Kennewick tops for ‘real’ minimum wage

Kennewick is the most affordable place in America to be a minimum wage earner, according to a ranking compiled by a mortgage research firm.

SmartAsset, a website that offers financial planning tools, said Washington’s high minimum wage coupled with Kennewick’s low cost of living add up to the highest “real” minimum wage in the country. Washington’s minimum wage is $9.47 per hour.

For Kennewick, that translates into $9.97 worth of buying power, about one cent ahead of Kalamazoo, Mich.

Kennewick topped the inaugural ranking in 2015 when the minimum wage had an effective purchasing power of $10.02.

Three Washington cities cracked the 2016 Top 10. Spokane ranked third with an effective minimum wage of $9.92 per hour, Tacoma was sixth ($9.86 per hour) and Yakima was seventh ($9.85 per hour.)

Tacoma has a local minimum wage of $10.35 per hour but a relatively high cost of living that lowers its effective purchasing power.

This story was originally published June 6, 2016 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Kennewick tops for ‘real’ minimum wage."