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Precisely. The downgraded housing options that tech workers accept, i.e. roommates, tiny studios, bad neighborhoods, poor maintenance, long commutes, etc. are hallmarks of poverty in the rest of the country.

In Milwaukee, a 20th percentile household still has a car and a commute below 30 minutes [0].

Here, even six-figure professionals can't afford such things, so life is nearly impossible for the genuinely poor.

[0] https://datausa.io/profile/geo/milwaukee-wi/#housing