I think one thing that would help in this discussion is a realization of how few people actually earn minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is below the wage

I think one thing that would help in this discussion is a realization of how few people actually earn minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is below the wage floor in every major city in the US. Here in San Antonio, Texas, largely considered to be a poorer / lower wage city, typical non-skilled labor is paid between $12-$14/hr starting. While Texas and San Antonio don't have higher legal minimum wages than the federal minimum, effectively nobody is earning the federal minimum because nobody will work for the federal minimum. Even gas station clerks and grocery store shelf stockers in San Antonio make at least $12/hr. The "nice" gas stations pay $14/hr /starting/ and up to $18/hr. This is in one of the lowest cost of living and lowest median earning major cities in the US. It's simply not helpful to compare the bottom legal possible wage to average costs for a two-bedroom rental, when the typical bottom wage is much higher and most individuals earning these wages don't rent a two-bedroom apartment by themselves, they have room-mates or are part of a family unit where the cost of rent is shared.