The living wage gap: State by state

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and an employee of mapping technology company Esri released an updated version of the Living Wage Calculator, which compares the difference between the estimated cost of living and current minimum wage for every county in the U.S.

In the Springfield metropolitan statistical area, the gap between the living wage of more than $21 per hour  – based on a family of four – and current minimum wage of $7.50 per hour hovered between $13.53 in Polk and Dallas counties and $13.88 in Greene, Christian and Webster counties.

The largest gap is more than $20 per hour in four Virginia counties around Washington, D.C, where the minimum wage is $7.25. The gap was lowest overall in Washington state, where the difference is less than $13 dollars in the majority of counties.

Read more from The Atlantic.