I'm missing some definitions here. Not sure if I didn't see something, but what are they assuming in terms of number of hours/week and what does "two-bedroom housing wage" mean: is this just the wage at x hours/week that allows you to rent the average 2BR or does it include some other kind of spending like food? Because what does it help if minimum wage pays for the apartment but I can't eat? On a different note, in relation to everyone asking why 2BR is important: please just imagine being a single parent with, say, 1-2 kids and a minimum wage job.