Orange County's 2023 living wage announced

Orange County Living Wage (OCLW) announced Friday its updated living wages for 2023, impacting around 9,000 workers.

The board announced the 2023 living wage for hourly workers is now $16.60 per hour or $15.10 for employers who pay least half of their employee's health insurance costs.

Around 260 companies employing 9,000 people participate.

North Carolina's current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

"Someone earning $7.35 per hour will gross $15,080, if they work 40 hours a week all year," said OCLW Director Susan Romaine. "In this time of rising costs, it is completely insufficient."

OCLW determines its living wage using Universal Living Wage Formula. The formula is based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) standard that no more than 30 percent of a person's gross income should be devoted to housing.

To calculate the wage, OCLW used the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment in a four-county area including Alamance, Chatham, Durham and Orange counties.

"A $16.60 hourly wage reflects the minimum wage necessary for workers to live close enough to our county to provide essential services like staffing our hospitals, schools, police and fire departments, grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, nonprofits, and more," Romaine said.