it wouldn't be.. once the rich crooks that own everything jack all the prices and rents and rates up to 'compensate'.

Yes, by a lot.

The 2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPL), released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), set the poverty threshold at $15,960 annually for a one-person household in the contiguous U.S.

$25/hr x 40 hours a week x 52 weeks in a year comes out to $52,000 a year, which is more than triple the poverty level.

For most of the country yes

It puts them above 98% of the world and should be enough to live on.