, by eliminating the so called “socialism” of corporations (L.L.C.s), which don’t pay any taxes or minimal, housing subsidies (tax break for owning a home), etc.. Unless there is a even playing field, there will never be the capitalism of the individual, which this country was founded on.
My mother was on welfare most of my childhood and there was a time when I had to go food banks and had no health insurance as an adult. But I was always told throughout school that I was going to go to college and graduate which I did and after a few years I decided to become a teacher in the early 2000s. My salary is above 100k (finally).
Living wage is the minimum amount of money for a working person to be a productive and contributing member of society. If we follow what FDR established and kept it in stride with inflation, it would be $67 per hour right now, thank Regan and Nixon for killing that. A living wage right now is $37 per hour for the average person in the USA. Rent is about $1,100 renters insurance $100 per month electric $150 water $90 internet $90 food $500 9the just groceries, not going out to eat). The place you’re renting requires you to have an income of 4 times what rent is. Suffice it to say the Republicans need to get their heads out of their a$$es before all the Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z start the next revolutionary war and force all the idiots out of office. History has shown us that is the only way to get things to change for the better.
For those of you who think Yang is the leader we need, keep in mind these ideas he offered in an interview in May 2020: «er he suggested automating the jobs of fast-food workers, who would be embroiled in a local push for unionization just months later. And during a show in June 2019, he said the Democratic Party “needs to try and gravitate away from identity politics,” calling it a “stupid way to try and win elections,” » And January 2021: «He also did not rule out charging city workers more toward their health care premiums in a policy questionnaire POLITICO sent to the mayoral candidates in January. “I am not inclined to balance our budget in this way, although I do understand that this is one of many options on the table,” » April 2021 «By most standards, he does tack more moderate. He wants to grow some parts of the NYPD. He seeks corporate partners like JetBlue. And he discourages higher taxes on the wealthy. “If you raise taxes at a level where people actually vote with their feet and also head to Florida, then you’re not serving the policy’s goal, which is generating revenue for the state or the city,” he told the pro-business Association for a Better New York.» In addition, though, and to keep context «At the same time, he proposes dropping tax breaks for the likes of Madison Square Garden and adopting NYPD reforms like a civilian commissioner and a city residency requirement in hiring. “So you would have hundreds of off-duty officers walking around, which I think would actually improve the atmosphere and sense of public safety,” he said at the Met Council mayoral forum.
The bottom line is, businesses are going to have to concede defeat. Continuing like we have is simply unsustainable, because it’s only a matter of time until it gets so bad that we’re rioting in the streets. Either workers need to be paid more, or inflation needs to get under control. Both options means businesses need to give up money.
Hey, here’s a thought, if business owners want wages to stop rising, readjust prices to fit with the minimum wage? Yeah, the business owners will make less, but they’ll in turn fix cost of living and in turn no longer have to deal with increasing wages (because if prices fit within the minimum wage, it means more accessibility).
When state takes food stamps way like they do, It hurt the low-income, middle-class family’s that are struggling to get there needs done, with food prices as they are, it even worse, for people who need food. but having to budget income we do not have to buy food, We made 200 extra a month, and Pa striped our food stamps almost the same month. so now we struggle to even save a bit back. with Riases in rental each year 5%, food 100.00 a week, power (its now jacked up throw First energy) gas to get people to and from work and car insurance, we need 5,000 at least to make bills and buy food we do not even bring half that.
I am tired of small business owners being used to hold workers back. I am a small business owner and here is my interesting take. The more people are paid the more they can shop. If all that you can afford is food and utilities you certainly aren’t going to come shop at your local boutique. Lifting up the people at the bottom brings profit to all
Can we just call inflation what it really is…GREED…Most states still have tipped wage earners at 2.13 an hour…my God it was that amount 20 years ago. If nobody forces the government to raise federal minimums especially for tipped workers.. then the states won’t do it themselves…ITS CRIMINAL.. THAT BUSINESSES CAN STILL PAY 2.13 AN HOUR TO TIPPED WORKERS.
We are beyond comfortable in this country with people working and still not being able to make ends meet and the bs about “they shouldn’t expect to make a lot on the service sector” is a bs we need to come after. You got a job, it should allow you to live without the taxpayers having to subsidize these employers who are out there getting rich off their employees and the rest of us.
The potential benefits of a living wage: A living wage can have a number of benefits, including: Reduced poverty: A living wage can help to reduce poverty by ensuring that people have the resources they need to meet their basic needs. Improved health: A living wage can help to improve health by reducing stress and providing access to healthier foods and housing. Increased productivity: A living wage can help to increase productivity by ensuring that workers are well-rested and healthy. Ultimately, the amount of money that is considered a living wage is a complex issue with no easy answer. However, it is an important issue to consider, as it can have a significant impact on the lives of low-wage workers and their families.
4:23 no. Everyone deserves a living wage. Period. End of sentence. We don’t need to qualify work between jobs. The surgeon cannot work with out the anesthesiologist, the nurse, CNA, engineer, housekeeper, anyone in the whole “ecosystem.” We all depend on each other. We should all be respected enough to be have a home, healthcare, food on the table and clothing. Those are basic needs.
I was blessed to have a job I loved for 37 years, retired at 54 to take care of my parents. Turning 62 this year and starting S.S. and I will be ok now with 2 checks a month after taking a huge paycheck of over half when I retired. First in my family on either side to retire with a pension, all anyone has ever had is S.S. and it’s not enough, was sending my parents money before I retired and have been helping ever since. In the home stretch now, 1st check in October🎃
I feel you, seems like this happened so quick. Where around 50-60 a year would have you living comfortably is not true now. Prices for everything went up but pay remained the same. I have a thought that this is the rich attempting to eradicate everyone else. When I say the rich I’m not talking about what used to be middle class I’m talking about billionaires. 2019- Rent for 3 bedroom was 1,145 2023 – Rent for 1 bedroom is 2,200 2019 – gas prices had gone down. 2023 – back up to almost 4 per gallon. Grocery prices and all other prices have risen.
Besides how much billionaires put into lobbying to makes laws in their favor, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want more of the middle class and lower class able to make more money. They’re the ones that will be spending far more in the local economy. Billionaires are most likely hoarding their money or have it tied up in investments. At this point idk who these companies are going to buy all their products when people will be forced more and more to be picky and not buy things that’s aren’t necessary.
Being in the medical field for over 20yrs. Working two jobs is the only the way to make it. Unless you are a Doctor, nurse practitioner, or Upper Management level you barely making it. Having my college degree and LPN certification you still don’t get paid enough. Having a college degree doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s best to go to a vocational school and get a skill and work for yourself.
still searching for the mass graves of all these people making below a living wage. because when i see things like this its more about the i want wage. people want stuff but doesn’t want to do what it takes to get it. many just aren’t educated on how to obtain it either which is more of what the subject should be vs just saying someone else should provide it.
We need more housing. You can get more money all day but, if housing is unaffordable all those people will just become working homeless people outta their cars. The problem is we have housing by the cost is far too high. We need cheaper housing we have too many large expensive homes when we need cheaper smaller afforble homes. Once housing is built we can address the roads and the infrastructure around it. Wages are only a band-aid. When what need is structures and urban developments that are walkable and affordable to the average full time working citizen.
The fact that the media and the public are focused solely on hourly wages rather than outrageous inflation and how we got there along with an inequitable tax system is truly sad. Back in the 1960s the ultra rich were paying 60-80% in income taxes and other tax rates that were much higher than today. Does that really sound fair? Maybe not, but neither is paying the same or often less than what working and middle class people make today. Without this gargantuan national debt which largely funds the defense industry inflation would not be racing out of control and more money would be available for daycare, health insurance and aid to seniors. America has become the land of the greedy and home of the coward.
If you arnt making 30 an hr you arnt making a living wage dont let these people tell u some more bs. Its not political this has existed in every society to ever exist and its collapsed them all to ours wont be different. Again if u arnt making 30 an hr quit ur job they wont change wages if you allow them to keep you “enslaved” Mega corps shouldnt exist Billionaires shouldnt exist These two things have fked every society to ever exist maybe we should talk about removing the two common factors.
She chose to have kids, she’d have more money if she didn’t. I don’t feel ANY sympathy for breeders. They chose this life, they have 0 right to complain. It’s their fault for being financially irresponsible, if you can’t afford children then don’t breed. I hate how it’s just accepted by society that people should have money given to them because they chose to breed. I don’t want my tax dollars going to people that wanted the luxury of having children. Children aren’t a necessity much like pets they are a luxury. You don’t need to have children to survive. Your body won’t stop functioning if you don’t have children.
This guy from Utica sounds like a joke. Him cherry picking the good ol’ days of child labor, no weekends, and violently upheld company towns referencing the gilded age as the basis of comparison is just gold. When confronted with the facts of the failure of trickle down economics mythology they have no argument but “it could be worse” 😂
I’m fortunate enough to be in the job I’m in now. I had a lot of trouble finding decent work for a few years and ended up taking on debt after leaving the military and taking a break from college. Took a few years to find something. I’m getting paid decently, but despite finally finding meaningful work, I’m still in the hole and don’t get to fully enjoy the decent pay, because of the debt and how expensive things have gotten. I know I’m not without mistakes, but man… If only I were getting paid this much back in 2017… Perhaps I could have had a house, two cars, and lived without worries.
Minimum wage right now is at where an adult can scrape by if they don’t have dependants, live in a lower prices neighborhood in a small apartment, and really economize. An acceptable living wage for min wage jobs would be where a single adult can support a dependant, live in a moderately priced neighborhood in cozy dwellings, and not have to choose between buying clothes and food over paying the electric bill. Understandably a McDonald’s wage is not going to pay enough for an adult to support a family of multiple people, living in an expensive neighborhood, and provide a good amount of spending money left over after the bills, you need college for a job that offers that kind of pay. Where it gets complicated is if a McDonald’s is located in an expensive neighborhood without any affordable housing within a 20 minute drive, location is also a factor here when it comes to pay.
what I don’t see people talking about is that the majority of common easily accessible jobs that make up the majority of the workforce may pay $15, $17, $20 an hour, but only offer 5-10 hours a week. people tell me all the time “Go work at Target they are starting at $20 an hour” while every person there only gets one shift a week except the managers and supervisors. $15 is great, but at 10 hours a week that’s only $150 a week or less than $8000 a year. I walked out of at least 20 interviews after I asked them how many hours a week would I get. every job that I have worked at had their employees begging for more hours, while the employer tries to keep them at 5-10 hours a week and requires open availability making it harder to get 8 jobs to get that 40 hours a week lol, $15 means nothing without actual hours worked. I worked for stores that only had 15 employees, except the manager and supervisor who got 40 hours a week, the rest of us got 10 hours a week, or around $6000 a year, collectively excluding the managers is around 90k paid out to the employees a year in wages, 60,000 in rent and utilities to run the place, 80-95% markup on the items, a 5million dollar a year store, so roughly 4.2million dollars profit from one store out of a chain of 800 every year, *couldn’t afford to pay us more*, having us at 40 hours a week STILL would have put the store around 4million bucks a year in profit yet nope, can’t do it. Then you have the people who say “Then find a better job”, there are only so many “better jobs” out there, 50 million people just can’t get up from their crappy job and just get handed one, it is not that easy and if it was possible the stores that ‘run America would all collapse, no retail, no food, no gas stations, gone.
A living wage is having enough to afford a roof over your head that you own, have a vehicle for free travel, eat a healthy diet, raise healthy children to adulthood (with health care, dental, vision), and save for emergencies and retirement while sending your kids to school with day care, if necessary. I know that sounds like a lot, but why do a handful of people need to have mansions and Lear jets while kids don’t know their state capitals and who their representative is in the Capitol? Truly, we need to get rid of legalized gambling (the stock market). Because people are seen as smart robots, not humans. Sucks that you cut Andrew off.
Increasing your value makes money, being physically fit, going the extra mile to learn a skill or multiple skills. achieve a certification(s), trade or degree that contains value to the current work environment. Just working and hoping doesn’t cut it and never has. You have to bring the MFing smoke or you will fail.
The single mother won’t be able to change her lot until her children grow up and move out. I know because I’m a single mother. I don’t have foodstamps because my adult son still lives at home. He works but doesn’t make enough to move out. He is saying and biding his time. His income hurts the rest of us as if he were my husband and not my son. He contributes a small room and board. If he were my spouse the entire paycheck would go into the family pot. As it is I live in Massachusetts on $26,000 a year as my income. My son’s income shouldn’t count the same as a spouse’s would count. When I did have food stamps, when I got a raise, I lost more a month in food than I earned from the raise. This is why the lady in the story is afraid to “make too much”. If she does, her kids might not have enough to eat. This is why people are choosing not to have children, even when they would like to have them. I had got married and had children. Then he took a walk. I haven’t gotten child support in years and when I did, it was low for three kids because he only earned $30,000 a year. If I had never had children, even in the crap retail type work that I’ve had to do, even with my college degree, I would easily be earning $50,000-$60,000 and just be a regular store clerk. Of course, that would be working 6 days a week and third shift. It’s really sad. I love my kids just like the single mother in this story. I’m 46, have no savings or investments, rent my home, and don’t even own my car for another three years.
It surprised me when she mentioned savings. I don’t even know how to do that, let alone have the ability to do it. I work 40 hours a week and drive about 2 hours round-trip to work. I make around $17.50/hour. I have ASD, BPD, and ADHD, so any attempts to get a second job with insufficient downtime to recover has always ended badly. At this point in my life, I just try to keep from letting things get to the point where I finally give up on all of it.
Here’s one thing you can do. If they get an increase in their wage, decrease their benefits by 30% of their increase. This gives them incentive to improve their wages without totally loosing their benefits. Once they are self-sufficient, remove all benefits and give them a one time pay out from the 30% they took out and then make them ineligible for assistance for 1 year.
All giving free money to people did was to get them to stop working as hard by leaving the workforce and help create inflation. Yes, Yang’s ideas sound nice. But they aren’t fully flushed out and inflation is the obvious byproduct. Leading to a continual self-reinforcing loop of free money feeding inflation leading to the necessary step of giving more money to the “indigent;” creating even more inflation.
We estimated that a living budget would be around 54,000 to 60,000 for a family of four that equates to $30 an hour for a single person and the other spouse making a little bit of money and taking care of the family you can make this possible That being said a wage of $15 an hour for two people working still a live. And that 50+ thousand and that’s calculated out at 50 weeks a year. So it’s possible for two low wage income providers to have quality of life and any overtime or extra work would go for the things that they want outside of their budget and savings.❤ Peace of mind Enterpises Producers of The United Silent American Scream
The rapid advancements in technology necessitate a fundamental reassessment of our understanding of value and work. Historically, automation has displaced workers, as we saw when the advent of film and recording technologies significantly reduced the need for live performers. This shift parallels our current scenario, where the anticipated future of work could involve humans predominantly servicing machines in round-the-clock environments. We’re witnessing a transition where stable employment is increasingly supplanted by lean, agile manufacturing and gig work models. These models have roots in the film industry, but lack the ongoing compensation provided by residuals. The concern now is that even the film industry is being thrust towards an ‘uberized’ model, where contributors are remunerated for their initial input but derive little to no benefit from continued use. This progression highlights a crisis within capitalism and raises fears of a tilt towards autocracy. The accusations of socialism leveled against Democrats echo the historical slurs directed at Native Americans in the late 19th century, which served as pretexts to seize their land and resources. As we confront these challenges, we must strive to balance technological advancement with fair and equitable labor practices. Ray Evans Harrell, artistic director, The Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble, Inc. NYCity and the MCORE team on the Future of Work in America.
We need to be talking about livable wages more! So important to get insight to topics like this. It’s humanizing to know others are also relating to keep afloat. But also dehumanizing to know so many of us relate to struggling so hard for basic essentials such as housing and food. Something needs to change!! Eat the rich!!
As a boomer, It’s funny perusal this article, and seeing how people complain not having enough money, but yet they have numerous kids. I too earned minimum wage and choose not to have children because of the financial burden. Until I was able to go into business for myself was I able to live comfortable. Like every entrepreneur knows this take over 80 hours or more a week to succeed. Many people are not willing to make that sacrifice. Nobody said life was easy, but some people are blessed more than they know.
Huge respect for these families featured in the article. This is one of the few times I found the people featured actually understands “living within your means”. There are so many articles everywhere people are putting up sob stories about them living “paycheck to paycheck”, when they opened up their financial records, many things are going into non-necessities. If you have expendable income to splurge on non-necessities, then you are not living “paycheck to paycheck”, you are just bad at math, period. Best wishes for these families.
I run my families small business, and I cant afford to live in my home town anymore. I’ve been trying to save up to afford a down payment on my first home, but it seems like its always just out of reach. I was denied Biden’s $25,000 first home buyers benefit. Reason Given? I’m not Black, I was never an Orphan, and my parents have owned a house. Me and my father came to the conclusion its time to sell our small business and get out of the state, possibly the country. America will always be my homeland, but may not be where I call home.
I appreciate NBC giving in and reporting on this, but I would remind everybody that US news media companies are now owned by Universal, Fox, Disney,, etc. So the bosses are controlling what the news outlets are allowed to tell you as well as refusing to negotiate with the actors hoping to starve them into submission. Be sure to go to UK or other sources like the Guardian or BBC to find out what’s being left out. (I’m not an actor or anything to do with Hollywood, I’m just fed up with seeing ordinary Americans working fulltime jobs not being able to afford rent in basic housing or save even a little for family emergencies let alone retirement, while their employers get rich on THEIR work then complain about their being “unreasonable” from the decks of multimilliondollar yachts.)
After taxes your wage goes from 15 hour to 10 hour 😅 . In order to make 20 hour after taxes one has to get pay 30 hour before taxes. We the people want to stop paying taxes that only pockets the politicians. We need go back in time. And abolish the dollar and use trade and exchange. If i got a can of soup ill trade my neighbor for a bag of beans. And the government better keep his nose out of it 😅
I havent finished perusal the article, so may be they mention it and I’m jumping the gun with this comment. But about a few years ago I saw an article that stated that minimum wage use to keep up with productivity but then stopped and got lower. If it had kept up, today’s minimum wage would be $24 an hour. And here we are cheering for $15 an hour
May be the idea of minimum wage federally is not flexible. I would make the minimum wage to be at least 40 percents of the local market value for MONTHLY rent for 2 bedroom apartments for 40 hours work week. That’s my 2 cents. I think one way to make living wage fair is to tie it directly to real asset values.
No offense intended, but I believe there are better examples. A person who decides to have multiple children before becoming financially stable, perhaps piled the plate a bit high. Even single men w/o children or a spouse have the same problems, if not worse because of the lack of support for that (my) group. (Perspective)
This business owner talking about some kind of pride of the people working 60 hour work weeks in the early 1900s “just to be poor” …my dude that’s when people started forming Unions because um no. *In 1914, the unions successfully pushed Congress to pass the Clayton Act that stated, “the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce.”
We have to do away with this idea of a minimum living wage. We are in the richest country on earth, we ought to be LIVING as in thriving not surviving. And I think we should focus on the quality of workers and the value they bring to their families and not market share and company profits. Focus on family. There’s no glory in suffering.
To minimize the likelihood of poverty and struggle one could abide by a few simple rules. 1. Don’t spend more than you make. 2. Don’t have kids you can’t afford. 3. Don’t waste tons of $ and years of your life majoring in a worthless degree that does not yield a living wage. 4. Invest in learning an in-demand skill that society values. As with everything in life, things come down to choices and tradeoffs. Are people’s actions leading them to the results and outcomes that they desire?
The benefits shouldn’t be “taken away” just because you make your money. The benefits should be tapered off slowly- like 50% of the higher income- until someday hopefully you can make the income threshold to not qualify for any assistance. It might sound scary, but that is the goal- to make enough so you dont qualify.
They really should have broken down each person finances to the dollar. Govt programs should be a scale not a hard end point. The only thing I would say to the small business owner is your employees can’t pay for anything then don’t expect people to stay with you. And if someone can’t live off a full time job then that’s a problem and someone at some point will pay for it. Might be you might be your business. But someone will
The subject of small business… how major companies have hidden behind the poor, to not pay above the poverty line… Small business owners… Charge more, your hand-made, artistry is worth more, but your worker are worth more too so… Large companies, pay your people, where is the logic in choking your own potential future profit to death by hording wealth?
the reality is our economy is meant to have poor. No one is going to help… Its messed up cuz deep down everyone knows this is messed up and opportunities aren’t spread across the board the same. its up to the previous generations to sacrifice and make sure the next wont suffer. life insurance policies, allowing family to live with each other… villages helping each etc are how but people are selfish and many dont feel the need or obligation which isnt wrong either. Most folk are check to check and one missed paycheck of emergency to being in the same situation or even homeless
Thing is people CHOOSE these jobs. They dont go out of their way to find more money. If you give them an opportunity to make very good money for work outside their comfort zone they will either work a full commision job and only try to make 40k a year when the sky is the limit. Or they will quit because the money is based off your effort. We have a problem in this country not taking accountability for our choices. You want more money? There are billions out there for you to just grab. These people want these low pay jobs then complain.
These kind of jobs are not meant to be a living wage, they are meant to be stepping stones as you work your way up to a higher paying job. The problem is people are not progressing and are stuck in these lower paying jobs. Instead of increasing the wage, they should focus on affordable housing for these people. The problem is a lot of cities can not build affordable housing because of the Democrats environmental policies. And for people complaining about serving coffee for $20hr, that used to be starting salary for white collar workers not too long ago.
Not all jobs are going to generate a wage that will support a person living on their own, much less someone trying to support a family. And there is in fact room in the job market for these jobs. The problem is that those jobs are supposed to be filled by teenagers and young adults who are still living at home with their parents,.. not forty year old single mothers and “undocumented immigrants”. A “living wage” comes with skill and/or experience, it is not something that everyone is simply entitled to,…. it must be worked towards and earned.
Limit politicians’ pay to a modest factor of minimum wage. Limit executive total compensation to a factor (based on total gross revenue) of their lowest-paid worker’s pay, and any excess executive compensation is taxed at 100%, no deductions. See how fast minimum wage increases and how fast worker wages increase.
I have said for years; “the minimum wage should be the Living wage of whatever region you reside. People would disperse more equally and the cost of living would even out geographically between regions over time and population density would no longer be so concentrated. It should be the living wage for one working person in a household of four. So in a traditional home, either the mother or father could stay home. However only one would need to work. The capitalist took advantage of the progress we made of women entering the workplace and inflated the everything, time to make progress again in a better way.
It’s funny how we always look for solutions to the symptoms and not the causes. Raising minimum would help but only in a scale of a decade or so, similar to the first implementation of the minimum. UBI would sadly also only help in a relative short term. What’s actually needed is a closing of all tax loopholes such as offshoring and capital assets. A flat tax would help too. But the biggest positive impact would be dissolving all money-from-money business models, the businesses that offer no tangible goods or services aside from shuffling money/assets and exploiting systems. But it’s too late for that now.
Interesting perusal news stations discuss this stuff but provide no solution in the content. The news is influential but it’s not helping the actual issues. It’s beyond me that this stuff is on the news and yet it doesn’t effect how the politicians run the government. I’m fact the majority believe in universal healthcare, better wages, women’s rights etc. but the politicians do what they want. I’m tired of just accepting that this is my life.
How can you hear worker productivity getting higher and pay not increasing at a even close rate and think workers are lazy and deserve what they make. Clearly if we as workers are creating the services and creating the wealth we deserve our fair share of the work we do. The world cannot be run by a whole bunch of ceos because businesses need workers to run.
I’m tired of people saying if you raise the minimum wage everything around you will just increase. 1 this has been disproven and 2 look around you just from 2020 to today the inflation has increased 18%. What wages have increased that much recently for the average working American Whole they still struggle to make ends meet?
I have no idea how people with children can live on minimum wage. It’s insane. I make 100k (about 70k after taxes) and I cant afford a house because I am single and that salary alone cannot comfortably cover the cost of a mortgage as housing costs and interest on loans has significantly increased. I struggle to find a house in my area under 500k and I honestly don’t feel comfortable buying a house above 300k and even that is pushing my comfort zone.
What’s the cause? The expansion of the wealth gap is the cause. Tax breaks were given to the wealthy. We were told that increasing wages for employees would lead to higher costs of products and goods instead of understanding that local people keep the money in their community, unlike the wealthy. Ask yourself are most US companies making profits? Yes. Where is that wealth going? You will almost always see that shareholders and those that lead the companies get the lion share of the profits. Search for increases in wages over time for common employees and CEOs and you will see the problem.
Stop raising the cost of food, credit card interest rates, mortgage rates, renting costs, lower gas prices. Minimum wage should be $20/hour at 40 hours a week, gas should be 99 cents a gallon, interest rates should be 1%, price of food should be cut in half across the board, dont tax imports, give families paid time off, paid sick time, paid family leave with job protection, stock options for full time employees. Blue laws so stores are closed on Sundays so people can spend time with their families. Cut the cost of medicine in half and cut deductibles in half. Universal Healthcare.
Easy to answer: Whatever the government is willing to regulate. Also should be categorized as percentages. Just like in businesses. There are option to pay a lease in a percentage of how much income the business makes. That’s solid, because it depends ON A WAGE. Not the other way around where your income is based on your rent.
It is so good to see you again Chuck Todd. I have been an avid fan (if that is the word). At any rate. You are one of very few people that I trust on such a level, it isn’t even funny. But I’m glad you are going to spend more time with your family which is far more important and I’m just glad that I got to experience what true professional political newsmanship truly is. ( made up word I guess). Thank you for your contributions over the years. There will not be anyone who can fill your shoes.
People seem to have forgotten that the economy is a reflection of our supply and demand. Inflation occurs because the demand for goods and services is beyond what is available. Increasing wages doesn’t change that. The only real solutions. Is either increase production of goods and services to meet demand. Or people need to come together, work together and share in order to reduce demand. I.E if 10 houses are for sale in an area and 12 single people want them? 10 will pay whatever it takes to get them. And the other 2 who’s income cant compete miss out. Vs 10 houses for sale but this time. Among those 12 people? 10 formed familes. So its now 5 familes and 2 single people buying. 7 will be sold leaving 3. Supply now exceeds demand. So price has to come down to entice buyers.
In Texas, it use to be affordable to live here. In 2008, homes were around $50k to $120k and rent was like $600 for 3 bedroom apartment. In 2015 homes were around $100k to $200k and rent was like $800 for 3 bedroom apartment. In 2023, homes are like $200k to $300k and rent is about $1,500 for 3 bedroom apartments. Most people have to work 2 jobs to be able to be financially stable.
People like the hard working woman in the beginning who was hesitant when she said she would need $3,500 / month to survive semi-comfortably, all these billionaires making that in a SECOND, in a MILI SECOND……… $3,500 to them is dirt in the bottom of their shoe, $3,500 for her is her sanity. human beings are truly a disgraceful animal.