March 2019 Report 1078

Characteristics of minimum wage workers, 2018

In 2018, 81.9 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, 434,000 workers earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. About 1.3 million had wages below the federal minimum. Together, these 1.7 million workers with wages at or below the federal minimum made up 2.1 percent of all hourly paid workers.

The percentage of hourly paid workers earning the prevailing federal minimum wage or less edged down from 2.3 percent in 2017 to 2.1 percent in 2018. This remains well below the percentage of 13.4 recorded in 1979, when data 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 2018. 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 2018 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 just under half of those paid the federal minimum wage or less. Among employed teenagers (ages 16 to 19) paid by the hour, about 8 percent earned the minimum wage or less, compared with about 1 percent of workers age 25 and older. (See tables 1 and 7.)

Gender. Among workers who were paid hourly rates in 2018, about 3 percent of women and about 2 percent of men had wages at or below the prevailing federal minimum. (See table 1.)

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. The percentage of hourly paid workers with wages at or below the federal minimum differed little among the major race and ethnicity groups. About 3 percent of Black or African American workers earned the federal minimum wage or less. Among White, Asian, and Hispanic workers, the percentage was about 2 percent. (See table 1.)

Education. Among hourly paid workers age 16 and older, about 3 percent of those without a high school diploma earned the federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 2 percent of those who had a high school diploma (with no college), about 2 percent of those with some college or an associate degree, and about 1 percent of college graduates. (See table 6.)

Marital status. Among workers paid an hourly wage, those who were never married, who tend to be young, were more likely (about 4 percent) than married workers (1 percent) to earn the federal minimum wage or less. (See table 8.)

Full- and part-time status. About 5 percent of part-time workers (people who usually work fewer than 35 hours per week) were paid the federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 1 percent of full-time workers. (See table 1.)

Occupation. Among major occupational groups, service occupations had the highest percentage of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage, at about 6 percent. Just under three-fourths of workers earning the minimum wage or less in 2018 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 (11 percent). About three-fifths of all workers paid at or below the federal minimum wage were employed in this industry, almost entirely 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 minimum wage were in the South: Louisiana (about 5 percent) and South Carolina (about 4 percent). In the District of Columbia, about 4 percent of workers were paid at or below the federal minimum. The states with the lowest percentages of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage were in the West or Midwest: Alaska, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington (all were less than 1 percent). It should be noted that more than half of states have minimum wages that exceed the federal minimum. (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, 2018 annual averages
Characteristic	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
Age and gender
Total, 16 years and older	81,915	1,711	434	1,276	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.1	0.5	1.6
16 to 24 years	15,963	805	271	534	19.5	47.1	62.5	41.8	5.0	1.7	3.3
16 to 19 years	4,751	361	166	195	5.8	21.1	38.2	15.3	7.6	3.5	4.1
25 years and older	65,952	905	163	742	80.5	52.9	37.5	58.2	1.4	0.2	1.1
Men, 16 years and older	40,691	632	168	464	49.7	37.0	38.6	36.4	1.6	0.4	1.1
16 to 24 years	7,994	301	115	186	9.8	17.6	26.6	14.6	3.8	1.4	2.3
16 to 19 years	2,261	133	63	69	2.8	7.8	14.6	5.4	5.9	2.8	3.1
25 years and older	32,698	331	52	278	39.9	19.3	12.1	21.8	1.0	0.2	0.9
Women, 16 years and older	41,223	1,078	267	812	50.3	63.0	61.4	63.6	2.6	0.6	2.0
16 to 24 years	7,969	504	156	348	9.7	29.4	35.9	27.2	6.3	2.0	4.4
16 to 19 years	2,491	228	103	125	3.0	13.3	23.6	9.8	9.2	4.1	5.0
25 years and older	33,254	575	110	464	40.6	33.6	25.4	36.4	1.7	0.3	1.4

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
White(1)	62,204	1,242	283	958	75.9	72.6	65.2	75.1	2.0	0.5	1.5
Men	31,509	434	101	333	38.5	25.4	23.3	26.1	1.4	0.3	1.1
Women	30,695	808	182	626	37.5	47.2	41.9	49.0	2.6	0.6	2.0
Black or African American(1)	12,135	313	114	198	14.8	18.3	26.3	15.5	2.6	0.9	1.6
Men	5,537	137	52	85	6.8	8.0	11.9	6.7	2.5	0.9	1.5
Women	6,598	175	63	113	8.1	10.3	14.4	8.8	2.7	0.9	1.7
Asian(1)	4,130	69	16	53	5.0	4.0	3.7	4.1	1.7	0.4	1.3
Men	1,909	23	6	17	2.3	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.2	0.3	0.9
Women	2,221	46	10	36	2.7	2.7	2.3	2.8	2.1	0.4	1.6
Hispanic or Latino(1)	17,452	324	78	246	21.3	18.9	18.1	19.2	1.9	0.4	1.4
Men	9,543	131	26	105	11.7	7.6	6.0	8.2	1.4	0.3	1.1
Women	7,909	194	52	141	9.7	11.3	12.1	11.1	2.4	0.7	1.8

Full- and part-time status
Full-time workers(2)	61,650	742	121	621	75.3	43.4	27.8	48.7	1.2	0.2	1.0
Men	33,736	288	45	244	41.2	16.9	10.3	19.1	0.9	0.1	0.7
Women	27,913	454	76	377	34.1	26.5	17.6	29.6	1.6	0.3	1.4
Part-time workers(2)	20,155	965	312	653	24.6	56.4	71.9	51.2	4.8	1.5	3.2
Men	6,895	341	122	219	8.4	19.9	28.1	17.2	4.9	1.8	3.2
Women	13,260	624	190	434	16.2	36.5	43.8	34.0	4.7	1.4	3.3
Footnotes (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 persons 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, 2018 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	81,915	1,711	434	1,276	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.1	0.5	1.6

Northeast	13,443	272	69	203	16.4	15.9	16.0	15.9	2.0	0.5	1.5
New England	3,863	76	6	70	4.7	4.5	1.4	5.5	2.0	0.2	1.8
Middle Atlantic	9,580	196	63	133	11.7	11.5	14.5	10.4	2.0	0.7	1.4

Midwest	19,182	360	73	287	23.4	21.1	16.9	22.5	1.9	0.4	1.5
East North Central	13,044	261	50	211	15.9	15.3	11.5	16.6	2.0	0.4	1.6
West North Central	6,138	99	23	76	7.5	5.8	5.3	5.9	1.6	0.4	1.2

South	29,457	855	239	615	36.0	50.0	55.1	48.2	2.9	0.8	2.1
South Atlantic	15,191	397	85	312	18.5	23.2	19.5	24.4	2.6	0.6	2.1
East South Central	4,793	147	63	84	5.9	8.6	14.6	6.6	3.1	1.3	1.7
West South Central	9,472	311	91	220	11.6	18.2	21.0	17.3	3.3	1.0	2.3

West	19,832	223	52	171	24.2	13.0	12.1	13.4	1.1	0.3	0.9
Mountain	6,458	99	25	74	7.9	5.8	5.8	5.8	1.5	0.4	1.1
Pacific	13,374	124	27	96	16.3	7.2	6.3	7.5	0.9	0.2	0.7
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, 2018 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	81,915	1,711	434	1,276	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.1	0.5	1.6

Alabama	1,220	37	19	18	1.5	2.2	4.3	1.4	3.1	1.5	1.5
Alaska	198	2	0	2	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.8	0.0	0.8
Arizona	1,901	20	3	17	2.3	1.1	0.6	1.3	1.0	0.1	0.9
Arkansas	759	12	3	9	0.9	0.7	0.7	0.7	1.5	0.4	1.1
California	9,798	93	23	70	12.0	5.4	5.3	5.5	1.0	0.2	0.7
Colorado	1,290	21	4	17	1.6	1.2	0.8	1.3	1.6	0.3	1.3
Connecticut	937	15	1	15	1.1	0.9	0.2	1.1	1.6	0.1	1.6
Delaware	265	5	1	4	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.3	1.9	0.3	1.6
District of Columbia	121	4	1	3	0.1	0.3	0.3	0.2	3.7	1.1	2.6
Florida	4,892	112	9	104	6.0	6.6	2.0	8.1	2.3	0.2	2.1
Georgia	2,343	53	18	35	2.9	3.1	4.1	2.7	2.3	0.8	1.5
Hawaii	353	8	1	7	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.5	2.2	0.2	1.9
Idaho	485	11	4	7	0.6	0.6	0.9	0.6	2.3	0.8	1.5

Illinois	3,277	55	8	47	4.0	3.2	1.9	3.7	1.7	0.3	1.4
Indiana	1,954	52	16	36	2.4	3.0	3.7	2.8	2.6	0.8	1.8
Iowa	949	20	6	15	1.2	1.2	1.3	1.1	2.1	0.6	1.5
Kansas	805	17	7	11	1.0	1.0	1.5	0.8	2.2	0.8	1.3
Kentucky	1,157	30	10	20	1.4	1.7	2.3	1.6	2.6	0.9	1.7
Louisiana	1,092	49	13	36	1.3	2.9	2.9	2.8	4.5	1.2	3.3
Maine	360	7	0	6	0.4	0.4	0.1	0.5	1.8	0.1	1.7
Maryland	1,400	31	4	26	1.7	1.8	1.0	2.1	2.2	0.3	1.9
Massachusetts	1,709	32	2	30	2.1	1.9	0.4	2.4	1.9	0.1	1.8
Michigan	2,780	46	6	40	3.4	2.7	1.4	3.1	1.7	0.2	1.4
Minnesota	1,622	11	1	10	2.0	0.6	0.3	0.7	0.7	0.1	0.6
Mississippi	721	22	11	11	0.9	1.3	2.4	0.9	3.0	1.5	1.5
Missouri	1,669	34	8	26	2.0	2.0	1.9	2.0	2.0	0.5	1.6

Montana	300	3	1	2	0.4	0.2	0.3	0.1	1.0	0.4	0.6
Nebraska	588	9	0	9	0.7	0.5	0.1	0.7	1.6	0.1	1.5
Nevada	944	13	4	8	1.2	0.7	1.0	0.7	1.3	0.5	0.9
New Hampshire	391	12	1	11	0.5	0.7	0.3	0.8	3.0	0.3	2.7
New Jersey	1,813	37	10	27	2.2	2.2	2.3	2.1	2.0	0.5	1.5
New Mexico	530	15	2	13	0.6	0.9	0.4	1.0	2.8	0.3	2.5
New York	4,339	63	8	55	5.3	3.7	1.9	4.3	1.5	0.2	1.3
North Carolina	2,562	79	26	53	3.1	4.6	6.0	4.1	3.1	1.0	2.1
North Dakota	228	3	1	2	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	1.5	0.4	1.1
Ohio	3,224	66	5	61	3.9	3.9	1.2	4.8	2.1	0.2	1.9
Oklahoma	945	24	9	16	1.2	1.4	2.0	1.2	2.6	0.9	1.7
Oregon	1,094	8	2	6	1.3	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.8	0.2	0.6
Pennsylvania	3,428	96	45	51	4.2	5.6	10.3	4.0	2.8	1.3	1.5

Rhode Island	290	7	2	5	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	2.3	0.5	1.7
South Carolina	1,162	48	15	33	1.4	2.8	3.5	2.6	4.1	1.3	2.8
South Dakota	276	4	0	4	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.3	1.5	0.2	1.3
Tennessee	1,696	58	24	34	2.1	3.4	5.6	2.7	3.4	1.4	2.0
Texas	6,677	226	67	160	8.2	13.2	15.3	12.5	3.4	1.0	2.4
Utah	847	14	7	7	1.0	0.8	1.5	0.5	1.6	0.8	0.8
Vermont	175	4	1	4	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.3	2.5	0.4	2.1
Virginia	1,991	56	8	48	2.4	3.3	1.9	3.8	2.8	0.4	2.4
Washington	1,931	13	1	12	2.4	0.7	0.2	0.9	0.7	0.1	0.6
West Virginia	455	8	2	6	0.6	0.5	0.4	0.5	1.8	0.4	1.4
Wisconsin	1,809	42	15	28	2.2	2.5	3.3	2.2	2.3	0.8	1.5
Wyoming	161	4	1	3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	2.5	0.6	1.8
Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons 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, 2018 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	81,915	1,711	434	1,276	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.1	0.5	1.6

Management, professional, and related occupations	19,040	90	26	64	23.2	5.3	6.0	5.0	0.5	0.1	0.3
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	5,725	27	2	24	7.0	1.6	0.5	1.9	0.5	0.0	0.4
Professional and related occupations	13,314	63	24	39	16.3	3.7	5.5	3.1	0.5	0.2	0.3

Service occupations	19,509	1,229	206	1,023	23.8	71.8	47.3	80.2	6.3	1.1	5.2
Healthcare support occupations	2,997	50	5	45	3.7	2.9	1.2	3.5	1.7	0.2	1.5
Protective service occupations	2,067	38	9	29	2.5	2.2	2.2	2.3	1.8	0.5	1.4
Food preparation and serving related occupations	7,141	968	131	837	8.7	56.6	30.1	65.6	13.6	1.8	11.7
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	4,023	65	23	42	4.9	3.8	5.3	3.3	1.6	0.6	1.1
Personal care and service occupations	3,281	108	37	71	4.0	6.3	8.6	5.5	3.3	1.1	2.2

Sales and office occupations	20,183	226	150	75	24.6	13.2	34.6	5.9	1.1	0.7	0.4
Sales and related occupations	8,046	140	105	35	9.8	8.2	24.1	2.7	1.7	1.3	0.4
Office and administrative support occupations	12,137	86	46	40	14.8	5.0	10.5	3.1	0.7	0.4	0.3

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	9,369	39	8	32	11.4	2.3	1.7	2.5	0.4	0.1	0.3
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	754	5	2	3	0.9	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.7	0.2	0.5
Construction and extraction occupations	5,188	14	0	14	6.3	0.8	0.0	1.1	0.3	0.0	0.3
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3,426	20	6	15	4.2	1.2	1.4	1.1	0.6	0.2	0.4

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	13,814	127	45	83	16.9	7.4	10.2	6.5	0.9	0.3	0.6
Production occupations	6,981	43	17	26	8.5	2.5	3.9	2.0	0.6	0.2	0.4
Transportation and material moving occupations	6,833	84	28	57	8.3	4.9	6.4	4.5	1.2	0.4	0.8
Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons 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, 2018 annual averages
Industry	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	81,915	1,711	434	1,276	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.1	0.5	1.6

Private sector	72,234	1,622	403	1,219	88.2	94.8	92.7	95.6	2.2	0.6	1.7
Agriculture and related industries	908	6	1	5	1.1	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.7	0.1	0.5
Nonagricultural industries	71,326	1,616	401	1,215	87.1	94.5	92.4	95.2	2.3	0.6	1.7
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	424	1	0	1	0.5	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.3	0.0	0.3
Construction	5,502	12	1	11	6.7	0.7	0.1	0.9	0.2	0.0	0.2
Manufacturing	9,407	62	19	43	11.5	3.6	4.3	3.4	0.7	0.2	0.5
Durable goods	5,837	26	4	22	7.1	1.5	1.0	1.7	0.4	0.1	0.4
Nondurable goods	3,570	36	14	21	4.4	2.1	3.3	1.7	1.0	0.4	0.6
Wholesale and retail trade	12,988	149	95	54	15.9	8.7	21.9	4.2	1.1	0.7	0.4
Wholesale trade	1,686	6	2	4	2.1	0.4	0.6	0.3	0.4	0.1	0.2
Retail trade	11,302	143	93	50	13.8	8.4	21.3	3.9	1.3	0.8	0.4
Transportation and utilities	3,742	26	3	23	4.6	1.5	0.8	1.8	0.7	0.1	0.6
Information	1,118	12	5	8	1.4	0.7	1.1	0.6	1.1	0.4	0.7
Financial activities	3,599	18	5	13	4.4	1.0	1.1	1.0	0.5	0.1	0.4
Professional and business services	6,812	80	21	59	8.3	4.7	4.9	4.6	1.2	0.3	0.9
Education and health services	14,262	132	46	85	17.4	7.7	10.7	6.7	0.9	0.3	0.6
Leisure and hospitality	9,959	1,049	181	868	12.2	61.3	41.7	68.0	10.5	1.8	8.7
Other services	3,514	75	25	50	4.3	4.4	5.8	3.9	2.1	0.7	1.4

Public sector	9,681	89	32	57	11.8	5.2	7.3	4.4	0.9	0.3	0.6
Federal	1,853	12	3	9	2.3	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.2	0.5
State	2,914	34	21	13	3.6	2.0	4.9	1.0	1.2	0.7	0.4
Local	4,913	43	8	35	6.0	2.5	1.8	2.8	0.9	0.2	0.7
Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons 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, 2018 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	81,915	1,711	434	1,276	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.1	0.5	1.6

Less than a high school diploma	9,579	330	170	160	11.7	19.3	39.0	12.6	3.4	1.8	1.7
Less than 1 year of high school	2,657	39	13	26	3.2	2.3	3.0	2.1	1.5	0.5	1.0
1 to 3 years of high school	5,548	242	140	102	6.8	14.1	32.2	8.0	4.4	2.5	1.8
4 years of high school, no diploma	1,374	49	17	32	1.7	2.8	3.9	2.5	3.5	1.2	2.3
High school graduates or more	72,335	1,381	265	1,116	88.3	80.7	61.0	87.4	1.9	0.4	1.5
High school graduates, no college	27,305	538	112	426	33.3	31.5	25.8	33.4	2.0	0.4	1.6
Some college or associate degree	28,012	606	128	478	34.2	35.4	29.5	37.4	2.2	0.5	1.7
Some college, no degree	17,700	469	97	372	21.6	27.4	22.3	29.2	2.6	0.5	2.1
Associate degree	10,312	137	31	106	12.6	8.0	7.2	8.3	1.3	0.3	1.0
Occupational program	4,495	48	8	40	5.5	2.8	1.9	3.2	1.1	0.2	0.9
Academic program	5,817	89	23	65	7.1	5.2	5.4	5.1	1.5	0.4	1.1
Bachelor's degree and higher	17,019	237	25	212	20.8	13.8	5.6	16.6	1.4	0.1	1.2
Bachelor's degree	13,145	198	18	179	16.0	11.5	4.2	14.0	1.5	0.1	1.4
Master's degree	3,141	32	5	27	3.8	1.9	1.1	2.1	1.0	0.2	0.9
Professional degree	335	3	0	3	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.3	1.0	0.0	1.0
Doctoral degree	399	4	1	3	0.5	0.2	0.3	0.2	1.0	0.3	0.7
Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons 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, 2018 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	81,915	1,711	434	1,276	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.1	0.5	1.6
16 to 24 years	15,963	805	271	534	19.5	47.1	62.5	41.8	5.0	1.7	3.3
16 to 19 years	4,751	361	166	195	5.8	21.1	38.2	15.3	7.6	3.5	4.1
20 to 24 years	11,211	444	106	339	13.7	26.0	24.3	26.6	4.0	0.9	3.0
25 years and older	65,952	905	163	742	80.5	52.9	37.5	58.2	1.4	0.2	1.1
25 to 34 years	19,831	349	65	285	24.2	20.4	14.9	22.3	1.8	0.3	1.4
25 to 29 years	10,891	217	43	174	13.3	12.7	9.9	13.6	2.0	0.4	1.6
30 to 34 years	8,940	133	22	111	10.9	7.8	5.0	8.7	1.5	0.2	1.2
35 to 44 years	15,181	219	38	181	18.5	12.8	8.7	14.2	1.4	0.3	1.2
35 to 39 years	8,043	121	18	103	9.8	7.1	4.2	8.0	1.5	0.2	1.3
40 to 44 years	7,138	98	20	78	8.7	5.7	4.5	6.1	1.4	0.3	1.1
45 to 54 years	14,610	161	25	136	17.8	9.4	5.9	10.6	1.1	0.2	0.9
45 to 49 years	7,313	88	13	75	8.9	5.2	3.0	5.9	1.2	0.2	1.0
50 to 54 years	7,297	73	13	60	8.9	4.3	2.9	4.7	1.0	0.2	0.8
55 to 64 years	12,303	116	18	98	15.0	6.8	4.1	7.7	0.9	0.1	0.8
55 to 59 years	7,123	66	7	59	8.7	3.8	1.6	4.6	0.9	0.1	0.8
60 to 64 years	5,180	50	11	39	6.3	2.9	2.6	3.1	1.0	0.2	0.8
65 years and older	4,027	60	17	43	4.9	3.5	3.8	3.4	1.5	0.4	1.1
65 to 69 years	2,300	38	10	28	2.8	2.2	2.4	2.2	1.7	0.4	1.2
70 years and older	1,727	22	6	15	2.1	1.3	1.5	1.2	1.2	0.4	0.9

Men
Total, 16 years and older	40,691	632	168	464	49.7	37.0	38.6	36.4	1.6	0.4	1.1
16 to 24 years	7,994	301	115	186	9.8	17.6	26.6	14.6	3.8	1.4	2.3
16 to 19 years	2,261	133	63	69	2.8	7.8	14.6	5.4	5.9	2.8	3.1
20 to 24 years	5,733	169	52	117	7.0	9.9	12.0	9.1	2.9	0.9	2.0
25 years and older	32,698	331	52	278	39.9	19.3	12.1	21.8	1.0	0.2	0.9
25 to 34 years	10,371	132	17	115	12.7	7.7	3.9	9.0	1.3	0.2	1.1
25 to 29 years	5,717	81	14	67	7.0	4.7	3.2	5.3	1.4	0.2	1.2
30 to 34 years	4,654	51	3	48	5.7	3.0	0.8	3.7	1.1	0.1	1.0
35 to 44 years	7,748	89	17	72	9.5	5.2	3.9	5.7	1.2	0.2	0.9
35 to 39 years	4,153	52	11	41	5.1	3.0	2.6	3.2	1.3	0.3	1.0
40 to 44 years	3,595	37	6	31	4.4	2.2	1.3	2.5	1.0	0.2	0.9
45 to 54 years	6,966	56	10	46	8.5	3.3	2.2	3.6	0.8	0.1	0.7
45 to 49 years	3,507	33	5	27	4.3	1.9	1.2	2.1	0.9	0.2	0.8
50 to 54 years	3,459	23	4	19	4.2	1.4	1.0	1.5	0.7	0.1	0.6
55 to 64 years	5,761	41	6	34	7.0	2.4	1.5	2.7	0.7	0.1	0.6
55 to 59 years	3,366	28	4	24	4.1	1.6	0.9	1.9	0.8	0.1	0.7
60 to 64 years	2,395	13	2	11	2.9	0.8	0.5	0.8	0.5	0.1	0.4
65 years and older	1,852	13	2	11	2.3	0.8	0.5	0.8	0.7	0.1	0.6
65 to 69 years	1,018	8	1	7	1.2	0.5	0.3	0.5	0.8	0.1	0.7
70 years and older	833	5	1	4	1.0	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.6	0.1	0.5

Women
Total, 16 years and older	41,223	1,078	267	812	50.3	63.0	61.4	63.6	2.6	0.6	2.0
16 to 24 years	7,969	504	156	348	9.7	29.4	35.9	27.2	6.3	2.0	4.4
16 to 19 years	2,491	228	103	125	3.0	13.3	23.6	9.8	9.2	4.1	5.0
20 to 24 years	5,479	276	53	222	6.7	16.1	12.3	17.4	5.0	1.0	4.1
25 years and older	33,254	575	110	464	40.6	33.6	25.4	36.4	1.7	0.3	1.4
25 to 34 years	9,460	217	48	170	11.5	12.7	11.0	13.3	2.3	0.5	1.8
25 to 29 years	5,174	136	29	106	6.3	7.9	6.7	8.3	2.6	0.6	2.1
30 to 34 years	4,286	82	19	63	5.2	4.8	4.3	5.0	1.9	0.4	1.5
35 to 44 years	7,433	130	21	109	9.1	7.6	4.8	8.5	1.7	0.3	1.5
35 to 39 years	3,890	69	7	62	4.7	4.0	1.6	4.8	1.8	0.2	1.6
40 to 44 years	3,543	61	14	47	4.3	3.6	3.2	3.7	1.7	0.4	1.3
45 to 54 years	7,645	105	16	90	9.3	6.2	3.6	7.0	1.4	0.2	1.2
45 to 49 years	3,806	56	8	48	4.6	3.3	1.7	3.8	1.5	0.2	1.3
50 to 54 years	3,839	50	8	41	4.7	2.9	1.9	3.2	1.3	0.2	1.1
55 to 64 years	6,542	75	11	64	8.0	4.4	2.6	5.0	1.1	0.2	1.0
55 to 59 years	3,757	38	3	35	4.6	2.2	0.6	2.7	1.0	0.1	0.9
60 to 64 years	2,785	37	9	29	3.4	2.2	2.0	2.2	1.3	0.3	1.0
65 years and older	2,175	47	14	33	2.7	2.8	3.3	2.6	2.2	0.7	1.5
65 to 69 years	1,281	30	9	21	1.6	1.8	2.0	1.7	2.4	0.7	1.7
70 years and older	894	17	6	11	1.1	1.0	1.3	0.9	1.9	0.6	1.3
Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons 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, 2018 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	81,915	1,711	434	1,276	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.1	0.5	1.6
Never married	33,131	1,146	328	818	40.4	67.0	75.4	64.1	3.5	1.0	2.5
16 to 24 years	14,567	766	258	508	17.8	44.8	59.3	39.8	5.3	1.8	3.5
25 years and older	18,564	380	70	310	22.7	22.2	16.1	24.3	2.0	0.4	1.7
25 to 54 years	16,959	349	64	285	20.7	20.4	14.8	22.3	2.1	0.4	1.7
Married, spouse present(1)	35,753	361	58	302	43.6	21.1	13.4	23.7	1.0	0.2	0.8
16 to 24 years	1,003	28	10	19	1.2	1.7	2.2	1.5	2.8	1.0	1.9
25 years and older	34,750	332	49	283	42.4	19.4	11.2	22.2	1.0	0.1	0.8
25 to 54 years	24,639	247	35	212	30.1	14.4	8.1	16.6	1.0	0.1	0.9
Widowed, divorced, or separated(2)	13,030	204	49	155	15.9	11.9	11.2	12.2	1.6	0.4	1.2
16 to 24 years	393	11	4	7	0.5	0.6	0.9	0.5	2.7	1.0	1.7
25 years and older	12,638	193	44	149	15.4	11.3	10.2	11.7	1.5	0.4	1.2
25 to 54 years	8,024	133	29	104	9.8	7.8	6.7	8.2	1.7	0.4	1.3

Men
Total, 16 years and older	40,691	632	168	464	49.7	37.0	38.6	36.4	1.6	0.4	1.1
Never married	17,289	470	142	328	21.1	27.5	32.8	25.7	2.7	0.8	1.9
16 to 24 years	7,413	292	114	178	9.1	17.1	26.2	13.9	3.9	1.5	2.4
25 years and older	9,875	179	29	150	12.1	10.4	6.6	11.8	1.8	0.3	1.5
25 to 54 years	9,123	161	26	135	11.1	9.4	6.0	10.6	1.8	0.3	1.5
Married, spouse present(1)	18,348	111	14	97	22.4	6.5	3.3	7.6	0.6	0.1	0.5
16 to 24 years	419	6	1	5	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.4	1.5	0.3	1.2
25 years and older	17,929	105	13	91	21.9	6.1	3.0	7.2	0.6	0.1	0.5
25 to 54 years	12,695	78	8	70	15.5	4.6	1.9	5.5	0.6	0.1	0.5
Widowed, divorced, or separated(2)	5,055	51	11	40	6.2	3.0	2.6	3.1	1.0	0.2	0.8
16 to 24 years	162	3	0	3	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.2	2.0	0.2	1.7
25 years and older	4,893	48	11	37	6.0	2.8	2.5	2.9	1.0	0.2	0.8
25 to 54 years	3,267	38	9	29	4.0	2.2	2.2	2.2	1.2	0.3	0.9

Women
Total, 16 years and older	41,223	1,078	267	812	50.3	63.0	61.4	63.6	2.6	0.6	2.0
Never married	15,843	676	185	491	19.3	39.5	42.6	38.4	4.3	1.2	3.1
16 to 24 years	7,154	474	144	330	8.7	27.7	33.1	25.9	6.6	2.0	4.6
25 years and older	8,689	201	41	160	10.6	11.8	9.5	12.6	2.3	0.5	1.8
25 to 54 years	7,836	188	38	150	9.6	11.0	8.8	11.8	2.4	0.5	1.9
Married, spouse present(1)	17,405	250	44	206	21.2	14.6	10.1	16.1	1.4	0.3	1.2
16 to 24 years	585	22	8	14	0.7	1.3	1.9	1.1	3.8	1.4	2.3
25 years and older	16,821	228	36	192	20.5	13.3	8.2	15.1	1.4	0.2	1.1
25 to 54 years	11,944	169	27	142	14.6	9.9	6.2	11.1	1.4	0.2	1.2
Widowed, divorced, or separated(2)	7,975	153	37	116	9.7	8.9	8.6	9.1	1.9	0.5	1.4
16 to 24 years	231	7	4	4	0.3	0.4	0.8	0.3	3.2	1.6	1.6
25 years and older	7,744	146	34	112	9.5	8.5	7.8	8.8	1.9	0.4	1.4
25 to 54 years	4,757	95	20	76	5.8	5.6	4.5	5.9	2.0	0.4	1.6
Footnotes (1) Refers to people in opposite-sex married couples only. (2) Separated includes people who are married, spouse absent.
Note: Data exclude all self-employed workers, whether or not their businesses are incorporated. 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, 2018 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	81,915	1,711	434	1,276	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.1	0.5	1.6
Hours vary	4,390	171	49	122	5.4	10.0	11.3	9.5	3.9	1.1	2.8
0 to 34 hours	18,472	885	282	603	22.6	51.7	64.8	47.3	4.8	1.5	3.3
0 to 4 hours	394	19	8	11	0.5	1.1	1.8	0.9	4.8	2.0	2.9
5 to 9 hours	1,011	59	29	30	1.2	3.5	6.8	2.3	5.8	2.9	2.9
10 to 14 hours	1,616	90	45	45	2.0	5.2	10.3	3.5	5.6	2.8	2.8
15 to 19 hours	2,298	99	44	55	2.8	5.8	10.2	4.3	4.3	1.9	2.4
20 to 24 hours	5,548	258	82	176	6.8	15.1	18.8	13.8	4.6	1.5	3.2
25 to 29 hours	2,730	153	46	107	3.3	9.0	10.5	8.4	5.6	1.7	3.9
30 to 34 hours	4,876	207	28	179	6.0	12.1	6.5	14.0	4.2	0.6	3.7
35 hours or more	59,052	655	104	551	72.1	38.3	23.8	43.2	1.1	0.2	0.9
35 to 39 hours	5,811	158	32	126	7.1	9.2	7.3	9.9	2.7	0.5	2.2
40 hours or more	53,241	497	72	425	65.0	29.1	16.6	33.3	0.9	0.1	0.8
40 hours	45,593	447	63	385	55.7	26.2	14.5	30.1	1.0	0.1	0.8
41 hours or more	7,649	50	9	41	9.3	2.9	2.1	3.2	0.7	0.1	0.5
41 to 44 hours	756	2	1	1	0.9	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.3	0.2	0.1
45 to 48 hours	2,573	27	3	24	3.1	1.6	0.7	1.9	1.0	0.1	0.9
49 to 59 hours	2,990	13	3	10	3.7	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.4	0.1	0.3
60 hours or more	1,330	8	2	6	1.6	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.1	0.5
Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons 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, 1979-2018 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
2016	136,101	79,883	58.7	701	1,451	2,153	2.7
2017	137,890	80,439	58.3	542	1,282	1,824	2.3
2018	140,099	81,915	58.5	434	1,276	1,711	2.1

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
2016	70,589	39,568	56.1	270	499	769	1.9
2017	71,469	39,781	55.7	226	452	678	1.7
2018	72,632	40,691	56.0	168	464	632	1.6

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
2016	65,512	40,315	61.5	432	952	1,384	3.4
2017	66,421	40,658	61.2	316	829	1,146	2.8
2018	67,467	41,223	61.1	267	812	1,078	2.6
Footnotes (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 https://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.

The material in this report is in the public domain and may be used without permission.

Upon request this information is available to individuals who are sensory impaired. Voice telephone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Concepts and definitions

The principal definitions used in connection with the estimates of minimum wage workers presented in this report are described briefly below.

Wage and salary workers. Workers 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. These 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. The estimates of the numbers of workers with reported earnings at or below the federal minimum wage pertain only to workers who are paid hourly rates. Salaried workers and the 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. People who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or principal job are defined as working full time.

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

Race. In the survey process, race is determined by the household respondent. 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. These are 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 that respondents report (which does not include overtime pay, tips, or commissions). It should be noted that 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 underestimate 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. The component of this difference that occurs because samples differ by chance is known as sampling error, 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.