(CENTRALIA, WA) -- A person earning minimum wage would have to work 75 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Washington state. That’s according to the new report, “Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing.”
The annual analysis of the rental market finds Washingtonians would need to earn nearly 27 dollars per hour to afford a two-bedroom place to live.
Rachael Myers is head of the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance, which released the report alongside its national partner. She believes the growing issue of homelessness on the West Coast is directly related to skyrocketing housing costs. Rents in rural Washington have not risen as fast as in other parts of the state, but Myers says it’s also harder to find jobs in those places.
