Living Wage Report
Beginning in 2016, The University of Scranton and The Institute set out to understand better what constitutes a living wage in Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA). The initial 2016 Living Wage report found that the federal minimum wage of $7.25 proved inadequate to enable families in the region to reach a living wage threshold where they can meet their “essential basic needs and live a modest but dignified life.”
Living Wage Report 2022 Update
The Living Wage Study 2022, a project of The Institute and The University of Scranton, seeks to understand better what constitutes a living wage in Northeastern Pennsylvania using the MIT Living Wage calculator, other national and regional data, and connecting this data with input from community agencies and insights from Catholic Social Teaching. A living wage, and the broader concept of family economic security, is defined as the wage rate at which a worker, employed on a full-time basis, can reach a standard of living that meets essential basic needs and allows the individual or family to live a modest but dignified life. The 2022 Report outlines the living wage threshold for various family compositions in NEPA and compares it to previous data, details the increases in costs of living, explains some of the major challenges facing those who fall below the living wage threshold, and especially highlights contributing factors – in particular, racial disparities and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policies on economic security.
The 2022 Living Wage Report is a collaboration of The Institute and The University of Scranton (Office of Community and Government Relations, the Ellacuría Initiative and the Department of Political Science).
The 2022 Living Wage Report was released at a State of Scranton seminar on Nov. 29 from 11:30-1 pm. The 2022 updated reported can be accessed as a PDF document here that can be downloaded and shared.
Resources for 2022 Report:
2022 Report Overview Summary
University Press Release
Videos: Living Wage Report 2022: Interviews & Perspectives
Perspectives Shared by Interviewees Mary and Donna
In The News
Living Wage Report 2022: Interviews
Special thanks to interviewees, Caitlin, Yvonne, Ronnie and Jenny, and to collaborating organizations Agency for Community Empowerment, Outreach, and NeighborWorks NEPA.
Community Voices on Living Wage Study 2022: Caitlin
Community Voices on Living Wage Study 2022: Yvonne
Community Voices on Living Wage Study 2022: Ronnie
Community Voices on Living Wage Study 2022: Jenny
In The News
Study Finds Wage Gap Widening In NEPA - Scranton Times-Tribune
Study Shows Living Wage For Families In NEPA Have Increased by 39% Since 2019 - Fox 56
Scranton Economic Forum Raises Discrimination Diversity Issues - Scranton Times-Tribune
Living Wage Report 2019 Update
The 2019 update to the Living Wage Report shed light on how conditions changed, as families in NEPA continued to confront severe economic challenges and poverty. While there were many families that fall below the standard measure of poverty – the federal poverty line – there were also many that work full-time but earn less than a living wage. Individuals and families lack economic security in both cases; but the latter found themselves in an ambiguous situation, which this report seeks to expand upon.
In order for families to meet basic needs, living wage data accounts for the estimated costs of several categories of household spending in NEPA today: food, childcare, medical care, housing, transportation, taxes, and other expenses. This 2019 report catalogues challenges posed by various cost increases and details how the living wage threshold has increased; it includes policy recommendations rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and updated to reflect changed over the three years from the original report in 2016 to the 2019 update.
Page Contents for 2019 Report:
Report Executive Summary
University Press Release
Living Wage Nov. 2019 Seminar Discussion Summary
Video: Remarks by Scott Pilarz, S.J. and special interviews with individuals who have experienced economic insecurity
Video: Interview with Heather
Video: Interview with Billie
Additional Resources
In The News
Related Information Resources
- ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) in Lackawanna County Report, United Way of Pennsylvania, 2017
- Catholic Charities USA Statements and Letters
- Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development, 2019 Indicators Report
- Lackawanna County Comprehensive Blight Strategy, Lackawanna County Land Bank and Neighborworks Northeastern Pennsylvania, December 2018
- Leading National Organizations in Housing, Health, Education, Civil Rights, and More Release Plan to Tackle America’s Affordable Housing Crisis, January 2019
- National Low Income Housing Coalition, Out of Reach 2019, Pennsylvania Data
- (Re)Building Downtown: A Guidebook for Revitalization, Smart Growth America, December 2015
- Poverty Listening Tour Report – PA State Senate
In The News
- Many in NEPA still struggling to earn living wage – Scranton Times Tribune
- Living Wage Study cited in report on Unemployment – Fox 56 News
