Making Ends Meet

"According to an analysis by New Jersey Policy Perspective, a New Jersey family with one child needs a wage of $20.07 an hour to make ends meet. According to the nonprofit think tank, there’s quite a range between the state’s 21 counties — from $17.32 an hour for workers in Camden to $22.26 in Hunterdon. A boost of the minimum wage 'would inject $3.9 billion into the state’s economy and help over 1 million workers better afford their needs,' according to NJPP. 'Today, there is no region of the state where a single worker with no children can afford basic necessities while making less than $15 per hour. The costs of transportation, food and rent are simply too high for a minimum wage worker to afford without suffering in poverty.'”

The rest of the story:
Of Safaris, Dungeons and Dragons, and the Real World of the Working Poor by Bob Hennelly (Insider NJ)