> In 2019, the affordability crisis has plunged to new depths. Last year, the average worker making the federal wage minimum of $7.25 per hour had to work 122 hours a week, every single week, to afford an average two-bedroom apartment.
The point being made earlier in the thread is the comparison is between the middle and the tail, not the tail earners and the tail quality 2-bed room apartment.
There are many counties across America where a low-end two bedroom can be found for substantially less than that $377. These claims only make sense if they refer to median prices.
For example:
https://joplin.craigslist.org/apa/d/joplin-2br-1bath-apartme...
https://seks.craigslist.org/apa/d/pittsburg-1913-elm-complex...
The claim 'there is not one U.S. state, metropolitan area, or county in which a minimum wage worker who clocks 40 hours a week can afford a two-bedroom apartment' is simply incorrect.
They don't seem to qualify it - they simply say 'there is not one U.S. state, metropolitan area, or county in which a minimum wage worker who clocks 40 hours a week can afford a two-bedroom apartment'. They don't use the term 'median' anywhere apart from talking about other articles. The report they link to talks about 'fair market rate' - not sure who decides what's fair and what isn't.