The minimum wage in Georgia stands well below the federally mandated $7.25 an hour, and even farther below the state's living wage.
As of November 2015, the minimum wage in Georgia is $5.15 an hour for workers not governed by the federal minimum wage. That's $2.10 per hour below the national rate.
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A person making $5.15 an hour for 40 hours a week every week of the year would make $10,712, even less than the federal poverty line for a one-person household.
Someone making the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour would make $15,080 in a year if no hours are missed.
For the state of Georgia, a
Massachusetts Institute of Technology living wage calculator put the living wage at $10.69 an hour for a single person. For one adult with one child, that spikes to $20.92 an hour. This figure takes into account average expenses and living costs such as food, housing, medical care, transportation, and taxes.
The 2015 federal poverty line is $11,770 for a single person living alone, $15,930 for a family of two, and $20,090 or more for a household with three or more people. The poverty wage for an individual is $5.66 an hour, more than Georgia's $5.15 minimum wage. The poverty line for a household with two people is $7.66 an hour, and the amount for a household with three or more people begins at $9.66 an hour.
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MIT estimates the largest expense for people and families living in Georgia generally is housing, followed by transportation, child care if necessary, and food.
In 2014, Georgia state Sen. Donzella James (D-Atlanta) tried to build support for raising the minimum wage to $10.10, but the bill, lacking support, did not go before legislators. She plans to try again next year.
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