The AP reports today that service and retail may be the growing economic sectors, but most of the jobs they offer won't pay enough to over the rent on a 1-2 bedroom apartment in the U.S.
An annual report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition says that while the median hourly wage in the United States is about $14, more than one-quarter of the population earns less than $10 an hour, the report said--and rents average out at more than that in most states.
(In California, of course, you need $21.42 an hour to afford a 2-bedroom.)