A new study finds that renters must earn an hourly wage of $28.42 to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rates in Maine.
But for many Maine renters, their wages far fall below that.
The report, from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, calculates what's known as the state's housing wage — the full-time wages that a renter would need to earn to afford a two-bedroom home without paying more than 30% of their income on housing and utilities.
The coalition also analyzed wages for Maine's most common occupations and found that few earn income high enough to afford a two-bedroom rental.
Registered nurses and those in basic business supervisory roles meet the threshold. Child care workers, home health aides and food service workers are among those whose wages fall far below the average "housing wage."
On average, Maine renters earn $17.53 an hour, according to the report. And for those who earn Maine's minimum wage of $14.65 an hour, renters must work almost two full-time jobs, or 78 hours a week, to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent.
In other parts of the state, the income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental is much higher. In the Portland metro area, for example, renters must earn $38.67. In Sagadahoc County, renters must make an hourly wage of at least $27.60.
About one-quarter of Maine households are renters, the National Low Income Housing Coalition noted.
Overall, the study ranks Maine as having the 26th highest "housing wages" in the country.
