A single adult now needs more than $25 an hour just to get by in Tompkins County, according to The Ithaca Voice.
The latest living wage report sets the number at $25.08 an hour, or about $52,170 a year. That’s a modest 1% bump, but researchers warn rising costs haven’t fully hit the data yet.
Housing remains the biggest expense, while food prices jumped nearly 15% — the sharpest increase. Researchers say about 24,000 workers, nearly half the county’s workforce, earn below that threshold.
County leaders are now studying whether to create a local minimum wage, as experts warn costs are rising faster than pay.
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