A recent study reveals a troubling reality for Pennsylvania workers: they must earn three times the state’s minimum wage of $7.25 per hour—or $22.91 hourly—just to afford basic living expenses.
The research, conducted by growth experts at Artios, compared the federal and state minimum wages with the actual cost of living across the U.S., using data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator. This tool estimates the hourly wage a full-time worker must earn to meet essential needs—such as housing, food, healthcare, and transportation—without relying on public assistance.
The findings show that all 50 states have minimum wages that fall short of covering basic necessities. Even more alarming, 18 states, including Pennsylvania, require workers to earn roughly triple the federal minimum wage of $7.25 to survive. These states include Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.
This growing wage gap highlights the urgent need for policy reform to ensure that full-time workers can live with dignity and economic security.