This could be great leverage to secure a raise for yourself.

Are you making enough money to afford a home? Maybe it's not the home of your dreams, but it's a roof over your head. Recently the National Low Income Housing Coalition released some figures on how much someone needs to earn in each state to afford a modest apartment. By modest, they mean a two-bedroom rental home.

Most of the country lives in the $15-$20 range.

This includes Louisiana. Residents in our state need to make $16.63 an hour to afford rent. This number is higher than the current $7.25/hour minimum wage. At that rate you would need to work 76 hours a week to afford a modest home.

Ain't nobody got time for that!

The majority of Louisiana residents are home owners, but 35 percent of our population is paying rent. I'd be curious to see how much of that 35 percent is only making minimum wage. As for the entire nation, our $16.63 number is middle of the pack. Out of 50 states, we rank number 29 on the list.