Do you know your local living wage?

Do you know your local living wage? At StepUp Wilmington, we urge employers in New Hanover County and beyond to support their employees by offering a living wage. A living wage is the hourly pay that is needed to support a single person or a family’s annual expenses like food, daycare, housing and more.

The living wage in New Hanover County, according to the Living Wage Calculator by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is about $12.32 for a single adult. This number nearly triples to $29.28 for a five-person family or single parent household. The calculator confirms that employers may be unaware that they are providing wages that equate to the poverty line or below, thus making it difficult for their employees to rise above their challenges, regardless of being employed.

StepUp Wilmington aims to educate others and diminish the poverty occurring in our community. If you or someone you know is an employer that is interested in joining our initiative to promote living wages for our neighbors, contact Ally (ally@stepupwilmington.org).

For more information on your local living wage, visit http://livingwage.mit.edu/.