New Study Shows How Much Money You’ll Need to Make to Live in Montana
According to a new report published by Out of Reach, the average full time worker in the state of Montana will need to make $13.92 an hour in order to afford a two bedroom apartment.
The study is part of an annual report from the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, which documents the disparity between salaries and the rising costs of housing across the country.
Even though the average Montana resident will need to work full time and make nearly $14 an hour to live, it could be worse. The cost of housing in Montana is relatively low compared to other parts of the country, ranking 41st overall in the nation.
The highest housing costs are in Washington, D.C., where the average full time employee will need to earn over $28 an hour in order to rent a two bedroom apartment. Puerto Rico has the lowest housing cost, requiring a full time employee to make only $10.53 an hour to rent a similar apartment. Among the 50 states, Arkansas has the lowest hourly wage to rental ratio at $12.95.
The report also indicated how many hours a minimum wage employee would need to work in each state in order to afford housing. Here in Montana, those making minimum wage would need to work 54 hours each week in order to live in a two bedroom apartment.