The link between a Hack Oregon data project and Oregon’s new minimum wage
Oregon Legislature passed a law introducing a 3 tier rise in the minimum wage, on February 18th.
Now this wouldn’t normally be on my radar, being a Brit, but I am heading to the US in March to spend a week in Eugene, OR. I have been checking out local data and multimedia journalism outlets, as a result, for potential interviewees.
During my search I came across Hack Oregon and their Raise Effect project.
Using maps, interactive scroll bars, charts and tables, the Hack Oregon team presents data on how giving minimum wage workers a raise would affect low income households. It shows the affects on households respectively with:
- an individual adult
- one adult and two children
- two adults and two children
Focusing on the idea of self-sufficiency, the project shows that low income families in many areas were struggling to meet their basic needs on the previously set statewide minimum wage of $9.25 (approx. £6.40) per hour.
In particular the way the data is presented highlights the fact the cost of living varies in different counties.
Much like the way the UK has a higher minimum wage for people living and working in the pricey city of London, the new law will take into account this variability.
I wonder how much this story behind the numbers project, played a role in helping this policy change to come about.
Do you have any more examples of data journalism driving policy changes?
