Politics & Government
For Many North Shore Workers, Rent Is 'Out Of Reach': Report
A new report shows the wage needed to rent a modest two-bedroom apartment on the North Shore is higher than state and national averages.
SALEM, MA — A new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows that rents for modest one- and two-bedroom apartments on the North Shore are above the state average.
The report, titled "Out Of Reach," ranks zip codes by the hourly wage a person would need to earn to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment without spending more than 30 percent of his or her income on housing.
Nationally, the hourly wage is $23.96. In Massachusetts, that wage was $35.52 per hour, the third highest in the nation. The report also said a minimum-wage worker in Massachusetts would need to work 111 hours per week to afford that same apartment.
Find out what's happening in Salemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
And on the North Shore, most communities had wages higher than the state average:
| City/Town | Hourly wage needed to afford 2-bedroom apartment | Hourly wage needed to afford 1-bedroom apartment |
| Beverly | $38.08 | $31.35 |
| Danvers | $39.81 | $32.69 |
| Hamilton | $38.08 | $31.35 |
| Lynnfield | $45.19 | $37.12 |
| Marblehead | $42.12 | $34.62 |
| Peabody | $39.62 | $32.50 |
| Salem | $38.08 | $31.35 |
| Swampscott | $44.62 | $36.73 |
| Wenham | $38.08 | $31.35 |
| State Average | $35.52 | N/A |
The Coalition set up an interactive, online map where you can enter zip codes to find more data on each community, as well as data for towns not listed above.
Find out what's happening in Salemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
