The Best & Worst Cities for Minimum Wage Workers
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If you currently work a minimum-wage job, you’re not alone. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9,10,000 million Americans were working for wages at or below the federal minimum, making up 1.4% of all hourly-paid workers in the country.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, and even though many states have raised their own minimum wage beyond the federal amount, life on a minimum wage salary can be challenging.
In this article
Methodology
Move.org analyzed the top 75 most popular cities in the U.S. and then broke down livability by each city’s specific minimum wage and monthly rent to live in a one-bedroom apartment.
Everyday expenses like food, insurance, utilities, entertainment, and transportation were not applied in these rankings. Crime statistics, unemployment rates, access to government services, or other factors around quality of life were also not integrated into the rankings.
The minimum wages were focused on larger business sizes, and in most cases, they generated the largest minimum wage for that specific city.
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The top 10 best cities to live in as a minimum wage worker
10. Stockton, California
- Hourly minimum wage: $15
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,170
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 78
At a 78-hour minimum-wage work per month needed to afford rent, Stockton takes the cake as the most livable city on this list. Being over $7.75 the national minimum wage, it also has the highest rent in all the 10 cities.
9. Cincinnati, Ohio
- Hourly minimum wage: $9.30
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $715
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 76.88
The apartment rates in Cincinnati sit right in with the lowest on this list. To make it even more affordable, the city’s minimum wage is two dollars above the federal rate.
8. Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Hourly minimum wage: $14.25
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,095
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 76.88
Minneapolis has a wage rate much higher than the minimum wage, but its rents are equally high, and you might have to work over 19 hours a week to afford living here.
7. St. Louis, Missouri
- Hourly minimum wage: $11.15
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $842
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 75.52
At $842 a month, St.Louis has one of the lowest rent on this list, and it still has a minimum wage above the national mandate to make a living here very reasonable.
6. St. Paul, Minnesota
- Hourly minimum wage: $12.50
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $918
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 73.44
At $12.50/hr, the rate sits on an average in terms of other states, and its average rent is also median, making it possible for someone to afford a 1-bedroom apartment without having to work multiple jobs.
5. Tucson, Arizona
- Hourly minimum wage: $12.80
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $910.50
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 71.13
With a $12.80/hr minimum wage and the University of Arizona, Tuscon is a hotspot for college students. With only a 17-hour minimum-wage work week needed to afford the average rent payment, minimum-wage workers can live fairly reasonably in this city.
4. Fresno, California
- Hourly minimum wage: $15
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,041.50
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 69.43
If you want a taste of the city and the country, Fresno is a great place to consider. With a minimum wage set significantly higher than the mandated rate, the rent on a minimum wage salary is very manageable. It’s also only a 2.5-hour drive from Yosemite National Park if you want to do some sightseeing.
3. Detroit, Michigan
- Hourly minimum wage: $9.87
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $678
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 68.74
The largest city in Michigan, Detroit gives $9.87/hr to their minimum-waged employees, but it has a reasonably cheap rent making it a great place for young people to get on their feet.
2. Bakersfield, California
- Hourly minimum wage: $15.00
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,031
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 68.73
Bakersfield has a $15 minimum wage. However, the rent is on the higher side as compared to the other cities.
1. Cleveland, Ohio
- Hourly minimum wage: $9.30
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $619.50
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 66.61
The apartment rates in Cleveland sit right in with the lowest on this list. To make it even more affordable, the city’s minimum wage is two dollars above the federal rate.
Related: What To Do If You Can't Pay Rent
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The top 10 worst cities to live in as a minimum wage worker
10. Arlington, Texas
- Hourly minimum wage: $7.25
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,073
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 148
Arlington leaves no gap between their own minimum wage and the federal mandate, making 148-hour work needed on minimum wage to afford the average one-bedroom rent payment in the city. The good news is Arlington lies between two of Texas’ largest cities, Fort Worth and Dallas, offering many job opportunities.
9. Durham, North Carolina
- Hourly minimum wage: $7.25
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,093
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 150.76
Durham also pays the minimum wage and has a very high rent for a 1-bedroom apartment. However, as a minimum wage worker, you’d have to work almost full-time to afford the monthly rent, let alone other living costs.
8. Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee
- Hourly minimum wage: $7.25
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,162
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 160.34
Another state with a minimum wage of $7.25, and you might have to work multiple jobs to afford the rent here.
7. Charlotte, North Carolina
- Hourly minimum wage: $7.25
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,174
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 161.93
One of the best cities in North Carolina, Charlotte still pays a minimum wage and has a very high rent making it difficult to handle the living expenses through a single job.
6. Irvine, California
- Hourly minimum wage: $7.25
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,174
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 161.93
Irvine leaves no gap between their own minimum wage and that of the federal mandate, making a 161-hour work needed on minimum wage to afford the average one-bedroom rent payment in the city.
5. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Hourly minimum wage: $7.25
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,229
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 169.59
Glassdoor claims that this North Carolina capital is the best city in America for jobs, even at the mandated minimum wage for the country. However, Raleigh’s median base salary is still $55,252.3.
4. Atlanta, Georgia
- Hourly minimum wage: $7.25
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,293
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 178.34
Unfortunately, with the minimum wage mandated by the state, affording a one-bedroom apartment will cost you a 178-hour work per month for just rent — making living comfortably a challenge.
3. Plano, Texas
- Hourly minimum wage: $7.25
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,321
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 182.28
Even with bustling corporations and an ever-increasing job market, Plano still makes a living on a minimum-wage salary difficult due to high rent prices compared to the city's minimum wage rate. Minimum-wage workers can expect to work 37 hours a week just to afford the monthly rent.
2. Austin, Texas
- Hourly minimum wage: $7.25
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,1377
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 190
A stable economic climate, fun and bustling nightlife, and reputable food places make Austin one of the best cities in America to live in. But it is second on the list as the toughest city to live in on a minimum wage salary due to its high rent prices compared to its low minimum wage rates.
1. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
- Hourly minimum wage: $10.10
- Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,948
- Hours you’d need to work each month: 192.87
Urban Honolulu attracts people from across the globe due to its climate, beaches, and bustling nightlife. But its wage is less than dollars over the minimum wage, and the cost of rent is extremely high, making it one of the roughest cities to live in with a minimum wage salary.
WRITTEN BY: JOE ROBERTS
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