Apparently, even with the increases in minimum wage over the years, it's actually decreased in an economical sense. When compared to the average cost-of-living in the US, the minimum wage in the mid-50s was comparable to the $9-per-hour range in today's economy.
And yeh, $16 may be just over a living wage in California, but in most of the southeast, it can be enough for two people to live decently off of. Does that mean we have it easier here? No, not at all. It actually makes it difficult to climb the salary ladder. A $1/hr raise, in most jobs here, is actually something to celebrate, even though that only comes out to ~$2,000/yr more. Since it's possible to live off a relatively low salary (as compared to the rest of the nation), the ceiling is set pretty low as well. Minimal money circulating in the area and whatnot.
That's probably why a lot of this region has been advertising for tourism so much more adamantly in the past few years, but that's getting tangential.
Back on topic though, even though I'm working fulltime and making enough to live off of, I've picked up a second job so I can save up money towards moving to a more prosperous and opportunity-enriched area.
