How much would it cost to keep a slave in modern day?

I know you’re jerking our chains with this question. I’d guess $10 to $12 upstate, $20 downstate.

@Adirondackwannabe Actually I’m actually trying to come up with a bit of an answer for it. I think keeping a slave would cost less than paying someone minimum wage, but I’m not sure by how much.

I’m just curious to see what people think, I think I could probably keep 2 slaves for the same money I have to pay a minimum wage worker.

Basically, I’m curious to find out how close minimum wage is to slavery, difference being the worker has to actually take care of them self, thus saving the slave owner from having to even do that.

The first thing that I thought about when I read your question is the cost of housing an inmate, which varies by state. A breakdown of that could help if you took out the cost that wouldn’t be needed for a slave.

No. Housing alone would cost you more than minimum wage. Think about the medical care and food.

@bkcunningham Thanks, yes the prison thing would probably be a good comparison.

Just to clear up for everyone, when I talk of medical care, I talk about fixing the slave’s broken leg so it can keep working, or giving it some vitamins because its sick due to the lame food im giving it (as opposed to cancer treatment or check ups and things).

As for shelter, I’m thinking kind of allong the lines of a room in a shared house or something.

@poisonedantidote When I managed a bunch of people I got unbelievable perfromance just by letting them do whatever they wanted. I didn’t set their schedule, they did.

I live in Florida. Last night some friends told us about this U-pick it farm they’d found. My husband and I went looking for it today and were in an area we hadn’t explored before. We were in farmlands. If you turned off the road, you were on dirt roads between farms. We came to a place where on one side of the road was row after row of buildings that looked like military housing. On the other side was row after row of old school buses. Some had the tops cut off. This was the housing and transportation for the farm workers.

Why would it be significantly different from the cost of supporting any dependent? It would be a lot less than supporting a college student. And you might consider it a worthwhile expense if you would otherwise be paying for some kind of domestic or yard help.

How much does it take to support a child? Or a S O? Room, board, clothing, medical, why not just get married?

Your dignity for one.

I’m not quite sure of pricing, exactly, but unlike children, slaves are normally put to work. Manual labor, sweatshops, sex work… The cost of feeding, housing, clothing, etc is often less than the money they bring in.

Can you declare the slave as a dependent for tax purposes? If so, just consider how much it costs to raise your kids.

I believe your bonus question is really your true question here. At least with minimum wage (I used to work those types of jobs myself) I still have the freedom to upgrade myself, not to mention my personal freedoms. In the end though the cost it takes to house a prisoner a year does exceed what a person would net, and even gross, working at a minimum wage job per year (barring OT and other factors that is).

@Paradox25 Thanks, yea the B.Q. is kind of the real question. I can´t understand how my friend does it.

@poisonedantidote I don’t have the exact numbers here, but I know that housing a prisoner does come to at least $22,000 a year. At $7.25 per hour (without OT or another job lined up) you will gross around $16,000 a year, and what a minimum wage worker will pocket is actually much less. I only survived on minumum wage because I had a place to stay with my grandmother.

A large portion of the cost to house an inmate is administrative and the cost of pay for correctional officers, @Paradox25.

There are plenty of modern-day slaves. Just take the victims of human trafficking having to work as sex slaves. How much does it cost? Depends on the cost of living which is different from city to city.