The rich-poor gap in the US has statistically been shown to be growing over the past few decades, and this article helps to provide a picture of this situation in the house renting context. Talking specifically about the minimum-wage workers, Hoffower and Kiersz set out to show that a minimum-wage worker in the US has to work 2.5 jobs to afford a one-bedroom apartment. Even more problematic, they would have to work 3 full-time jobs to afford a two-bedroom rental apartment in most of the US. The national housing wage to rent a two-bedroom apartment is shockingly high at $22.10, which is three times the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Certainly most states may have a higher minimum wage, but the research results in this article maintain that no minimum-wage worker in any state can afford a two-bedroom rental apartment by working the standard 40 hours per week.
While the article itself does not outright propagate any discussion regarding the economic outcomes of economic systems, it may be have provided helpful statistics to the arsenal of those who would prefer the economic system in the US to prioritize equity over, for example, economic growth or efficiency.
Article link: A minimum-wage worker needs 1.5 jobs just to afford half the rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in most of the US
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