The Federal minimum wage is irrelevant here, since Massachusetts law institutes a higher $15/hour rate. As you point out, even that higher wage isn’t enough to

The Federal minimum wage is irrelevant here, since Massachusetts law institutes a higher $15/hour rate. As you point out, even that higher wage isn’t enough to live on. A more robust estimate suggests that the living wage is actually $22.59 in this area. https://livingwage.mit.edu/metros/14460 https://livingwage.mit.edu/metros/14460