Report: Three of top 10 least livable cities in U.S. are in Texas: Plano, Dallas, Austin | National

(The Center Square) – Three of the top 10 least affordable cities in America are in Texas: Plano, Dallas, and Austin, a newer one report published by Move.org found. North Carolina has also equated Texas with three of the ten most unaffordable cities in the US

The ten least affordable cities in the US are, according to the report, Atlanta, Plano, Austin, Charlotte, Nashville, Irvine, Raleigh, Dallas, Durham and Orlando.

The cheapest are Bakersfield, California and Tucson, Arizona, followed by Fresno, Detroit, Cleveland, Stockton, Albuquerque, St. Louis, St. Paul and Newark.

The average minimum wage in the 75 cities analyzed is $ 10.40 an hour, and the average rent for one-bedroom apartments is $ 1,040 per month. In most major cities, landlords charge over 60% of monthly gross minimum wage excluding taxes, the report said.

The analysis warns renters “to be wary of locations with a current state minimum of $ 7.25 an hour and high rent – they’re likely to be prohibitive. If you don’t have roommates to help you pay the bills, or you have multiple jobs, consider moving to a nearby town or town with a lower cost. “

In order for minimum wage earners to pay the rent for the average one-room apartment in Plano or Austin, they would have to work more than 163 hours a month, excluding other living expenses like food.

Atlanta is the worst city to work and live as a minimum wage earner, the report said.

Irvine, California has the highest median rent of $ 2,026 per month. Despite the higher minimum wage, rent for low-wage earners is still too expensive, the report said.

Move.org analyzed the 75 most populous cities in the US using data from the US Census Bureau and the Economic Policy Institute. It ranked each city according to how many hours it would take before a tenant could afford the average one-bedroom apartment at the minimum wage.

If the state / city minimum wage was below the state minimum wage, a minimum wage of $ 7.25 was used as the baseline for the analysis.

The rankings did not include costs such as food, insurance, entertainment, and transportation. It also excluded crime data, unemployment rates, access to government services, or other secondary factors.

“Although the cost of living and income level both have an impact on how liveable a city could be,” it says, “the rankings do not necessarily reflect the general quality of life of the residents.”

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