If you show up to work every day and give it your all, you should be able to provide a stable life for your family. It’s the bedrock of the “American Dream” and something many of us were taught from a very young age.
For hundreds of thousands of our neighbors, however, the math simply doesn’t add up anymore. Having a job no longer guarantees you’ll have enough to cover your monthly expenses and housing has become unstable for many.
The Reality of “Impossible Math”
According to the newly released report by Scioto Analysis, nearly 430,000 Oklahoma households, which makes up about 27% of our entire state, are now classified as “housing cost burdened.” To be housing cost burdened, someone is forced to spend more than 30% of their total income on a rent or mortgage and other housing costs.
If you think that’s a manageable number, look closer at our lowest earners. For Oklahomans making less than $35,000 a year, the burden is nearly universal with 87% of these renters qualifying as cost-burdened. When your paycheck is small and the rent is high, what is “budgeting” to some is actually a highly stressful and complicated equation.
The High Cost of Low Wages
When the rent check eats up nearly half of a family’s income, other sacrifices must be made. The report highlights the trade-offs that these cost-burdened families make every single month such as parents skipping meals so their children can eat, skipping healthcare appointments, or being unable to save for emergencies.
This isn’t just a personal struggle; it’s a widespread economic one. Since 2019, housing prices in Oklahoma have surged by 24%, while average incomes have not kept pace. The market has shifted and our workers are running a race where the finish line is constantly moving out of reach for many.
The Solution is Raising the Wage
We have a tool to fix this. Raising Oklahoma’s minimum wage to $15 an hour isn’t just a policy change, it is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans.
The Scioto Analysis simulations show that a $15 wage would be a game-changer for 40,000 households that would immediately see their housing burden drop below that critical 30% threshold. For those severely burdened, people spending more than half their income on rent, we would see a reduction of up to 15%. These are the families currently one car breakdown or injury away from the street.
It’s Time to Balance the Scales
Opponents will say we can’t afford to raise the wage. But the data shows we can’t afford not to. We are currently paying for low wages through record-high homelessness and overcrowded emergency rooms.
Raising the minimum wage to $15 is about ensuring that everyone in our community is able to find a safe place to call home. Let’s stop asking our workers to do the impossible and start paying them a wage that makes a life in Oklahoma actually livable.
To learn more and read the entire report click here.
