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Want To Upgrade To A Two-Bedroom In Utah? You Need To Make At Least $18 An Hour.

Photo of houses in Park City
ISTOCK/TraceRouda
Even $18 an hour won't get renters as far in Park City, where, according to the report, they need to make about $20 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

A new study shows Utahns have to make about $37,000 a year to afford a two-bedroom apartment without breaking the bank.

To rent a two-bedroom apartment — including utilities — a Utah household needs to make about $18 an hour, according to new research out today from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. To put it in perspective, that number is up 75 cents in the last year, and most renters in Utah make about $14 an hour. The minimum wage is $7.25.

Democratic State Rep. Joel Briscoe said he's worried it's becoming increasingly difficult to find a place to live for low-income people, especially those who are exiting homelessness.   

“This is not a Utah issue, this is like the opioid crisis. This is nationwide,” Briscoe said. “But Utah can’t ignore this and we can’t wish this away. Magical thinking is not going to produce more affordable housing in Utah.”

Briscoe is calling for more state funding for affordable housing, and he noted Massachusetts recently bonded $2 billion for housing in that state.

Utah’s faced an affordable housing shortage for some time. Lawmakers went into the 2018 legislative session knowing the state had a 40,000-unit affordable housing gap, but left without taking meaningful action. Plus, housing vacancies are at historic lows in Salt Lake City.

Briscoe said zoning laws are also a barrier: A lot of neighborhoods don’t allow for multi-family housing.

Ashley Hoopes is Executive Director of Circles Salt Lake where she helps connect low-income families to resources that help lift them out of poverty.

“When you have zoning that exists that doesn’t allow for people to rent their basement apartment or their mother-in-law apartment or put an apartment over the garage, it really prevents these families from having a chance,” Hoopes said.

Utah’s doing slightly better than some of its Western neighbors.

According to the recent study, Colorado renters need to make about $24 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment. In Nevada and Arizona it’s about $19 an hour.

 
 

Whittney Evans grew up southern Ohio and has worked in public radio since 2005. She has a communications degree from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, where she learned the ropes of reporting, producing and hosting. Whittney moved to Utah in 2009 where she became a reporter, producer and morning host at KCPW. Her reporting ranges from the hyper-local issues affecting Salt Lake City residents, to state-wide issues of national interest. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the guitar and getting to know the breathtaking landscape of the Mountain West.
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