April 2016 Report 1061

Characteristics of minimum wage workers, 2015

In 2015, 78.2 million workers age 16 and older in the United States were paid at hourly rates, representing 58.5 percent of all wage and salary workers. Among those paid by the hour, 870,000 workers earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. About 1.7 million had wages below the federal minimum. Together, these 2.6 million workers with wages at or below the federal minimum made up 3.3 percent of all hourly paid workers.

The percentage of hourly paid workers earning the prevailing federal minimum wage or less declined from 3.9 percent in 2014 to 3.3 percent in 2015. This remains well below the percentage of 13.4 recorded in 1979, when data for hourly-paid were first collected on a regular basis. (See table 10.)

This report presents highlights and statistical tables describing workers who earned at or below the federal minimum wage in 2015. The data are obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a national monthly survey of approximately 60,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Information on earnings is collected from one-fourth of the CPS sample each month.

The CPS does not include questions on whether workers are covered by the minimum wage provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or by individual state or local minimum wage laws. The estimates of workers paid at or below the federal minimum wage are based solely on the hourly wage they report, which does not include overtime pay, tips, or commissions. See the accompanying technical notes section for more information, including a description of the source of the data and an explanation of the concepts and definitions used in this report.

Highlights

The following are highlights from the 2015 data:

Age. Minimum wage workers tend to be young. Although workers under age 25 represented only about one-fifth of hourly paid workers, they made up about half of those paid the federal minimum wage or less. Among employed teenagers (ages 16 to 19) paid by the hour, about 11 percent earned the minimum wage or less, compared with about 2 percent of workers age 25 and older. (See tables 1 and 7.)

Gender. Among workers who were paid hourly rates in 2015, about 4 percent of women and about 3 percent of men had wages at or below the prevailing federal minimum. (See table 1.)

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. The major race and ethnicity groups had similar percentages of hourly workers paid wages at or below the federal minimum. About 3 percent of White, Asian, and Hispanic or Latino workers earned the federal minimum wage or less. Among Black workers, the percentage was about 4 percent. (See table 1.)

Education. Among hourly paid workers age 16 and older, about 6 percent of those without a high school diploma earned the federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 3 percent of those who had a high school diploma (with no college), 3 percent of those with some college or an associate degree, and about 2 percent of college graduates. (See table 6.)

Marital status. Of those paid an hourly wage, never-married workers, who tend to be young, were more likely (5 percent) than married workers (2 percent) to earn the federal minimum wage or less. (See table 8.)

Full- and part-time status. About 7 percent of part-time workers (those who usually work fewer than 35 hours per week) were paid at or below the federal minimum wage, compared with about 2 percent of full-time workers. (See tables 1 and 9.)

Occupation. Among major occupational groups, the highest percentage of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage was in service occupations, at about 9 percent. Almost two-thirds of workers earning the minimum wage or less in 2015 were employed in service occupations, mostly in food preparation and serving related jobs. (See table 4.)

Industry. The industry with the highest percentage of workers earning hourly wages at or below the federal minimum wage was leisure and hospitality (15 percent). Nearly three-fifths of all workers paid at or below the federal minimum wage were employed in this industry, the vast majority in restaurants and other food services. For many of these workers, tips may supplement the hourly wages received. (See table 5.)

State of residence. The states with the highest percentages of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage were in the South: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia (all were about 6 percent). The states with the lowest percentages of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage were in the West: Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington (all were about 1 percent). It should be noted that some states have laws establishing higher minimum wage rates than the federal minimum wage. (See tables 2 and 3.)

Statistical Tables

Table 1. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by selected characteristics, 2015 annual averages
Characteristic	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percentage of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below the minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below the minimum age
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Age and gender
Total, 16 years and older	78,232	2,561	870	1,691	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.3	1.1	2.2
16 to 24 years	15,562	1,153	475	678	19.9	45.0	54.6	40.1	7.4	3.1	4.4
16 to 19 years	4,355	487	258	229	5.6	19.0	29.6	13.6	11.2	5.9	5.3
25 years and older	62,670	1,408	395	1,013	80.1	55.0	45.4	59.9	2.2	0.6	1.6
Men, 16 years and older	38,732	959	330	629	49.5	37.4	37.9	37.2	2.5	0.9	1.6
16 to 24 years	7,778	417	193	224	9.9	16.3	22.1	13.3	5.4	2.5	2.9
16 to 19 years	2,124	194	107	87	2.7	7.6	12.3	5.1	9.1	5.1	4.1
25 years and older	30,954	542	137	404	39.6	21.2	15.8	23.9	1.8	0.4	1.3
Women, 16 years and older	39,500	1,602	540	1,062	50.5	62.6	62.1	62.8	4.1	1.4	2.7
16 to 24 years	7,784	736	282	454	10.0	28.7	32.5	26.8	9.5	3.6	5.8
16 to 19 years	2,231	293	150	143	2.9	11.4	17.3	8.4	13.1	6.7	6.4
25 years and older	31,716	866	258	608	40.5	33.8	29.6	36.0	2.7	0.8	1.9
Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
White⁽¹⁾	60,306	1,872	561	1,311	77.1	73.1	64.4	77.5	3.1	0.9	2.2
Men	30,448	667	218	450	38.9	26.1	25.0	26.6	2.2	0.7	1.5
Women	29,858	1,205	343	862	38.2	47.0	39.4	51.0	4.0	1.1	2.9
Black or African American⁽¹⁾	11,178	481	247	234	14.3	18.8	28.4	13.9	4.3	2.2	2.1
Men	5,015	212	85	127	6.4	8.3	9.8	7.5	4.2	1.7	2.5
Women	6,163	270	162	108	7.9	10.5	18.6	6.4	4.4	2.6	1.7
Asian⁽¹⁾	3,690	109	32	78	4.7	4.3	3.6	4.6	3.0	0.9	2.1
Men	1,715	35	12	23	2.2	1.4	1.4	1.4	2.0	0.7	1.3
Women	1,975	74	20	55	2.5	2.9	2.3	3.2	3.8	1.0	2.8
Hispanic or Latino⁽¹⁾	15,809	459	159	300	20.2	17.9	18.3	17.7	2.9	1.0	1.9
Men	8,825	188	67	121	11.3	7.3	7.7	7.1	2.1	0.8	1.4
Women	6,984	272	92	179	8.9	10.6	10.6	10.6	3.9	1.3	2.6
Full- and part-time status
Full-time workers⁽²⁾	57,809	1,075	288	787	73.9	42.0	33.1	46.6	1.9	0.5	1.4
Men	31,662	469	118	351	40.5	18.3	13.6	20.8	1.5	0.4	1.1
Women	26,146	606	170	436	33.4	23.7	19.6	25.8	2.3	0.7	1.7
Part-time workers⁽²⁾	20,285	1,477	579	898	25.9	57.7	66.6	53.1	7.3	2.9	4.4
Men	6,989	486	212	274	8.9	19.0	24.4	16.2	7.0	3.0	3.9
Women	13,296	991	367	624	17.0	38.7	42.2	36.9	7.5	2.8	4.7
(1) Estimates for the above race groups—White, Black or African American, and Asian—do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. (2) The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on hours usually worked. These data will not sum to totals because full- or part-time status on the principal job is not identifiable for a small number of multiple jobholders. Full time is 35 hours or more per week; part time is less than 35 hours. Note: Data exclude all self-employed workers, whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 2. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by census region and division, 2015 annual averages
Region and division	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percentage of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and older	78,232	2,561	870	1,691	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.3	1.1	2.2
Northeast	13,133	406	106	300	16.8	15.8	12.2	17.7	3.1	0.8	2.3
New England	3,790	108	20	88	4.8	4.2	2.3	5.2	2.9	0.5	2.3
Middle Atlantic	9,343	298	86	212	11.9	11.6	9.9	12.5	3.2	0.9	2.3
Midwest	18,593	600	169	431	23.8	23.4	19.4	25.5	3.2	0.9	2.3
East North Central	12,640	425	106	319	16.2	16.6	12.2	18.9	3.4	0.8	2.5
West North Central	5,953	175	62	112	7.6	6.8	7.2	6.7	2.9	1.0	1.9
South	27,583	1,242	501	741	35.3	48.5	57.6	43.8	4.5	1.8	2.7
South Atlantic	14,093	607	211	397	18.0	23.7	24.2	23.5	4.3	1.5	2.8
East South Central	4,646	226	117	109	5.9	8.8	13.4	6.5	4.9	2.5	2.4
West South Central	8,843	409	174	235	11.3	16.0	20.0	13.9	4.6	2.0	2.7
West	18,923	313	94	219	24.2	12.2	10.8	12.9	1.7	0.5	1.2
Mountain	5,881	159	53	106	7.5	6.2	6.1	6.3	2.7	0.9	1.8
Pacific	13,042	153	41	113	16.7	6.0	4.7	6.7	1.2	0.3	0.9
Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated. The four major regions and nine census divisions of the United States are as follows: Northeast New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania Midwest East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota South South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas West Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 3. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by state, 2015 annual averages
State	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percentage of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and older	78,232	2,561	870	1,691	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.3	1.1	2.2
Alabama	1,182	66	40	26	1.5	2.6	4.6	1.6	5.6	3.4	2.2
Alaska	209	3	1	2	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.1	1.2	0.4	0.8
Arizona	1,627	44	6	38	2.1	1.7	0.7	2.2	2.7	0.4	2.3
Arkansas	712	22	10	12	0.9	0.9	1.1	0.7	3.1	1.4	1.7
California	9,667	115	25	90	12.4	4.5	2.9	5.3	1.2	0.3	0.9
Colorado	1,242	22	3	19	1.6	0.9	0.3	1.1	1.8	0.2	1.5
Connecticut	904	27	3	23	1.2	1.0	0.4	1.4	2.9	0.4	2.6
Delaware	236	6	2	4	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	2.6	0.7	1.9
District of Columbia	112	3	1	2	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	3.0	0.8	2.2
Florida	4,238	160	13	147	5.4	6.2	1.5	8.7	3.8	0.3	3.5
Georgia	2,173	95	46	49	2.8	3.7	5.3	2.9	4.4	2.1	2.3
Hawaii	356	10	5	5	0.5	0.4	0.6	0.3	2.8	1.5	1.3
Idaho	458	21	15	6	0.6	0.8	1.7	0.4	4.6	3.2	1.4
Illinois	3,154	101	15	86	4.0	3.9	1.7	5.1	3.2	0.5	2.7
Indiana	1,779	69	32	37	2.3	2.7	3.7	2.2	3.9	1.8	2.1
Iowa	931	35	17	18	1.2	1.4	2.0	1.0	3.7	1.8	1.9
Kansas	794	33	16	17	1.0	1.3	1.8	1.0	4.1	2.0	2.1
Kentucky	1,090	38	15	23	1.4	1.5	1.7	1.4	3.5	1.4	2.1
Louisiana	1,094	70	38	32	1.4	2.8	4.4	1.9	6.4	3.5	2.9
Maine	359	10	2	8	0.5	0.4	0.2	0.5	2.7	0.5	2.2
Maryland	1,418	31	5	25	1.8	1.2	0.6	1.5	2.2	0.4	1.8
Massachusetts	1,651	48	9	39	2.1	1.9	1.1	2.3	2.9	0.6	2.3
Michigan	2,706	101	13	88	3.5	4.0	1.5	5.2	3.7	0.5	3.3
Minnesota	1,603	26	10	16	2.0	1.0	1.2	0.9	1.6	0.6	1.0
Mississippi	726	45	27	18	0.9	1.8	3.1	1.1	6.2	3.7	2.5
Missouri	1,583	57	13	44	2.0	2.2	1.5	2.6	3.6	0.8	2.8
Montana	294	6	2	4	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.2	2.0	0.7	1.3
Nebraska	558	13	4	9	0.7	0.5	0.5	0.5	2.3	0.7	1.6
Nevada	794	20	9	10	1.0	0.8	1.1	0.6	2.5	1.2	1.3
New Hampshire	389	16	5	11	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.7	4.1	1.2	2.9
New Jersey	1,803	50	8	42	2.3	2.0	0.9	2.5	2.8	0.4	2.3
New Mexico	511	16	3	13	0.7	0.6	0.3	0.8	3.1	0.5	2.5
New York	4,015	97	24	74	5.1	3.8	2.7	4.4	2.4	0.6	1.8
North Carolina	2,374	122	55	66	3.0	4.8	6.4	3.9	5.1	2.3	2.8
North Dakota	222	5	2	4	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	2.3	0.7	1.6
Ohio	3,219	93	16	77	4.1	3.6	1.8	4.6	2.9	0.5	2.4
Oklahoma	967	29	15	15	1.2	1.1	1.7	0.9	3.0	1.5	1.5
Oregon	1,015	7	3	5	1.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.7	0.3	0.5
Pennsylvania	3,524	150	54	96	4.5	5.9	6.2	5.7	4.3	1.5	2.7
Rhode Island	312	5	0	5	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.3	1.5	0.1	1.5
South Carolina	1,191	56	34	22	1.5	2.2	4.0	1.3	4.7	2.9	1.8
South Dakota	261	6	1	5	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.3	2.4	0.4	2.1
Tennessee	1,649	77	35	42	2.1	3.0	4.0	2.5	4.7	2.1	2.5
Texas	6,070	287	111	176	7.8	11.2	12.8	10.4	4.7	1.8	2.9
Utah	776	25	13	12	1.0	1.0	1.5	0.7	3.3	1.7	1.5
Vermont	175	3	0	3	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.2	1.9	0.2	1.6
Virginia	1,919	120	50	69	2.5	4.7	5.8	4.1	6.2	2.6	3.6
Washington	1,795	19	7	12	2.3	0.7	0.8	0.7	1.1	0.4	0.7
West Virginia	433	15	5	10	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.6	3.4	1.0	2.3
Wisconsin	1,781	61	30	31	2.3	2.4	3.5	1.8	3.4	1.7	1.7
Wyoming	179	6	3	4	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2	3.5	1.4	2.1
Note: Data exclude all self-employed workers, whether or not their businesses are incorporated. These data are based on a sample and therefore are subject to sampling error; the degree of error may be quite large for less populous states. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 4. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by occupation, 2015 annual averages
Occupation	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percentage of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and older	78,232	2,561	870	1,691	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.3	1.1	2.2
Management, professional, and related occupations	17,187	125	51	73	22.0	4.9	5.9	4.3	0.7	0.3	0.4
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	4,954	36	9	27	6.3	1.4	1.1	1.6	0.7	0.2	0.5
Professional and related occupations	12,232	89	42	47	15.6	3.5	4.8	2.8	0.7	0.3	0.4
Service occupations	18,879	1,664	381	1,283	24.1	65.0	43.8	75.9	8.8	2.0	6.8
Healthcare support occupations	2,853	63	30	33	3.6	2.5	3.4	2.0	2.2	1.0	1.2
Protective service occupations	1,965	49	7	41	2.5	1.9	0.9	2.4	2.5	0.4	2.1
Food preparation and serving related occupations	7,117	1,270	214	1,056	9.1	49.6	24.6	62.5	17.8	3.0	14.8
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	3,932	133	64	69	5.0	5.2	7.4	4.1	3.4	1.6	1.7
Personal care and service occupations	3,012	150	66	84	3.9	5.9	7.6	5.0	5.0	2.2	2.8
Sales and office occupations	20,151	457	303	153	25.8	17.8	34.9	9.1	2.3	1.5	0.8
Sales and related occupations	7,996	312	211	101	10.2	12.2	24.2	6.0	3.9	2.6	1.3
Office and administrative support occupations	12,154	145	93	52	15.5	5.7	10.7	3.1	1.2	0.8	0.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	8,758	82	25	57	11.2	3.2	2.9	3.4	0.9	0.3	0.7
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	693	34	13	21	0.9	1.3	1.5	1.2	4.9	1.9	3.0
Construction and extraction occupations	4,745	27	7	19	6.1	1.0	0.9	1.1	0.6	0.2	0.4
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3,319	22	4	17	4.2	0.8	0.5	1.0	0.7	0.1	0.5
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	13,258	233	109	124	16.9	9.1	12.5	7.3	1.8	0.8	0.9
Production occupations	6,824	77	37	41	8.7	3.0	4.2	2.4	1.1	0.5	0.6
Transportation and material moving occupations	6,434	155	72	83	8.2	6.1	8.3	4.9	2.4	1.1	1.3
Note: Data exclude all self-employed workers, whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 5. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by industry, 2015 annual averages
Industry	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percentage of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below the minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below the minimum wage
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and older	78,232	2,561	870	1,691	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.3	1.1	2.2
Private sector	68,895	2,440	830	1,610	88.1	95.3	95.4	95.2	3.5	1.2	2.3
Agriculture and related industries	825	29	11	18	1.1	1.1	1.3	1.1	3.5	1.3	2.2
Nonagricultural industries	68,070	2,411	819	1,593	87.0	94.2	94.1	94.2	3.5	1.2	2.3
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	475	3	2	1	0.6	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.6	0.3	0.3
Construction	4,807	25	8	18	6.1	1.0	0.9	1.0	0.5	0.2	0.4
Manufacturing	9,094	89	33	55	11.6	3.5	3.8	3.3	1.0	0.4	0.6
Durable goods	5,726	50	16	34	7.3	2.0	1.8	2.0	0.9	0.3	0.6
Nondurable goods	3,368	39	17	21	4.3	1.5	2.0	1.3	1.1	0.5	0.6
Wholesale and retail trade	13,021	346	230	116	16.6	13.5	26.4	6.8	2.7	1.8	0.9
Wholesale trade	1,675	24	9	15	2.1	0.9	1.0	0.9	1.4	0.5	0.9
Retail trade	11,346	322	221	100	14.5	12.6	25.4	5.9	2.8	1.9	0.9
Transportation and utilities	3,395	43	15	28	4.3	1.7	1.7	1.6	1.3	0.4	0.8
Information	1,079	18	15	3	1.4	0.7	1.7	0.2	1.7	1.4	0.3
Financial activities	3,499	23	8	15	4.5	0.9	1.0	0.9	0.7	0.2	0.4
Professional and business services	6,336	91	41	50	8.1	3.6	4.7	3.0	1.4	0.6	0.8
Education and health services	13,283	213	110	102	17.0	8.3	12.7	6.1	1.6	0.8	0.8
Leisure and hospitality	9,828	1,459	323	1,136	12.6	57.0	37.2	67.2	14.8	3.3	11.6
Other services	3,254	101	34	67	4.2	4.0	3.9	4.0	3.1	1.0	2.1
Public sector	9,337	121	40	80	11.9	4.7	4.6	4.8	1.3	0.4	0.9
Federal	1,819	16	6	10	2.3	0.6	0.7	0.6	0.9	0.3	0.6
State	2,841	40	15	25	3.6	1.6	1.7	1.5	1.4	0.5	0.9
Local	4,678	65	20	45	6.0	2.5	2.3	2.7	1.4	0.4	1.0
Note: Data exclude all self-employed workers, whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 6. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by educational attainment, 2015 annual averages
Educational attainment	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percentage of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and older	78,232	2,561	870	1,691	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.3	1.1	2.2
Less than a high school diploma	9,670	556	310	246	12.4	21.7	35.7	14.5	5.8	3.2	2.5
Less than 1 year of high school	2,920	77	43	34	3.7	3.0	4.9	2.0	2.6	1.5	1.2
1 to 3 years of high school	5,372	408	229	179	6.9	15.9	26.3	10.6	7.6	4.3	3.3
4 years of high school, no diploma	1,378	72	39	33	1.8	2.8	4.5	1.9	5.2	2.8	2.4
High school graduates or more	68,562	2,005	560	1,445	87.6	78.3	64.3	85.5	2.9	0.8	2.1
High school graduates, no college	26,554	873	288	585	33.9	34.1	33.2	34.6	3.3	1.1	2.2
Some college or associate's degree	27,285	860	236	624	34.9	33.6	27.1	36.9	3.2	0.9	2.3
Some college, no degree	17,916	668	179	488	22.9	26.1	20.6	28.9	3.7	1.0	2.7
Associate's degree	9,369	192	56	136	12.0	7.5	6.5	8.0	2.1	0.6	1.4
Occupational program	4,133	70	25	45	5.3	2.8	2.9	2.7	1.7	0.6	1.1
Academic program	5,236	122	31	91	6.7	4.7	3.6	5.4	2.3	0.6	1.7
Bachelor's degree and higher	14,723	272	36	236	18.8	10.6	4.1	14.0	1.8	0.2	1.6
Bachelor's degree	11,324	224	31	193	14.5	8.7	3.5	11.4	2.0	0.3	1.7
Master's degree	2,725	33	5	28	3.5	1.3	0.5	1.7	1.2	0.2	1.0
Professional degree	342	7	0	6	0.4	0.3	0.0	0.4	1.9	0.1	1.8
Doctoral degree	332	8	0	8	0.4	0.3	0.0	0.5	2.5	0.0	2.5
Note: Data exclude all self-employed workers, whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 7. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by age and gender, 2015 annual averages
Age and gender	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percentage of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total
Total, 16 years and older	78,232	2,561	870	1,691	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.3	1.1	2.2
16 to 24 years	15,562	1,153	475	678	19.9	45.0	54.6	40.1	7.4	3.1	4.4
16 to 19 years	4,355	487	258	229	5.6	19.0	29.6	13.6	11.2	5.9	5.3
20 to 24 years	11,207	666	217	449	14.3	26.0	25.0	26.5	5.9	1.9	4.0
25 years and older	62,670	1,408	395	1,013	80.1	55.0	45.4	59.9	2.2	0.6	1.6
25 to 34 years	18,302	596	157	439	23.4	23.3	18.0	26.0	3.3	0.9	2.4
25 to 29 years	9,862	359	92	267	12.6	14.0	10.5	15.8	3.6	0.9	2.7
30 to 34 years	8,440	237	65	172	10.8	9.3	7.5	10.2	2.8	0.8	2.0
35 to 44 years	14,530	316	73	243	18.6	12.3	8.4	14.4	2.2	0.5	1.7
35 to 39 years	7,436	173	38	135	9.5	6.8	4.4	8.0	2.3	0.5	1.8
40 to 44 years	7,094	143	35	108	9.1	5.6	4.0	6.4	2.0	0.5	1.5
45 to 54 years	14,917	260	63	197	19.1	10.1	7.2	11.7	1.7	0.4	1.3
45 to 49 years	7,381	141	30	111	9.4	5.5	3.5	6.5	1.9	0.4	1.5
50 to 54 years	7,536	119	33	86	9.6	4.6	3.8	5.1	1.6	0.4	1.1
55 to 64 years	11,400	186	81	106	14.6	7.3	9.3	6.2	1.6	0.7	0.9
55 to 59 years	6,780	104	39	66	8.7	4.1	4.5	3.9	1.5	0.6	1.0
60 to 64 years	4,621	82	42	40	5.9	3.2	4.8	2.4	1.8	0.9	0.9
65 years and older	3,520	50	22	28	4.5	2.0	2.5	1.7	1.4	0.6	0.8
65 to 69 years	2,103	36	17	19	2.7	1.4	1.9	1.1	1.7	0.8	0.9
70 years and older	1,418	14	5	9	1.8	0.6	0.6	0.5	1.0	0.4	0.7
Men
Total, 16 years and older	38,732	959	330	629	49.5	37.4	37.9	37.2	2.5	0.9	1.6
16 to 24 years	7,778	417	193	224	9.9	16.3	22.1	13.3	5.4	2.5	2.9
16 to 19 years	2,124	194	107	87	2.7	7.6	12.3	5.1	9.1	5.1	4.1
20 to 24 years	5,654	223	85	138	7.2	8.7	9.8	8.1	3.9	1.5	2.4
25 years and older	30,954	542	137	404	39.6	21.2	15.8	23.9	1.8	0.4	1.3
25 to 34 years	9,689	248	67	181	12.4	9.7	7.7	10.7	2.6	0.7	1.9
25 to 29 years	5,239	147	38	109	6.7	5.7	4.4	6.4	2.8	0.7	2.1
30 to 34 years	4,449	101	29	72	5.7	3.9	3.3	4.3	2.3	0.6	1.6
35 to 44 years	7,308	113	23	91	9.3	4.4	2.6	5.4	1.6	0.3	1.2
35 to 39 years	3,770	66	14	53	4.8	2.6	1.6	3.1	1.8	0.4	1.4
40 to 44 years	3,538	47	9	38	4.5	1.8	1.0	2.3	1.3	0.2	1.1
45 to 54 years	7,051	90	15	76	9.0	3.5	1.7	4.5	1.3	0.2	1.1
45 to 49 years	3,582	52	8	43	4.6	2.0	1.0	2.6	1.4	0.2	1.2
50 to 54 years	3,468	38	6	32	4.4	1.5	0.7	1.9	1.1	0.2	0.9
55 to 64 years	5,307	70	28	42	6.8	2.7	3.2	2.5	1.3	0.5	0.8
55 to 59 years	3,144	39	12	27	4.0	1.5	1.4	1.6	1.3	0.4	0.9
60 to 64 years	2,163	30	15	15	2.8	1.2	1.8	0.9	1.4	0.7	0.7
65 years and older	1,598	20	6	14	2.0	0.8	0.7	0.8	1.3	0.4	0.9
65 to 69 years	941	15	5	10	1.2	0.6	0.6	0.6	1.6	0.5	1.0
70 years and older	658	5	1	4	0.8	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.8	0.2	0.7
Women
Total, 16 years and older	39,500	1,602	540	1,062	50.5	62.6	62.1	62.8	4.1	1.4	2.7
16 to 24 years	7,784	736	282	454	10.0	28.7	32.5	26.8	9.5	3.6	5.8
16 to 19 years	2,231	293	150	143	2.9	11.4	17.3	8.4	13.1	6.7	6.4
20 to 24 years	5,553	443	132	311	7.1	17.3	15.2	18.4	8.0	2.4	5.6
25 years and older	31,716	866	258	608	40.5	33.8	29.6	36.0	2.7	0.8	1.9
25 to 34 years	8,613	348	90	258	11.0	13.6	10.3	15.3	4.0	1.0	3.0
25 to 29 years	4,622	212	54	158	5.9	8.3	6.2	9.3	4.6	1.2	3.4
30 to 34 years	3,991	136	36	100	5.1	5.3	4.2	5.9	3.4	0.9	2.5
35 to 44 years	7,222	202	50	152	9.2	7.9	5.8	9.0	2.8	0.7	2.1
35 to 39 years	3,666	107	24	82	4.7	4.2	2.8	4.9	2.9	0.7	2.3
40 to 44 years	3,556	96	26	70	4.5	3.7	3.0	4.1	2.7	0.7	2.0
45 to 54 years	7,866	169	48	121	10.1	6.6	5.5	7.2	2.2	0.6	1.5
45 to 49 years	3,798	89	22	67	4.9	3.5	2.5	4.0	2.3	0.6	1.8
50 to 54 years	4,068	81	26	54	5.2	3.1	3.0	3.2	2.0	0.6	1.3
55 to 64 years	6,093	116	53	63	7.8	4.5	6.1	3.7	1.9	0.9	1.0
55 to 59 years	3,635	65	27	38	4.6	2.5	3.1	2.3	1.8	0.7	1.1
60 to 64 years	2,458	51	26	25	3.1	2.0	3.0	1.5	2.1	1.1	1.0
65 years and older	1,922	30	16	14	2.5	1.2	1.9	0.8	1.6	0.8	0.7
65 to 69 years	1,162	21	12	9	1.5	0.8	1.4	0.5	1.8	1.0	0.8
70 years and older	760	9	4	5	1.0	0.4	0.5	0.3	1.2	0.6	0.6
Note: Data exclude all self-employed workers, whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 8. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by marital status, age, and gender, 2015 annual averages
Marital status, age, and gender	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percentage of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total
Total, 16 years and older	78,232	2,561	870	1,691	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.3	1.1	2.2
Never married	30,332	1,629	591	1,038	38.8	63.6	67.9	61.4	5.4	1.9	3.4
16 to 24 years	14,092	1,071	441	630	18.0	41.8	50.7	37.2	7.6	3.1	4.5
25 years and older	16,240	558	149	409	20.8	21.8	17.2	24.2	3.4	0.9	2.5
25 to 54 years	14,843	521	130	391	19.0	20.3	15.0	23.1	3.5	0.9	2.6
Married, spouse present	34,804	601	185	417	44.5	23.5	21.2	24.6	1.7	0.5	1.2
16 to 24 years	1,091	57	24	33	1.4	2.2	2.8	1.9	5.2	2.2	3.0
25 years and older	33,714	544	161	384	43.1	21.3	18.5	22.7	1.6	0.5	1.1
25 to 54 years	24,515	432	112	320	31.3	16.9	12.9	18.9	1.8	0.5	1.3
Other marital status	13,096	330	94	236	16.7	12.9	10.9	13.9	2.5	0.7	1.8
16 to 24 years	379	25	10	15	0.5	1.0	1.1	0.9	6.5	2.5	4.0
25 years and older	12,716	305	85	221	16.3	11.9	9.8	13.0	2.4	0.7	1.7
25 to 54 years	8,391	218	49	169	10.7	8.5	5.7	10.0	2.6	0.6	2.0
Men
Total, 16 years and older	38,732	959	330	629	49.5	37.4	37.9	37.2	2.5	0.9	1.6
Never married	15,908	641	235	406	20.3	25.0	27.0	24.0	4.0	1.5	2.6
16 to 24 years	7,153	395	179	215	9.1	15.4	20.6	12.7	5.5	2.5	3.0
25 years and older	8,754	246	55	191	11.2	9.6	6.4	11.3	2.8	0.6	2.2
25 to 54 years	8,095	229	48	181	10.3	8.9	5.5	10.7	2.8	0.6	2.2
Married, spouse present	17,782	232	76	157	22.7	9.1	8.7	9.3	1.3	0.4	0.9
16 to 24 years	472	17	13	4	0.6	0.7	1.5	0.2	3.7	2.8	0.8
25 years and older	17,309	215	62	153	22.1	8.4	7.1	9.0	1.2	0.4	0.9
25 to 54 years	12,516	166	42	124	16.0	6.5	4.8	7.4	1.3	0.3	1.0
Other marital status	5,042	86	20	66	6.4	3.4	2.3	3.9	1.7	0.4	1.3
16 to 24 years	153	5	0	5	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.3	3.1	0.0	3.1
25 years and older	4,890	81	20	61	6.3	3.2	2.3	3.6	1.7	0.4	1.3
25 to 54 years	3,437	57	14	43	4.4	2.2	1.6	2.5	1.7	0.4	1.2
Women
Total, 16 years and older	39,500	1,602	540	1,062	50.5	62.6	62.1	62.8	4.1	1.4	2.7
Never married	14,425	988	356	632	18.4	38.6	40.9	37.4	6.9	2.5	4.4
16 to 24 years	6,939	676	262	414	8.9	26.4	30.1	24.5	9.7	3.8	6.0
25 years and older	7,486	312	94	218	9.6	12.2	10.8	12.9	4.2	1.3	2.9
25 to 54 years	6,748	293	82	210	8.6	11.4	9.5	12.4	4.3	1.2	3.1
Married, spouse present	17,023	369	109	260	21.8	14.4	12.6	15.4	2.2	0.6	1.5
16 to 24 years	618	40	11	29	0.8	1.6	1.3	1.7	6.4	1.8	4.7
25 years and older	16,404	329	98	231	21.0	12.9	11.3	13.7	2.0	0.6	1.4
25 to 54 years	11,999	266	70	195	15.3	10.4	8.1	11.5	2.2	0.6	1.6
Other marital status	8,053	244	75	170	10.3	9.5	8.6	10.0	3.0	0.9	2.1
16 to 24 years	227	20	10	10	0.3	0.8	1.1	0.6	8.8	4.2	4.6
25 years and older	7,826	224	65	159	10.0	8.8	7.5	9.4	2.9	0.8	2.0
25 to 54 years	4,954	162	35	126	6.3	6.3	4.1	7.5	3.3	0.7	2.5
Note: Data exclude all self-employed workers, whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Other marital status includes married, spouse absent; divorced; separated; and widowed persons. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 9. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by usual hours worked per week on primary job, 2015 annual averages
Usual hours worked per week on primary job	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percentage of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and older	78,232	2,561	870	1,691	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.3	1.1	2.2
Hours vary	4,831	314	107	207	6.2	12.3	12.4	12.2	6.5	2.2	4.3
0 to 34 hours	18,401	1,324	516	808	23.5	51.7	59.3	47.8	7.2	2.8	4.4
0 to 4 hours	338	31	11	20	0.4	1.2	1.3	1.2	9.2	3.4	5.8
5 to 9 hours	980	90	48	42	1.3	3.5	5.5	2.5	9.2	4.9	4.3
10 to 14 hours	1,586	120	58	61	2.0	4.7	6.7	3.6	7.5	3.7	3.9
15 to 19 hours	2,286	176	85	91	2.9	6.9	9.8	5.4	7.7	3.7	4.0
20 to 24 hours	5,297	355	136	220	6.8	13.9	15.6	13.0	6.7	2.6	4.1
25 to 29 hours	2,991	230	79	152	3.8	9.0	9.0	9.0	7.7	2.6	5.1
30 to 34 hours	4,922	322	99	223	6.3	12.6	11.4	13.2	6.5	2.0	4.5
35 hours or more	55,000	922	246	676	70.3	36.0	28.3	40.0	1.7	0.4	1.2
35 to 39 hours	5,905	255	63	192	7.5	9.9	7.3	11.3	4.3	1.1	3.2
40 hours or more	49,095	668	183	485	62.8	26.1	21.0	28.7	1.4	0.4	1.0
40 hours	42,492	578	164	414	54.3	22.6	18.9	24.5	1.4	0.4	1.0
41 hours or more	6,604	89	19	71	8.4	3.5	2.1	4.2	1.4	0.3	1.1
41 to 44 hours	707	13	1	11	0.9	0.5	0.1	0.7	1.8	0.2	1.6
45 to 48 hours	2,224	24	4	19	2.8	0.9	0.5	1.2	1.1	0.2	0.9
49 to 59 hours	2,504	32	4	28	3.2	1.2	0.5	1.6	1.3	0.2	1.1
60 hours or more	1,167	21	9	12	1.5	0.8	1.0	0.7	1.8	0.7	1.1
Note: Data exclude all self-employed workers, whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Estimates of usual hours worked presented in this table differ from usual full- or part-time status (as shown in table 1) because of a sizable number of workers whose usual hours vary on the primary job. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2015 annual averages
(numbers in thousands)
Year and gender	Total wage and salary workers	Workers paid hourly rates
		Total	Percentage of total wage and salary workers	At prevailing federal minimum wage⁽¹⁾	Below prevailing federal minimum wage⁽¹⁾	Total at or below prevailing federal minimum wage
		Total	Percentage of total wage and salary workers	At prevailing federal minimum wage⁽¹⁾	Below prevailing federal minimum wage⁽¹⁾	Number	Percentage of hourly paid workers
Total
1979	87,529	51,721	59.1	3,997	2,916	6,912	13.4
1980	87,644	51,335	58.6	4,686	3,087	7,773	15.1
1981	88,516	51,869	58.6	4,311	3,513	7,824	15.1
1982	87,368	50,846	58.2	4,148	2,348	6,496	12.8
1983	88,290	51,820	58.7	4,261	2,077	6,338	12.2
1984	92,194	54,143	58.7	4,125	1,838	5,963	11.0
1985	94,521	55,762	59.0	3,899	1,639	5,538	9.9
1986	96,903	57,529	59.4	3,461	1,599	5,060	8.8
1987	99,303	59,552	60.0	3,229	1,468	4,698	7.9
1988	101,407	60,878	60.0	2,608	1,319	3,927	6.5
1989	103,480	62,389	60.3	1,790	1,372	3,162	5.1
1990	104,876	63,172	60.2	1,096	2,132	3,228	5.1
1991	103,723	62,627	60.4	2,906	2,377	5,283	8.4
1992	104,668	63,610	60.8	2,982	1,939	4,921	7.7
1993	106,101	64,274	60.6	2,625	1,707	4,332	6.7
1994	107,989	66,549	61.6	2,132	1,995	4,128	6.2
1995	110,038	68,354	62.1	1,956	1,699	3,656	5.3
1996	111,960	69,255	61.9	1,861	1,863	3,724	5.4
1997	114,533	70,735	61.8	1,764	2,990	4,754	6.7
1998	116,730	71,440	61.2	1,593	2,834	4,427	6.2
1999	118,963	72,306	60.8	1,146	2,194	3,340	4.6
2000	122,089	73,496	60.2	898	1,752	2,650	3.6
2001	122,229	73,392	60.0	656	1,518	2,174	3.0
2002	121,826	72,508	59.5	567	1,579	2,146	3.0
2003	122,358	72,946	59.6	545	1,555	2,100	2.9
2004	123,554	73,939	59.8	520	1,483	2,003	2.7
2005	125,889	75,609	60.1	479	1,403	1,882	2.5
2006	128,237	76,514	59.7	409	1,283	1,692	2.2
2007	129,767	75,873	58.5	267	1,462	1,729	2.3
2008	129,377	75,305	58.2	286	1,940	2,226	3.0
2009	124,490	72,611	58.3	980	2,592	3,572	4.9
2010	124,073	72,902	58.8	1,820	2,541	4,361	6.0
2011	125,187	73,926	59.1	1,677	2,152	3,829	5.2
2012	127,577	75,276	59.0	1,566	1,984	3,550	4.7
2013	129,110	75,948	58.8	1,532	1,768	3,301	4.3
2014	131,431	77,207	58.7	1,255	1,737	2,992	3.9
2015	133,743	78,232	58.5	870	1,691	2,561	3.3
Men
1979	49,400	28,392	57.5	1,353	846	2,199	7.7
1980	48,700	27,709	56.9	1,696	983	2,678	9.7
1981	48,844	27,576	56.5	1,533	1,119	2,652	9.6
1982	47,591	26,481	55.6	1,587	697	2,284	8.6
1983	47,856	26,831	56.1	1,658	585	2,243	8.4
1984	50,022	28,140	56.3	1,626	490	2,116	7.5
1985	51,015	28,893	56.6	1,544	440	1,984	6.9
1986	51,942	29,666	57.1	1,336	408	1,743	5.9
1987	52,938	30,474	57.6	1,283	364	1,647	5.4
1988	53,912	31,058	57.6	1,066	311	1,377	4.4
1989	54,789	31,687	57.8	733	379	1,112	3.5
1990	55,553	32,104	57.8	385	712	1,097	3.4
1991	54,618	31,639	57.9	1,114	795	1,909	6.0
1992	54,826	32,155	58.6	1,231	653	1,885	5.9
1993	55,475	32,337	58.3	1,091	573	1,664	5.1
1994	56,570	33,528	59.3	891	674	1,565	4.7
1995	57,669	34,420	59.7	796	542	1,338	3.9
1996	58,473	34,838	59.6	755	619	1,374	3.9
1997	59,825	35,521	59.4	673	1,147	1,820	5.1
1998	60,973	35,761	58.7	628	1,039	1,667	4.7
1999	61,914	36,073	58.3	446	768	1,214	3.4
2000	63,662	36,720	57.7	319	582	901	2.5
2001	63,647	36,544	57.4	247	497	744	2.0
2002	63,272	36,000	56.9	217	582	799	2.2
2003	63,236	35,853	56.7	213	493	706	2.0
2004	64,145	36,806	57.4	210	470	680	1.8
2005	65,466	37,652	57.5	189	459	648	1.7
2006	66,811	38,193	57.2	146	422	568	1.5
2007	67,468	37,790	56.0	86	460	546	1.4
2008	66,846	37,334	55.9	90	638	728	1.9
2009	63,539	35,185	55.4	368	990	1,358	3.9
2010	63,531	35,498	55.9	669	943	1,612	4.5
2011	64,686	36,457	56.4	648	785	1,433	3.9
2012	65,898	37,113	56.3	567	696	1,263	3.4
2013	66,794	37,544	56.2	622	621	1,243	3.3
2014	68,048	38,405	56.4	516	598	1,114	2.9
2015	69,298	38,732	55.9	330	629	959	2.5
Women
1979	38,129	23,329	61.2	2,644	2,070	4,714	20.2
1980	38,944	23,626	60.7	2,990	2,104	5,095	21.6
1981	39,672	24,294	61.2	2,778	2,394	5,172	21.3
1982	39,777	24,365	61.3	2,561	1,651	4,212	17.3
1983	40,433	24,989	61.8	2,603	1,492	4,095	16.4
1984	42,172	26,003	61.7	2,499	1,348	3,847	14.8
1985	43,506	26,869	61.8	2,356	1,198	3,554	13.2
1986	44,961	27,863	62.0	2,125	1,192	3,317	11.9
1987	46,365	29,078	62.7	1,946	1,105	3,051	10.5
1988	47,495	29,820	62.8	1,542	1,008	2,550	8.6
1989	48,691	30,702	63.1	1,056	994	2,050	6.7
1990	49,323	31,069	63.0	711	1,420	2,131	6.9
1991	49,105	30,988	63.1	1,792	1,582	3,374	10.9
1992	49,842	31,454	63.1	1,751	1,286	3,036	9.7
1993	50,626	31,937	63.1	1,534	1,133	2,667	8.4
1994	51,419	33,021	64.2	1,241	1,322	2,563	7.8
1995	52,369	33,934	64.8	1,161	1,157	2,318	6.8
1996	53,488	34,418	64.3	1,106	1,244	2,350	6.8
1997	54,708	35,214	64.4	1,092	1,843	2,935	8.3
1998	55,757	35,680	64.0	965	1,794	2,760	7.7
1999	57,050	36,233	63.5	700	1,426	2,126	5.9
2000	58,427	36,777	62.9	579	1,170	1,749	4.8
2001	58,582	36,848	62.9	409	1,021	1,430	3.9
2002	58,555	36,508	62.3	350	997	1,347	3.7
2003	59,122	37,093	62.7	332	1,062	1,394	3.8
2004	59,408	37,133	62.5	310	1,013	1,323	3.6
2005	60,423	37,957	62.8	290	944	1,234	3.3
2006	61,426	38,321	62.4	263	861	1,124	2.9
2007	62,299	38,082	61.1	181	1,002	1,183	3.1
2008	62,532	37,972	60.7	196	1,302	1,498	3.9
2009	60,951	37,426	61.4	612	1,603	2,215	5.9
2010	60,542	37,404	61.8	1,151	1,598	2,749	7.3
2011	60,502	37,469	61.9	1,029	1,366	2,395	6.4
2012	61,679	38,163	61.9	999	1,288	2,287	6.0
2013	62,316	38,404	61.6	910	1,148	2,058	5.4
2014	63,383	38,802	61.2	739	1,139	1,878	4.8
2015	64,445	39,500	61.3	540	1,062	1,602	4.1
(1) Data for 1990–1991, 1996–1997, and 2007–2009 reflect changes in the minimum wage that took place in those years. Note: The comparability of historical labor force data has been affected at various times by methodological and conceptual changes in the Current Population Survey (CPS). Information about historical comparability is available at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#comp. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Technical Notes

The estimates in this report were obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau using a scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000 eligible households in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey also provides data on earnings, which are based on one-fourth of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers, both incorporated and unincorporated, are excluded from these earnings estimates.

Upon request, the information in this article will be made available to individuals who are sensory impaired. Voice telephone: (202) 691-5200. Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339. This report is in the public domain and may be used without permission.

Concepts and definitions

The principal definitions for the main concepts presented in this report are below.

Wage and salary workers are those age 16 and older who receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payments in kind, or piece rates on their sole or principal job. This group includes employees in both the private and public sectors. All self-employed workers are excluded whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Workers paid by the hour are wage and salary workers who report that they are paid at an hourly rate on their job. Historically, workers paid an hourly wage have made up approximately three-fifths of all wage and salary workers. Estimates of workers paid by the hour include both full- and part-time workers unless otherwise specified.

Hourly earnings data are for wage and salary workers who are paid by the hour and refer to a person’s sole or principal job. Hourly earnings for hourly paid workers do not include overtime pay, commissions, or tips received.

Workers paid at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage pertain only to workers who are paid hourly rates. Salaried workers and other nonhourly paid workers are excluded.

Regular collection of earnings data in the basic CPS began in 1979. The prevailing federal minimum wage for 1979 and later years is listed below:

Federal minimum wage	Effective date
$2.90	January 1, 1979
$3.10	January 1, 1980
$3.35	January 1, 1981
$3.80	April 1, 1990
$4.25	April 1, 1991
$4.75	October 1, 1996
$5.15	September 1, 1997
$5.85	July 24, 2007
$6.55	July 24, 2008
$7.25	July 24, 2009

Estimates of the annual average number of minimum wage workers for years when the minimum wage increased reflect both minimum wage levels in effect during the year. For example, data for 2007 reflect the number of workers at or below the federal minimum of $5.15 for January to July and $5.85 for August to December.

Full-time workers are defined as those who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or principal job.

Part-time workers are defined as those who usually work fewer than 35 hours per week at their sole or principal job.

Race is determined by the household respondent in the survey process. In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget guidelines, White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander are terms used to describe a person’s race. The latter two race groups and people who selected more than one race are included in totals but not separately identified in this report because the number of survey respondents is too small to develop estimates of sufficient quality.

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity refers to people who identified themselves in the survey process as being of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

Interpreting minimum wage data

The CPS does not determine whether workers are covered by the minimum wage provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or by individual state or local minimum wage laws. The estimates of workers paid at or below the federal minimum wage are based solely on the hourly wage they report (which does not include overtime pay, tips, or commissions). Some respondents might round hourly earnings when answering survey questions. As a result, some workers might be reported as having hourly earnings above or below the federal minimum wage when, in fact, they earn the minimum wage.

Some workers reported as earning at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage may not, in fact, be covered by federal or state minimum wage laws because of exclusions and exemptions in the statutes. Thus, the presence of workers with hourly earnings below the federal minimum wage does not necessarily indicate violations of the FLSA or state statutes in cases where such standards apply.

Estimates of the number of minimum wage workers in this report pertain only to workers who are paid hourly rates. Salaried workers and other workers who are not paid by the hour are excluded, even though some have earnings that, if converted to hourly rates, would be at or below the federal minimum wage. Consequently, the estimates presented in this report likely understate the actual number of workers with hourly earnings at or below the minimum wage. BLS does not routinely estimate the hourly earnings of workers not paid by the hour because of data-quality concerns associated with constructing such an estimate.

A number of states have established minimum wage rates that exceed the federal level. (Information on state minimum wage laws is available at www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm.) Users should be cautious about comparing state estimates in this report because of differing statutory minimum wages. It also should be noted that the CPS sample is based on residence; workers report their earnings on their job, which may or may not be located in the same state in which they live. In addition, the degree of sampling error may be quite large for some state estimates.

Reliability

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the true population values they represent. Sampling error is the component of this difference that occurs because samples differ by chance, and its variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the true population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data. For example, respondents may round their hourly earnings to whole dollars when answering survey questions.

Information about the reliability of data from the CPS is available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.