If there are no workers who will work for the price than
a) The business has to increase the wage price for work
or
b) The business will automate activities

The cost of living in relation to minimum wage is not similar nationwide, because there is a Federal mandated minimum wage. That means there are places that have very low cost of living and pay minimum wage, which is also enough for people to live on.

However, minimum wage should never be a goal for financial survival. If a person can only get minimum wage jobs, then they should really consider what they have to do in order to better themselves to get a higher paying job.

Flipping burgers is a ZERO skill job. If you have ZERO skills, then you shouldn't be paid more than what the market can stand. Beyond driving the trash truck, being a trash collector is also a ZERO skill job, but it pays more than minimum wage because people have a negative view of it.

The average annual salary for trash collector is about $43,000 [source: SimplyHired ] In California, the average hourly wage is $16.04, and in some places, the overtime can help shoot the pay to over $60,000 a year [source: CEED, Parsons].