We overcome the barriers and create the incentives to enable employers to pay living wages, affording a decent quality of life for working families.

What makes For US unique?

Living Wage For US believes that paying a living wage is achievable. We have developed an internationally comparable and locally specific living wage calculation based on real costs of living to demystify the living wage for each county across the U.S., taking in consideration attributes that are unique to the country, such as employer provided benefits, health insurance, and transit. Our certification program recognizes U.S. employers that are on a pathway to achieve or already have achieved living wage payment for their workers, and we engage workers, investors, policy makers, consumers, and civil society organizations to grow the living wage movement until we achieve a living wage for all.

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Our Vision:

We envision a world where every working family can afford a decent standard of living and every worker is fairly compensated without prejudice

Why is living wage important?

  • The minimum wage does not provide a living wage for most American families. A typical family of four (two working adults, two children) needs to work nearly four full-time minimum-wage jobs (a 76-hour work week per working adult) to earn a living wage. Single-parent families need to work almost twice as hard as families with two working adults to earn the living wage. A single-mother with two children earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour needs to work 138 hours per week, nearly the equivalent of working 24 hours per day for 6 days, to earn a living wage.

    Carey Anne Nadeau and Dr. Amy K. Glasmeier, MIT Living Wage Calculator

  • Americans across all demographics are united in the belief that worker benefits and living wage are more important than any other social or environmental consideration for companies.

    JUST Capital’s 2018 Survey Results & Roadmap for Corporate America

  • Paying a living wage means people can get married, start families, buy homes and contribute more to our communities. It’s a part of the 'virtuous circle', ...where paying your employees a living wage pays off in a multitude of immeasurable ways that all add up to less customer churn, higher average revenue per customer, wider profit margins and an overall healthier bottom line.

    Hari Ravichandran, CEO of Endurance International Group

Problems Worth Solving

  • >40% of U.S. workers earn less than $15/hr, a level that is still lower than a living wage for families across most of the country, meaning working families can’t meet their basic needs

  • Lack of clarity on specific living wage figures limits collaboration and engagement

  • Employers choosing to pay a living wage lack the means to communicate it to consumers and others who wish to support them

  • Employers need assistance to build their own business case for paying living wages

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