There are tons of Minimum Wage Workers in Northern VA (middle-class, 2015)

[Ffxdata]

Also, as someone who worked a minimum wage job in Texas ($7.25 and a whole $8.03 after 5 years of raises!!!!), $15,000 a year before taxes does not a middle class wage make.

[dkf747]

Wet mans, Target, Giant, and other places pay better that that.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by Ffxdata

Also, as someone who worked a minimum wage job in Texas ($7.25 and a whole $8.03 after 5 years of raises!!!!), $15,000 a year before taxes does not a middle class wage make.

You mean all the low-paying, part-time jobs being created in Texas without health insurance aren't just wonderful?!

[my post]

Originally Posted by gomason

You mean all the low-paying, part-time jobs being created in Texas without health insurance aren't just wonderful?!

When I was in Texas where you can get a nice apartment for $500 a month, I saw so many help wanted signs looking for workers and they seemed like they were in competition with each other. $11 an hour at McDonalds, $12 an hour at Wendy's and $15 to start for unskilled workers at the factory.

The local MCDonalds in Arlington is proud to be offering $8.25 in a place where apartments cost $3000 a month!

[Ffxdata]

Originally Posted by my post

When I was in Texas where you can get a nice apartment for $500 a month, I saw so many help wanted signs looking for workers and they seemed like they were in competition with each other. $11 an hour at McDonalds, $12 an hour at Wendy's and $15 to start for unskilled workers at the factory.

The local MCDonalds in Arlington is proud to be offering $8.25 in a place where apartments cost $3000 a month!

I lived for $700 a month on the wrong side of the highway with drug dealer neighbors. I had a roommate. And Target did not offer me health insurance. My now spouse was working as a Starbucks manager for $20k a year and spending $650 on a cockroach infested apartment.

Also, I doubt the people making $8.25 are the ones renting for $3k a month.

When I was in Texas two weeks ago, people were struggling in many ways since the oil and gas industry is tanking.

Either way- minimum wage jobs in Texas do not equal a middle class lifestyle.

[gomason]

You can get a 2BR apartment in Arlington for $1900 and split it between at least 4 people. And a lot of the poorer people do that in the garden apartments near the intersection of Pershing Drive and Glebe Road as well as the garden apartments off of Columbia Pike.

Obviously it's not ideal but people on minimum wage make it work.

[my post]

Originally Posted by gomason

You can get a 2BR apartment in Arlington for $1900 and split it between at least 4 people. And a lot of the poorer people do that in the garden apartments near the intersection of Pershing Drive and Glebe Road as well as the garden apartments off of Columbia Pike.

Obviously it's not ideal but people on minimum wage make it work.

But you can get an even nicer apartment in Dallas TX for $700 and earn pretty much the same money. Why decide to live in NVA if you are low income?

[airjay75]

I really don't think it's probably all that fun anywhere in this country to live on the minimum wage or employed in low skill service sector positions. Maybe it's a little easier to make ends meet in some lower cost places, but such jobs leave little room for wealth accumulation on any kind, which means you're pretty much just spinning your wheels living pay check to paycheck. And I don't think many people in these sorts of jobs have the means of any kind (absent help from family) to relocate to lower cost of living jurisdictions. Not saying I have any answers, but I think this discussion sort of misses the bigger picture.

[Ffxdata]

Originally Posted by my post

But you can get an even nicer apartment in Dallas TX for $700 and earn pretty much the same money. Why decide to live in NVA if you are low income?

Because not everyone can even afford to move. Moving costs thousands of dollars. Even if you are only driving one car stuffed with everything you own, it takes hundreds in gas and motel bills. And not everyone can live in Dallas (where you are not going to find an apartment that cheap in a place you want to live) where there is no public transit. Living in most of the US--especially Texas--requires a reliable car which not everyone owns or can afford. And they may not have family or social support in the new location that they did have here.

I feel like you just aren't getting it.

[my post]

I was down in Richmond a few months ago, great job market and low cost of living. The working poor would do much better there than in Northern VA.