March 6, 2012 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Characteristics of minimum wage workers in 2011

Percent of hourly paid workers with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by selected characteristics, 2011 annual averages
Characteristic	Percent at or below the Federal minimum wage
Total	5.2
Age
Workers aged 16-19	22.8
Workers aged 20-24	9.5
Workers aged 25 and over	3.2
Sex
Men	3.9
Women	6.4
Race or ethnicity
White	5.1
Black or African American	6.1
Asian	3.3
Hispanic or Latino	5.4
Educational attainment
Less than a high school diploma	11.1
High school graduates, no college	4.6
Some college or associate degree	5.1
Bachelor's degree and higher	2.2
Marital status
Married, spouse present	2.4
Never married	9.2
Other marital status (married, spouse absent; divorced; separated; and widowed persons)	4.2
Full- and part-time status
Usual full-time workers	2.4
Usual part-time workers (fewer than 35 hours per week)	12.6

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