Determining how much income it takes just to make a “living wage” can be difficult, but a program developed by MIT does just that.
A “Living Wage Calculator” hosted by MIT found that the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is nowhere close to a “living wage” in any county.
“Living wage” is the amount of money “an individual who is the sole provider and working full time must earn in order to support his or her family by covering basic expenses at a bare-bones level.” They also show a “poverty wage,” which has been calculated to an hourly rate for comparison’s sake.
The living wage for one adult with one child is estimated at $21.42 per hour for both Jefferson and Clarion Counties. Clearfield checked in at $22.18 and Indiana County was estimated at $21.72 per hour,
The poverty wage is considered to be $7.81. The actual minimum wage in Pennsylvania is $7.25.
For more information check out LivingWage.mit.edu.
