What is a living wage?

That’s what the researchers at MIT wanted to know.   How much is a – –   ” living wage”?

They recently completed their study for every county in the United States.  They obtained data from every single county comprised of the cost of housing, food costs, health care costs, transportation and other expenses.   They determined what an individual would need to make in order to pay those related costs.   They determined it for an individual, a couple and a couple with a child.

For an individual to meet those living expenses it would take $15.50 an hour in King County based on a 40-hour work week..   The cost in Thurston County was $10.25. The highest cost of living in Washington was in the Puget Sound area.   The lowest cost of living was in the rural counties of Eastern Washington.

Government officials, wrestling with a “living wage”  would do well to recognize that a “living wage” varies from county to county and even from city to city.

The complete study can be accessed on the MIT web page.