Junction City, Kansas
A quick look around shows Junction City to be a lot like the rest of Kansas in its basic appearance. Underemployment is higher, but not significantly so, and the poverty rate is 0.4 percentage points lower than the state average, according to the latest figures. The city, on the other hand, has been struggling to get out of debt for several years. In 2012, the town of Junction was on the verge of declaring bankruptcy, prompting officials to devise a plan to raise property and sales taxes, increase fees, and reduce payroll and operating expenses. In the present day, the city is still attempting to pay off its debts. As a direct consequence, residents say services are suffering as well as the living costs have managed to grow out of proportion with wage levels. When it comes to wages, Kansas’ minimum wage remains at $7.25 per hour, while the average household income in Junction City is $53,932.
Junction City, Kansas
Lexington, North Carolina
The county seat of Davidson County was once considered one of the furniture-making capitals of the United States, thanks to a plentiful supply of hardwood and inexpensive labor. However, in the 1990s, the city’s furniture industry was decimated by even cheaper Asian imports. The median household income in this area is just under $30,000, and home prices are significantly lower than the state average. A total of 35% percent of the total population live in poverty, and close to a quarter of the workforce is unemployed. The residents of Lexington claim that, because there aren’t many jobs in the area, most people use Lexington as a low-cost bedroom community from which they commute to one of North Carolina’s larger cities.
Lexington, North Carolina