Saturday, January 24, 2015

Breaking Down Who Earns the Minimum Wage



• 3.3 million — The number of people in 2013 who earned at or below the federal minimum wage, according to the most recent government data available.
• 2.4% — The share of total U.S. workers in 2013 who earned at or below the federal minimum wage.
• 1.01 million — The number of minimum-wage employees who work full time (35 hours or more).
• 0.8% — The share of full-time U.S. workers earning at or below the minimum wage.
By race and sex
• 77.4% — The share of workers earning the minimum or less who are white.
• 62.4% — The share of minimum-wage workers who are women.
• 15.2% — The share of blacks who earn the minimum or less. (The government lacks precise data on those of Latino or Hispanic descent. Some may fall under other racial categories.)
By state and region
• 29 — The number of states that set a minimum wage above the federal level (see your state’s minimum here).
• 46.4% — Share of federal minimum-wage workers in the South, the region with the highest concentration. The West is the area with the lowest share: 12%.
• 12.1% — The share of people who earned the federal minimum or less in 2013 who live in Texas. Next in line were Pennsylvania (5.7%), Florida (5.5%) and New York (5.4%).
By age and marital status

• 50.4% — The share of minimum-wage workers who are aged between 16 to 24. Or 1.66 million workers.
• 49.6% — The share of minimum-wage workers who are 25 or older. Or 1.64 million workers.
• 910,000 — Workers earning the federal minimum who have never married..
• 684,000 — Married people still living with their spouse who earn the federal minimum.
• 411,000 — Minimum-wage workers once married whose current status is unclear.
• 111,000 — The number of seniors 65 or older earning the federal minimum.
By occupation and education

• 46.7% — Share of minimum-wage workers in food preparation and related “hospitality” industries. No other sector comes close.
• 29.7% — Share of high-school graduates who earn the federal minimum.
• 28.1% — Share of those lacking a high school diploma earning the minimum age.
• 7.9% — Share of minimum-wage earners with a college degree.


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