2 Jobs Needed To Afford Rent In Washington: Report

SEATTLE, WA - As the saying goes, the rent is too damn high.

In Washington, a person earning minimum wage has to work two full-time jobs to afford a one bedroom apartment. If you don't want to work two full time jobs, you would have to find a job that pays at least $23 per hour ($44,000 per year), according to the annual "Out Of Reach" report by the National Coalition on Low Income Housing (NCLIH).

Even worse, you'd have to work 95 hours per week to pay rent on a two-bedroom apartment, or get a job that pays at least $26 per hours.

No surprise, the most expensive rent in the state is in the Seattle-Bellevue area. A single person has to earn $36 per hour ($69,000 per year) on average to afford a two bedroom. To calculate the hourly wage, NCLIH uses the federal government's standard that renters should spend no more than 30 percent of income on rent.

There are few counties in Washington where one full-time minimum wage job will suffice. Rural Lincoln (west of Spokane) and Wahkiakum (west of Longview) counties are cheapest at $13.40 per hour.

Here's a sample of hourly wages for a two bedroom in various Washington counties, according to the report:

• King County - $36.12
• Pierce County - $22.02
• Snohomish County - $36.12
• Thurston County - $21.54
• Spokane County - $16.67
• Kitsap County - $21.87
• Yakima County - $16.77
• Whatcom County - $19.77

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