May 20, 2015
Philadelphia minimum wage workers earn $7.25 per hour, the minimum rate required by federal law.
But when adjusted for cost of living, minimum wage workers are making just $6.08, according to an analysis conducted by FiveThirtyEight.com.
In light of Los Angeles deciding to raise its minimum wage rate to $15 hourly by 2020, FiveThirtyEight.com adjusted the minimum wage rates of 25 major cities for the cost of living.
Philadelphia fared better only than San Jose and New York, which the analysis divided into Manhattan and Brooklyn.
In Manhattan, where the minimum wage rate is $8.75 per hour, workers receive just $3.86 per hour when adjusted for cost of living, the lowest among the cities analyzed.
Columbus, Ohio, had the best rate. It's $8.10 minimum wage rate equated to $8.91 when adjusted for inflation. It was one of 13 cities where the cost-of-living adjusted rate outperformed the actual minimum wage.
Earlier this month, protesters marched in West Philadelphia, urging the state legislature to raise Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $15 per hour.
For the full report, click here.
