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So where does it level off for the local residents and gig workers? Very sad to see such blatant disregard and the sellout of the local population to retirees and outside $$$
Firefighters earning less than $15 hr with three years of COL increases and no end in sight? Closing in on a $40k annual salary just to meet the basic living needs for a life lived in BC / AVL is simply ridiculous.
I made $8.50 an hour as an intern at Nortel in RTP in 1989, and I thought it was pretty good money at the time (compared to the $4.50/hr job as a courier that I'd held before.) Wouldn't $17/hr today, adjusted for inflation be comparable?
Heck, it's probably possible even today, to live in Shelby or Marion for $12/hr. Asheville is more expensive because there are more amenities... What's the surprise here?
I made $8.50 an hour as an intern at Nortel in RTP in 1989, and I thought it was pretty good money at the time (compared to the $4.50/hr job as a courier that I'd held before.) Wouldn't $17/hr today, adjusted for inflation be comparable?
Heck, it's probably possible even today, to live in Shelby or Marion for $12/hr. Asheville is more expensive because there are more amenities... What's the surprise here?
WOW Just like New York City. Skyscrapers and everything. Why not $ 30.00 an hour ?
So where does it level off for the local residents and gig workers?
ANYONE depending on a low wage job NEED's to be part of a larger household with additional earners.
The ONLY question is one of how many others they'll need to share with.
NO one has ever been expected to maintain their own home on low income.
Their egotism or even aspiration for independence don't enter the equation.
THAT is where it levels off. Got it?
TBH, BC and AVL do not have enough going for it to support that level of living wage (for anyone else other than, you guessed it ... retirees.) You find that out very fast after moving there and the newness of your surroundings wears off.
Piling in roommates or HH members changes nothing and only increases what’s needed to make ends meet. Add in the fact that most in the area don’t even come close to making a $17+ living wage (or even the previous $15.50 LW) and reality starts to kick in.
How many people are expected to share the average 1 bedroom apartment for nearly $1,100 per month? You can forget home ownership while also forgetting saving anything for your later years. Just to live in BC or AVL? No thanks.
Last edited by VinceTheExplorer; 02-19-2021 at 04:34 AM..
TBH, BC and AVL ...
Piling in roommates or HH members...
The specific location is immaterial. The axioms apply rather universally.
Gross less 35% (F&S Income tax, FICA etc, Save/Invest commitment) = Net Income
Net Income amount ÷52 weeks per year = The budgeting multiplier
Fill in your own specific numbers. See where you are.
eg: At $17/hr x2080 ($ 35,360) -35% ($22,984) ÷52 = $ 442 weekly net
How many of these WEEKLY net amounts should anyone be willing to spend on a MONTHLY budget item (like housing)?
... At $17/hr x2080 ($ 35,360) -35% ($22,984) ÷52 = $ 442 weekly net
How many of these WEEKLY net amounts should anyone be willing to spend on a MONTHLY budget item (like housing)?
Forget the $17 LW as realistic numbers for income are more like $10 to $12 in the Buncombe County / Asheville area. Numbers are more inline with ...
$12 hr (12 x 2080) = $24,960 annual salary for 40 hrs weekly
$24,960 less taxes, SS and such (avg 15%) = #21,216
$21,216 averaged out over a 12 month period = $1,768 per month
An operating budget of $1,768 per month for 40 hours worked per week (a combination of jobs for many) isn't squat when factoring in everything needed to survive (housing, food, utilities, modest entertainment). Forget saving anything significant like a down payment for a house and such, and that's before accounting for things like healthcare which most gig and low income workers do not have. Get behind on any of the above and you can forget about getting caught back up.
In my "throwing caution to the wind days" numbers like the above wouldn't have existed in my head, but once I started a family and landed a real career with a real salary they quickly became very clear to me. Now in the accumulation phase of our lives, looking at what local salaries provide against living wages is very disturbing, especially when they rise significantly over a three year period.
Last edited by VinceTheExplorer; 02-19-2021 at 05:48 AM..
My opinion is it will lead to more automation to eliminate staff and closures. Small businesses are barely keeping it together now, some may not be able to handle this. Not sure it is the right time during the pandemic to talk about raising it. Not when I see my local places suffering. We do fundraising just to keep some restaurants and bars open right now. Just my 2 cents.
My opinion is it will lead to more automation to eliminate staff and closures. Small businesses are barely keeping it together now, some may not be able to handle this. Not sure it is the right time during the pandemic to talk about raising it. Not when I see my local places suffering. We do fundraising just to keep some restaurants and bars open right now. Just my 2 cents.
I couldn’t agree more. Many businesses have closed and the those still around are walking a very narrow line trying to stay open.
Believe that our current administration could care less about the well being of the middle class and small business. Covid was just a catapult to remove the former president and whittle down small business owners and the average American worker.
Keep them home and replace them with machines ... or pay them $17 per hour and watch your business fold right before your eyes.
An operating budget of $1,768 per month ...isn't squat
Agreed. So how many housemates do they have? When are they getting better jobs?
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