Insider – Imagine you just worked a 111-hour week. That’s what many workers in 4 US cities would have to do to afford rent.

By Jason Lalljee, October 22, 2022

In the city that never sleeps, some workers literally can’t because they need to work to afford a place to live. 

That’s according to a July study by United Way of the National Capital Area, based on data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). The non-profit group found that workers earning the city’s minimum wage — $15 an hour — would need to work 111 hours per week to afford a one bedroom rental at a “fair market” price, which the NLIHC defines as $1,693 per month for New York. When looking at affordability for minimum wage workers, the United Way researchers say that even a fair-market price is out of reach based on their current rate of pay.