How much of the population works for minimum wage?

In 2017, 80.4 million workers age 16 and older in the United States were paid at hourly rates, representing 58.3 percent of all wage and salary workers. Among those paid by the hour, 542,000 workers earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

What percent of minimum wage workers are under 18?

In 2020, around 47.6\% wage and salary workers paid hourly rates at or below the federal minimum wage were aged between 16 to 24 years.

Is minimum wage a livable wage?

The minimum wage in the United States is no longer a living wage. Even though many states are paying more than this amount, minimum-wage earners continue to struggle to make ends meet. At $7.25, the federal minimum wage hasn’t kept up with the cost of living in more than half a century.

Who mostly works minimum wage jobs?

The BLS report finds that almost three quarters of minimum wage workers are white (72.6\%), 17.9\% are black, and 5.1\% are Asian. The report also shows the breakout of minimum wage workers by industry. The leisure and hospitality industry employs the most, encapsulating 64.4\% of all minimum wage workers.

Who employs the most minimum wage?

The restaurant and food service industry is the biggest employer of low wage and minimum wage workers. The Pew Research Center found that about 18\% of these workers, or 3.75 million people, work in that industry.

What is the lowest minimum wage in the US?

$7.25
Washington tops the list of states with the highest minimum wage while 15 states tie for last in terms of the lowest — $7.25, which is the federal minimum wage, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The 10 states with the highest minimum wage are: Washington—$13.69. Massachusetts—$13.50.

Whats the average hourly wage in the US?

In October 2021, the average hourly earnings of all employees in the United States was at 11.19 U.S. dollars.

Who actually earns the minimum wage?

Most minimum wage earners are young.

Most minimum wage earners work in food service.

Most minimum wage earners never attended college.

Finally,as you might expect,part-time workers are five times more likely to be paid the minimum wage than full-time workers.

What are the positives of raising minimum wage?

List of the Pros of Raising the Minimum Wage It creates wealth distribution to each socioeconomic group. Since the last time the minimum wage was raised at the federal level, over 80\% of the income gains in the Raising the minimum wage may reduce poverty. Studies by the U.S. It reduces wage gaps. Raising the minimum wage might reduce public assistance spending.

Which state has the lowest minimum wage?

The two states with the lowest minimum wage are Georgia ($5.15) and Wyoming ($5.15). However, employers in Georgia and Wyoming who are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must still pay the $7.25 Federal minimum wage.

What are the drawbacks of raising the minimum wage?

List of the Disadvantages of a Minimum Wage The wage must keep increasing for it to be relevant. It affects small businesses and low-skill laborers the most. Enforcing minimum wage laws means small businesses are forced to pay a specific salary to their employees. Raising the minimum wage doesn’t fix poverty. Employers may look for cheaper options to replace minimum wage workers.