Comment on Gap persists between renters’ incomes and housing costs in Maine, study shows

The BDN is making the most crucial coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact in Maine free for all readers. Click here for all coronavirus stories. You can join others committed to safeguarding this vital public service by purchasing a subscription or donating directly to the newsroom. Low-income wage earners, many of whom have served as essential workers during the pandemic, would have to work more than one job to afford their rental apartments and some could lose their homes once eviction restraints are lifted, a national study released Tuesday found. A worker earning the federal or prevailing state or local minimum wage anywhere in the United States cannot afford an average two-bedroom rental home at fair market rent by working a standard 40-hour work week, according to the annual National Low Income Housing Coalition study based on the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.