What's a living wage in Detroit? What are obstacles to employment?

[frostbyter]

Hi, I've never been to Detroit, so I don't know much about the cost of living there. But I'm curious to find out from people who live there how much a single parent of, say, two young children needs to earn in order to live modestly but independently? $10/hour? $20/hour?

Also, what are some of the obstacles to employment confronting a lot of the unemployed in Detroit? This is a huge, complex problem, I know. But one way to solve it is to eliminate the obstacles that prevent people from working. Before you can eliminate the obstacles, you have to first identify them. From what I've been reading regarding Detroit, here are the obstacles that I know of:

Illiteracy
lack of personal transportation
auto insurance too expensive
unreliable public transportation
lack of jobs for unskilled labor

But I'm curious if other obstacles exist? Like, a lot of people are having problems with water shutoffs, so I was wondering if lack of access to bathing and laundry facilities is also a significant obstacle to employment for many in Detroit.

What about access to affordable child care? Is it cheap or super expensive to have your kid in daycare? Are there enough daycare centers around?

Or, what about training opportunities? If people are motivated, are there enough resources available for them to improve their skills? Or get an education?

Please share your insight. Thanks.

[chuckles]

$15.00per hour or $30000 year minimum...
Positives...Riverfront, River use, Sports, Ethnic diversity, Cultural events ...
Negatives...High crime, no local malls or Grocery stores, too much welfare, poverty, etc

[313WX]

$20/hr, at least [[assuming you have full benefits).

$15/hr would only be livable if you don't have kids, don't need health insurance, car insurance and don't have to pay city taxes.

[Honky Tonk]

What Are Obstacles To Employment?

No jobs?

[middetres]

What am I doing wrong? I average about $25/hour. I'm single, no kids, and I barely get by. I couldn't imagine making less and having 2 kids to support. At this point even getting a dog would be a financial burden...

[chuckles]

Move out of the Penthouse, sell the Ferrai, sell the Yacht, stop eating out every night, cut back on the weekend partying, quit buying the expensive suits, knock it down a few notches.
$50 grand I plenty...

[Spartan]

What am I doing wrong? I average about $25/hour. I'm single, no kids, and I barely get by. I couldn't imagine making less and having 2 kids to support. At this point even getting a dog would be a financial burden...

I would say you're spending too much money...

[sumas]

Being frugal works.

There are some great schools with affordable latch key programs. Housing is cheap but going up. Public transit sucks. Car insurance insane. I've owned my fair share of beaters.

I love my city but it is not for everyone.

[Spartan]

...I'm curious to find out from people who live there how much a single parent of, say, two young children needs to earn in order to live modestly but independently? $10/hour? $20/hour?

I would argue that number is around $20/hr or $30k salary with benefits. Detroit overall has a fairly low cost of living, but obviously there are areas that you wouldn't want to raise a family. $30k salary would provide somewhere around $1750 per month. Factoring in about $1000 for rent, $300 for food and other necessities, $250-300 for car ownership, you are left with about $150-200 per month for leisure and luxury expenses, which I think is a reasonable amount. To live "comfortably," I think somewhere around 40k would be the minimum.

Also, what are some of the obstacles to employment confronting a lot of the unemployed in Detroit?

I think there are three main factors:

1. A disconnect between the job market and the workforce. There are plenty of jobs in certain industries, but they don't match up with the workforce available in the area. The region was built on labor and industry, but as those jobs have vanished, the people who held those positions are left a bit out in the cold. Due to the poor economy, the state has experienced a lot of "brain drain" leaving the jobs available without qualified applicants. It's not so much a lack of jobs or a lack of workers, but more that the two don't overlap enough.

2. Difficulty of transportation. Due to high insurance costs and lack of reliable public transportation, it can be difficult for many people to get to work. Even if the jobs and the workforce matched in the region, they would have to be in the same vicinity so the workers can get there reliably [[without having to walk 21 miles per day).

3. Poor education. This causes two problems: people who have secure employment and bring in higher tax dollars tend to move farther outside the core of the region, spreading out wealth. Second, it causes the employable workforce to decrease significantly. People who grew up here don't receive the education necessary to reload the workforce every few years. I believe one of the top reasons that Detroit has fallen as hard as it has is a lack of top-level and diversity of university education in the city.

[Honky Tonk]

What am I doing wrong? I average about $25/hour. I'm single, no kids, and I barely get by. I couldn't imagine making less and having 2 kids to support. At this point even getting a dog would be a financial burden...

It's those $100 wallets.....

[Wesley Mouch]

...Also, what are some of the obstacles to employment confronting a lot of the unemployed in Detroit? This is a huge, complex problem, I know. But one way to solve it is to eliminate the obstacles that prevent people from working. Before you can eliminate the obstacles, you have to first identify them. From what I've been reading regarding Detroit, here are the obstacles that I know of:

Illiteracy
lack of personal transportation
auto insurance too expensive
unreliable public transportation
lack of jobs for unskilled labor

But I'm curious if other obstacles exist? Like, a lot of people are having problems with water shutoffs, so I was wondering if lack of access to bathing and laundry facilities is also a significant obstacle to employment for many in Detroit.

What about access to affordable child care? Is it cheap or super expensive to have your kid in daycare? Are there enough daycare centers around?

Or, what about training opportunities? If people are motivated, are there enough resources available for them to improve their skills? Or get an education?

Please share your insight. Thanks.

I'd add to your list...
-poor public school system
-reverse racism attitude
-populist politicians who prefer to chase unicorns like residency requirements rather than school reform
-rigid skilled labor market with high degree of control by unions against the low-skilled

And no, water shut-offs is not a widespread problem. It was just a political football being tossed around. Water is quite cheap in Detroit and high quality, as you might expect when you realize that we probably have the highest flow of [[nearly) drinkable freshwater passing Detroit in the river of any major city in North America except perhaps Montreal. The big problem was that the water system was delinquent in doing turnoffs for non-payment in the past, and radical anti-corporate nuts used a minor issue to generate mistrust.

[Dan Wesson]

Hi, I've never been to Detroit, so I don't know much about the cost of living there. But I'm curious to find out from people who live there how much a single parent of, say, two young children needs to earn in order to live modestly but independently? $10/hour? $20/hour?

Question for you. Why Detroit?

[ndavies]

There are numerous cost of living comparison tools on the web.

Here's one:
http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/

Type in the city you live in, your wages and the city you want to live in. It will tell you how much you need to earn to keep the same lifestyle.

If you have a STEM degree there are huge numbers of job opening in the near suburbs. There's big demand for programmers, engineers and health care professionals. [[However those people are in demand across the country and you may get a better job somewhere else.)

[night-timer]

Perhaps focus on what you 'bring to the table' to make yourself desirable to employers. The fact that the bus service is bad - or that some Detroiters are "illiterate" as you say - should have no impact on your own ability to find a job.

[Dan Wesson]

Perhaps focus on what you 'bring to the table' to make yourself desirable to employers. The fact that the bus service is bad - or that some Detroiters are "illiterate" as you say - should have no impact on your own ability to find a job.

^^^^ This

Thumbs up, Night-timer

[Dan Wesson]

As a single mother with two young'uns if you play the game well you could do quite well...

[Gpwrangler]

There are numerous cost of living comparison tools on the web.

Here's one:
http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/

Type in the city you live in, your wages and the city you want to live in. It will tell you how much you need to earn to keep the same lifestyle.

If you have a STEM degree there are huge numbers of job opening in the near suburbs. There's big demand for programmers, engineers and health care professionals. [[However those people are in demand across the country and you may get a better job somewhere else.)

STEM jobs are out there but most are in the suburbs, 15 or 20 mile commute from Detroit. Figure $1500 a month just to own and insure a car. Add on from there.

[Shai_Hulud]

STEM jobs are out there but most are in the suburbs, 15 or 20 mile commute from Detroit. Figure $1500 a month just to own and insure a car. Add on from there.

How do you get $1,500 a month? With two adult drivers and one new car with full coverage, and one with liability in Detroit my premium wasn't quite $300 a month.

[313WX]

STEM jobs are out there but most are in the suburbs, 15 or 20 mile commute from Detroit.

And they're not plentiful.

I know several people within the past year who moved back here to find a job and ended up disappointed.

[Scottathew]

What am I doing wrong? I average about $25/hour. I'm single, no kids, and I barely get by. I couldn't imagine making less and having 2 kids to support. At this point even getting a dog would be a financial burden...

Cut cable. Cut your home phone line. Go to a cheap cellular plan like Republic Wireless. Never buy a new car or lease a car; always buy used. Don't go to the movie theater, borrow movies for free from the library. Don't eat out.

I do all those things, I live a happy fulfilled life, and I'm saving money hand over fist for retirement.

[Gpwrangler]

How do you get $1,500 a month? With two adult drivers and one new car with full coverage, and one with liability in Detroit my premium wasn't quite $300 a month.

Car payment, fuel, insurance. For the average person. I don't pay that much but I fix what I drive and can afford to buy used and keep them to 200k miles plus.

[Gpwrangler]

And they're not plentiful.

I know several people within the past year who moved back here to find a job and ended up disappointed.

Engineers and technicians, and skilled trades, are in high demand right now.

[ABetterDetroit]

Engineers and technicians, and skilled trades, are in high demand right now.

The truth is the list is a lot longer than this.

But it still won't change the fact that "I want to be"
degrees or warm bodies are not in high demand in the current economy.

Education and or skills in a marketable field is more critical than ever.

[Gpwrangler]

The truth is the list is a lot longer than this.

But it still won't change the fact that "I want to be"
degrees or warm bodies are not in high demand in the current economy.

Education and or skills in a marketable field is more critical than ever.

Kids need to remember this when making choices early in life. I still remember being ridiculed for being a nerd...

[G-DDT]

Get eyes in the back of your head, and develop a good knack for getting a lot of walking in [[believe it or not, Detroit is quite spacious, so any criminal on foot-by car, is a different matter-you may see coming a mile away. Don't be surprised if folks come off reserved and distant). Never rent furniture. Save those deposit bottles! Watch what you sign [[or sign-up) for-thus, read up a lot on tenant's rights, worker's [[especially if in a union and have medical benefits) rights, and legal rights. If driving, develop a good knack for being constant, assertive, attentive, and able to maneuver adeptly [[especially around potholes) around town.

If you're "Freegan", come to Dearborn [[with large car) on July 25th to see what folks "kick to the curb". Better still, check out Ann Arbor when classes get out really soon. College towns toss out lots of furniture, office furniture [[and supplies), computers, refrigerators [[even if they're the small ones), clean, pressed clothes with the tags still on them, backpacks, etc. Just have the room in a vehicle to store [[U-Haul?) it all, and know where to skulk about freely and where not to, when checking out where the kids dump everything.