A fast-food worker in Denver would need to put in 62 hours a week to afford to live in the Mile High City, while a dishwasher working in a restaurant’s kitchen would have to toil for 61 hours to live in the city. Things aren’t much better for housekeepers, who’d need to labor for 59 hours a week to live in Denver nor for janitors, who’d have to put in 51 hours a week to reside in the city.

These are just a few of the findings of a CFI study of wages versus the cost of living in Denver. Our issue brief, which relies on federal wage data and cost-of-living calculations from the Economic Policy Institute, shows how low and stagnant wages combined with a skyrocketing cost of living mean many workers critical to the daily life of the city can no longer afford to live in Denver.

Here is the report:

Denver Cost of Living and Wages Issue Brief 5-18-15