Federal and state minimum wages are the minimum rates that all covered employers must pay all workers. But that doesn't mean that these rates of pay allow minimum wage workers to afford a decent standard of living and enough money to afford basic needs like food and housing.
Key finding No. 4 in the 2016 Rhode Island Standard of Need (RISN) has proven to be a truism since the first RISN report was published in 2001: Increasing the Rhode Island minimum wage would close the gap between earnings and basic living expenses, especially for single adults.
This is why EPI supports a living wage, which is the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet his or her basic needs. Decent wages are central to economic and social development and to advance social justice. They also play an essential role in reducing poverty and inequality and ensuring a decent and dignified life.