Looking to rent an apartment in Gwinnett County? You better be making a lot more than minimum wage.
According to a recent report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), the fair market rent for a two-bedroom Gwinnett County apartment is $916. To afford that ("afford" meaning not spending more than 30 percent of one's income on housing cost), a Gwinnettian would need to make $36,640 a year – or $17.62 an hour.
If making the $7.25 minimum wage, a Gwinnett renter would need to work 97 work hours every week to afford the same rental, according to the study, which was based on 2015 data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
According to its website, the NLIHC advocates for preserving existing federal housing resources and expanding the supply of low-income housing, among other things.
Its report, "Out of Reach 2015," examined the national, regional, state and county level trends in the cost of rent versus the average worker’s income.
Though the metro Atlanta housing wage is steep, it's much lower than the national average: $19.35 an hour.
