HOUSING WAGE' STEEP
IN LOCAL COUNTIES
An annual nationwide study found that rental rates continued to outstrip wages in many metro areas, and that in no county in the country could a full-time worker earning the federal minimum wage ($5.15) afford to rent a one-bedroom place by him or herself. The study assumed renters should pay no more than 30 percent of their income for housing expenses. The chart shows how much a worker needs to make an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the "fair market rent" as gauged by the federal government for each county. San Francisco and San Mateo tie for fourth place on the list of the nation's most expensive counties for renting. Honolulu County is the most costly.
COUNTY HOUSING WAGE
Alameda $23.83
Contra Costa $23.83
San Francisco $30.62
San Mateo $30.62
Santa Clara $24.87
Santa Cruz $28.71
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