This week, the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released Out of Reach 2015, a report emphasizing the need for affordable housing across our country. Along with the report, the NLIHC created an interactive website through which the data can be explored.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ranked twentieth most expensive for a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent. In our state, the calculated wage to afford a two-bedroom apartment is $17.57 per hour.
A worker making minimum wage in Pennsylvania must work seventy-eight hours per week to afford a one-bedroom apartment or ninety-seven hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment without paying over 30 percent of their income.
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington Metro Service Area remains significantly more expensive than other areas of the state, with the hourly wage necessary to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent at $22.32 per hour.
While housing in Pennsylvania remains more affordable than in some of our neighboring states, the message is clear: we must do better.