See how much a full-time worker in Ohio needs to make to afford a two-bedroom apartment

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) – Full-time workers in Ohio must make nearly $21 an hour to afford a “modest” two-bedroom apartment in the state, a new report claims.

The study, by The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing Ohio and the National Low Income Housing Coalition, states Ohioans must make $20.81 an hour while working a full time job to afford a two-bedroom apartment. This is a 9% increase from last year’s report, which stated Ohioans needed to make $19.09 an hour.

The analysis states the Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Ohio is $1,082. In order to afford rent and utilities without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn $3,608 monthly or $43,293 annually.

Of the 10 jobs with the most employees in the state, only general operations managers and registered nurses earn more than $20.81 an hour, according to the 2024 Out of Reach Ohio report. Fast food workers, stockers, cashiers, retail salespeople, laborers, customer service representatives, assemblers, and home health aides make less than $20 an hour.

At the state’s current minimum wage of $10.45 an hour, an individual would have to work 80 hours a week, or two full-time jobs, in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment, according to the study.

In some Ohio cities, the amount a household must earn in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment is higher than the state average. Renters in Ohio’s three biggest cities need to make more than $20.81, the report says.

In Columbus, renters must make $25.04; in Cleveland, renters must make $21.31; and in Cincinnati, renters must make $22.98. Union County renters also must make more at $24.04 an hour and Akron renters must make $19.98.

The report states Ohio landlords filed nearly 108,00 evictions in 2023, more than any year since 2015. At the same time, homelessness in the state grew by 7%.

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