April 2022 Report 1098

Characteristics of minimum wage workers, 2021

In 2021, 76.1 million workers age 16 and older in the United States were paid at hourly rates, representing 55.8 percent of all wage and salary workers. Among those paid by the hour, 181,000 workers earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. About 910,000 workers had wages below the federal minimum. Together, these 1.1 million workers with wages at or below the federal minimum made up 1.4 percent of all hourly paid workers.

Data on minimum wage workers for 2021 continue to reflect the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the labor market. Comparisons with data on minimum wage workers for earlier years should be interpreted with caution. More information on labor market developments in 2021 is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-and-response-on-the-employment-situation-news-release.htm.

The percentage of hourly paid workers earning the prevailing federal minimum wage or less, at 1.4 percent in 2021, was little different than in 2020. This remains well below the 13.4 percent 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 2021. 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).

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 2021 data:

Age. Minimum wage workers tend to be young. Although workers under age 25 represented nearly one-fifth of hourly paid workers, they made up 44 percent of those paid the federal minimum wage or less. Among employed teenagers (ages 16 to 19) paid by the hour, 4 percent earned the minimum wage or less, compared with 1 percent of workers age 25 and older. (See tables 1 and 7.)

Gender. Among workers who were paid hourly rates in 2021, about 2 percent of women and 1 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. White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic workers each had about 1 percent of workers who earned the federal minimum wage or less. (See table 1.)

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

Marital status. Among workers paid an hourly wage, those who were never married were more likely than married workers to earn the federal minimum wage or less (about 2 percent versus about 1 percent). (See table 8.)

Full- and part-time status. About 3 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 5 percent. Nearly 3 out of 4 workers earning the minimum wage or less in 2021 were employed in service occupations, mostly in food preparation and serving related jobs. (See table 4.)

Industry. As has historically been the case, the industry with the highest percentage of workers earning hourly wages at or below the federal minimum wage in 2021 was leisure and hospitality (8 percent). About two-thirds of all workers paid at or below the federal minimum wage were employed in this industry, almost entirely in restaurants, bars, 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 mostly in the South. Compared with recent years, a relatively large number of states had less than 1 percent of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Montana, Nevada, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington. It should be noted that more than half of all 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, 2021 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	76,125	1,091	181	910	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.4	0.2	1.2
16 to 24 years	15,153	484	111	373	19.9	44.3	61.5	40.9	3.2	0.7	2.5
16 to 19 years	4,776	190	62	128	6.3	17.4	34.1	14.1	4.0	1.3	2.7
25 years and older	60,973	607	70	538	80.1	55.7	38.5	59.1	1.0	0.1	0.9
Men, 16 years and older	38,089	398	87	311	50.0	36.5	48.0	34.2	1.0	0.2	0.8
16 to 24 years	7,544	159	51	108	9.9	14.6	28.0	11.9	2.1	0.7	1.4
16 to 19 years	2,309	72	29	43	3.0	6.6	16.1	4.7	3.1	1.3	1.9
25 years and older	30,545	239	36	203	40.1	21.9	20.0	22.3	0.8	0.1	0.7
Women, 16 years and older	38,036	693	94	599	50.0	63.5	52.0	65.8	1.8	0.2	1.6
16 to 24 years	7,608	325	61	264	10.0	29.8	33.5	29.0	4.3	0.8	3.5
16 to 19 years	2,467	118	33	85	3.2	10.8	18.0	9.4	4.8	1.3	3.5
25 years and older	30,428	368	34	335	40.0	33.7	18.5	36.8	1.2	0.1	1.1

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
White(1)	58,021	832	127	706	76.2	76.2	69.9	77.5	1.4	0.2	1.2
Men	29,656	293	64	229	39.0	26.8	35.5	25.1	1.0	0.2	0.8
Women	28,366	539	62	477	37.3	49.4	34.4	52.4	1.9	0.2	1.7
Black or African American(1)	11,019	146	34	112	14.5	13.4	18.6	12.3	1.3	0.3	1.0
Men	5,009	62	13	49	6.6	5.7	7.0	5.4	1.2	0.3	1.0
Women	6,010	84	21	63	7.9	7.7	11.6	6.9	1.4	0.3	1.0
Asian(1)	3,809	44	9	34	5.0	4.0	5.1	3.8	1.1	0.2	0.9
Men	1,766	15	5	10	2.3	1.4	2.6	1.1	0.8	0.3	0.6
Women	2,044	29	4	24	2.7	2.6	2.5	2.7	1.4	0.2	1.2
Hispanic or Latino(1)	16,998	226	33	194	22.3	20.7	18.0	21.3	1.3	0.2	1.1
Men	9,464	90	21	69	12.4	8.2	11.7	7.5	0.9	0.2	0.7
Women	7,534	137	11	125	9.9	12.5	6.2	13.8	1.8	0.1	1.7

Full- and part-time status
Full-time workers(2)	58,259	520	47	473	76.5	47.6	26.1	51.9	0.9	0.1	0.8
Men	31,827	202	27	175	41.8	18.5	14.9	19.3	0.6	0.1	0.6
Women	26,432	318	20	297	34.7	29.1	11.2	32.7	1.2	0.1	1.1
Part-time workers(2)	17,757	567	134	433	23.3	52.0	73.9	47.6	3.2	0.8	2.4
Men	6,205	193	60	133	8.2	17.7	33.1	14.6	3.1	1.0	2.1
Women	11,552	374	74	300	15.2	34.3	40.8	33.0	3.2	0.6	2.6
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, 2021 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	76,125	1,091	181	910	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.4	0.2	1.2

Northeast	12,195	167	26	140	16.0	15.3	14.5	15.4	1.4	0.2	1.2
New England	3,505	47	1	46	4.6	4.3	0.6	5.0	1.3	0.0	1.3
Middle Atlantic	8,691	120	25	94	11.4	11.0	13.9	10.4	1.4	0.3	1.1

Midwest	17,688	230	34	197	23.2	21.1	18.5	21.6	1.3	0.2	1.1
East North Central	11,884	160	25	135	15.6	14.6	13.6	14.8	1.3	0.2	1.1
West North Central	5,804	71	9	62	7.6	6.5	5.0	6.8	1.2	0.2	1.1

South	27,808	577	104	473	36.5	52.8	57.3	51.9	2.1	0.4	1.7
South Atlantic	14,158	285	33	253	18.6	26.1	18.0	27.8	2.0	0.2	1.8
East South Central	4,513	79	25	54	5.9	7.2	13.7	5.9	1.7	0.5	1.2
West South Central	9,137	213	46	166	12.0	19.5	25.6	18.3	2.3	0.5	1.8

West	18,434	118	18	100	24.2	10.8	9.7	11.0	0.6	0.1	0.5
Mountain	6,187	57	11	46	8.1	5.2	6.2	5.1	0.9	0.2	0.7
Pacific	12,246	61	6	54	16.1	5.6	3.5	6.0	0.5	0.1	0.4
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, 2021 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	76,125	1,091	181	910	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.4	0.2	1.2

Alabama	1,158	21	6	15	1.5	1.9	3.5	1.6	1.8	0.5	1.3
Alaska	182	1	0	1	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.6	0.0	0.6
Arizona	1,837	8	0	8	2.4	0.7	0.0	0.8	0.4	0.0	0.4
Arkansas	698	4	1	3	0.9	0.4	0.8	0.3	0.6	0.2	0.4
California	8,812	41	5	36	11.6	3.8	2.7	4.0	0.5	0.1	0.4
Colorado	1,250	5	0	5	1.6	0.5	0.0	0.6	0.4	0.0	0.4
Connecticut	842	4	0	4	1.1	0.4	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.5
Delaware	260	6	1	5	0.3	0.6	0.4	0.6	2.4	0.3	2.1
District of Columbia	81	2	0	2	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.2	2.5	0.6	2.0
Florida	4,495	103	5	98	5.9	9.4	2.6	10.8	2.3	0.1	2.2
Georgia	2,285	49	7	43	3.0	4.5	3.6	4.7	2.2	0.3	1.9
Hawaii	311	3	0	3	0.4	0.3	0.1	0.3	1.0	0.1	0.9
Idaho	508	11	4	7	0.7	1.0	2.0	0.8	2.1	0.7	1.4

Illinois	2,820	28	2	26	3.7	2.6	1.3	2.8	1.0	0.1	0.9
Indiana	1,698	30	4	26	2.2	2.7	2.4	2.8	1.8	0.3	1.5
Iowa	909	10	1	9	1.2	0.9	0.4	1.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
Kansas	736	12	1	11	1.0	1.1	0.7	1.2	1.6	0.2	1.4
Kentucky	1,086	21	5	16	1.4	2.0	2.8	1.8	2.0	0.5	1.5
Louisiana	1,045	34	7	27	1.4	3.1	3.7	3.0	3.2	0.6	2.6
Maine	358	5	0	5	0.5	0.4	0.0	0.5	1.3	0.0	1.3
Maryland	1,305	16	0	16	1.7	1.4	0.0	1.7	1.2	0.0	1.2
Massachusetts	1,513	24	1	24	2.0	2.2	0.5	2.6	1.6	0.1	1.6
Michigan	2,476	34	5	29	3.3	3.1	2.9	3.2	1.4	0.2	1.2
Minnesota	1,574	15	3	12	2.1	1.4	1.6	1.4	1.0	0.2	0.8
Mississippi	697	16	7	9	0.9	1.4	3.7	1.0	2.2	1.0	1.3
Missouri	1,551	22	3	19	2.0	2.0	1.5	2.1	1.4	0.2	1.2

Montana	297	3	0	2	0.4	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.8	0.1	0.8
Nebraska	549	7	1	6	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6	1.2	0.2	1.0
Nevada	827	7	2	6	1.1	0.7	0.8	0.6	0.9	0.2	0.7
New Hampshire	375	9	0	9	0.5	0.8	0.0	0.9	2.3	0.0	2.3
New Jersey	1,606	26	0	26	2.1	2.4	0.0	2.8	1.6	0.0	1.6
New Mexico	452	7	0	7	0.6	0.7	0.0	0.8	1.6	0.0	1.6
New York	3,869	32	6	26	5.1	2.9	3.5	2.8	0.8	0.2	0.7
North Carolina	2,402	41	6	35	3.2	3.8	3.5	3.8	1.7	0.3	1.4
North Dakota	221	3	0	3	0.3	0.3	0.1	0.3	1.4	0.1	1.3
Ohio	3,196	41	5	36	4.2	3.7	2.8	3.9	1.3	0.2	1.1
Oklahoma	910	18	5	13	1.2	1.6	2.8	1.4	2.0	0.5	1.4
Oregon	1,027	3	0	3	1.3	0.3	0.0	0.4	0.3	0.0	0.3
Pennsylvania	3,216	62	19	43	4.2	5.7	10.4	4.7	1.9	0.6	1.3

Rhode Island	272	3	0	3	0.4	0.3	0.0	0.4	1.2	0.0	1.2
South Carolina	1,168	23	5	19	1.5	2.1	2.5	2.1	2.0	0.4	1.6
South Dakota	265	2	0	2	0.3	0.2	0.0	0.3	0.9	0.0	0.9
Tennessee	1,572	20	7	14	2.1	1.9	3.7	1.5	1.3	0.4	0.9
Texas	6,485	157	33	124	8.5	14.4	18.4	13.6	2.4	0.5	1.9
Utah	866	13	5	8	1.1	1.2	2.9	0.9	1.5	0.6	0.9
Vermont	145	2	0	1	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.2	1.1	0.1	1.0
Virginia	1,737	39	9	30	2.3	3.6	4.8	3.3	2.2	0.5	1.7
Washington	1,914	12	1	11	2.5	1.1	0.7	1.2	0.6	0.1	0.6
West Virginia	425	6	1	6	0.6	0.6	0.3	0.6	1.4	0.1	1.3
Wisconsin	1,694	26	7	19	2.2	2.4	4.1	2.1	1.6	0.4	1.1
Wyoming	151	3	1	2	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.2	1.9	0.5	1.4
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, 2021 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	76,125	1,091	181	910	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.4	0.2	1.2

Management, professional, and related occupations	17,899	67	12	55	23.5	6.1	6.7	6.0	0.4	0.1	0.3
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	5,594	27	2	24	7.3	2.4	1.3	2.7	0.5	0.0	0.4
Professional and related occupations	12,305	40	10	30	16.2	3.7	5.4	3.3	0.3	0.1	0.2

Service occupations	17,398	804	85	719	22.9	73.7	47.1	79.0	4.6	0.5	4.1
Healthcare support occupations	3,896	23	9	15	5.1	2.2	4.8	1.6	0.6	0.2	0.4
Protective service occupations	1,923	25	1	24	2.5	2.3	0.6	2.7	1.3	0.1	1.3
Food preparation and serving related occupations	6,424	643	51	593	8.4	58.9	27.9	65.1	10.0	0.8	9.2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	3,503	49	6	43	4.6	4.5	3.4	4.7	1.4	0.2	1.2
Personal care and service occupations	1,652	63	19	44	2.2	5.8	10.5	4.9	3.8	1.1	2.7

Sales and office occupations	17,336	88	44	45	22.8	8.1	24.0	4.9	0.5	0.3	0.3
Sales and related occupations	7,094	55	26	29	9.3	5.0	14.2	3.2	0.8	0.4	0.4
Office and administrative support occupations	10,243	33	18	16	13.5	3.1	9.8	1.7	0.3	0.2	0.2

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	8,867	24	6	18	11.6	2.2	3.1	2.0	0.3	0.1	0.2
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	660	2	1	0	0.9	0.2	0.8	0.0	0.3	0.2	0.1
Construction and extraction occupations	4,903	14	0	14	6.4	1.3	0.0	1.5	0.3	0.0	0.3
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3,305	8	4	4	4.3	0.8	2.3	0.5	0.2	0.1	0.1

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	14,624	108	34	74	19.2	9.9	19.0	8.1	0.7	0.2	0.5
Production occupations	6,307	30	9	21	8.3	2.7	4.9	2.3	0.5	0.1	0.3
Transportation and material moving occupations	8,317	78	26	53	10.9	7.2	14.1	5.8	0.9	0.3	0.6
Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Effective with January 2020 data, occupations reflect the introduction of the 2018 Census occupational classification system, derived from the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). No historical data have been revised. Data for 2020 are not strictly comparable with earlier years. 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, 2021 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	76,125	1,091	181	910	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.4	0.2	1.2

Private sector	67,168	1,023	176	847	88.2	93.7	97.1	93.1	1.5	0.3	1.3
Agriculture and related industries	839	0	0	0	1.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0
Nonagricultural industries	66,329	1,023	176	847	87.1	93.7	97.1	93.0	1.5	0.3	1.3
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	282	1	0	1	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.2
Construction	5,281	9	1	8	6.9	0.8	0.6	0.9	0.2	0.0	0.1
Manufacturing	8,391	30	5	26	11.0	2.8	2.5	2.8	0.4	0.1	0.3
Durable goods	5,251	15	1	15	6.9	1.4	0.3	1.6	0.3	0.0	0.3
Nondurable goods	3,140	15	4	11	4.1	1.4	2.2	1.2	0.5	0.1	0.4
Wholesale and retail trade	12,514	65	29	36	16.4	6.0	15.9	4.0	0.5	0.2	0.3
Wholesale trade	1,598	0	0	0	2.1	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Retail trade	10,916	65	28	36	14.3	5.9	15.7	4.0	0.6	0.3	0.3
Transportation and utilities	4,269	27	10	17	5.6	2.4	5.3	1.9	0.6	0.2	0.4
Information	894	2	1	1	1.2	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.1
Financial activities	3,178	8	1	6	4.2	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.2	0.0	0.2
Professional and business services	6,137	25	3	22	8.1	2.3	1.8	2.4	0.4	0.1	0.4
Education and health services	13,445	77	30	47	17.7	7.0	16.5	5.2	0.6	0.2	0.3
Leisure and hospitality	8,907	715	77	637	11.7	65.5	42.8	70.0	8.0	0.9	7.2
Other services	3,032	65	19	46	4.0	5.9	10.6	5.0	2.1	0.6	1.5

Public sector	8,957	68	5	63	11.8	6.3	2.9	6.9	0.8	0.1	0.7
Federal	1,831	10	1	10	2.4	1.0	0.5	1.0	0.6	0.0	0.5
State	2,620	18	3	15	3.4	1.7	1.7	1.6	0.7	0.1	0.6
Local	4,506	40	1	39	5.9	3.6	0.7	4.2	0.9	0.0	0.9
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, 2021 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	76,125	1,091	181	910	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.4	0.2	1.2

Less than a high school diploma	8,505	163	57	105	11.2	14.9	31.7	11.5	1.9	0.7	1.2
Less than 1 year of high school	2,425	21	4	16	3.2	1.9	2.4	1.8	0.9	0.2	0.7
1 to 3 years of high school	4,892	113	46	67	6.4	10.4	25.6	7.3	2.3	0.9	1.4
4 years of high school, no diploma	1,189	29	7	22	1.6	2.6	3.7	2.4	2.4	0.6	1.9
High school graduates or more	67,620	929	124	805	88.8	85.1	68.3	88.5	1.4	0.2	1.2
High school graduates, no college	25,888	376	64	312	34.0	34.4	35.3	34.2	1.5	0.2	1.2
Some college or associate degree	24,960	393	50	342	32.8	36.0	27.8	37.6	1.6	0.2	1.4
Some college, no degree	15,419	297	39	257	20.3	27.2	21.8	28.3	1.9	0.3	1.7
Associate degree	9,541	96	11	85	12.5	8.8	6.0	9.3	1.0	0.1	0.9
Occupational program	4,094	36	4	33	5.4	3.3	2.1	3.6	0.9	0.1	0.8
Academic program	5,447	60	7	52	7.2	5.5	3.9	5.8	1.1	0.1	1.0
Bachelor's degree and higher	16,772	161	9	151	22.0	14.7	5.1	16.6	1.0	0.1	0.9
Bachelor's degree	12,748	134	6	129	16.7	12.3	3.1	14.1	1.1	0.0	1.0
Master's degree	3,207	20	2	18	4.2	1.8	1.0	2.0	0.6	0.1	0.6
Professional degree	375	5	1	3	0.5	0.4	0.7	0.4	1.2	0.3	0.9
Doctoral degree	442	1	1	1	0.6	0.1	0.4	0.1	0.3	0.2	0.2
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, 2021 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	76,125	1,091	181	910	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.4	0.2	1.2
16 to 24 years	15,153	484	111	373	19.9	44.3	61.5	40.9	3.2	0.7	2.5
16 to 19 years	4,776	190	62	128	6.3	17.4	34.1	14.1	4.0	1.3	2.7
20 to 24 years	10,377	294	50	244	13.6	26.9	27.4	26.8	2.8	0.5	2.4
25 years and older	60,973	607	70	538	80.1	55.7	38.5	59.1	1.0	0.1	0.9
25 to 34 years	18,352	268	18	250	24.1	24.6	10.2	27.5	1.5	0.1	1.4
25 to 29 years	9,607	153	6	146	12.6	14.0	3.5	16.1	1.6	0.1	1.5
30 to 34 years	8,745	116	12	104	11.5	10.6	6.7	11.4	1.3	0.1	1.2
35 to 44 years	14,137	117	11	106	18.6	10.7	6.0	11.7	0.8	0.1	0.8
35 to 39 years	7,342	70	7	63	9.6	6.4	3.7	7.0	1.0	0.1	0.9
40 to 44 years	6,795	47	4	43	8.9	4.3	2.4	4.7	0.7	0.1	0.6
45 to 54 years	12,826	97	9	88	16.8	8.9	4.9	9.6	0.8	0.1	0.7
45 to 49 years	6,399	57	6	51	8.4	5.2	3.1	5.7	0.9	0.1	0.8
50 to 54 years	6,428	40	3	36	8.4	3.6	1.8	4.0	0.6	0.1	0.6
55 to 64 years	11,524	91	17	74	15.1	8.3	9.4	8.1	0.8	0.1	0.6
55 to 59 years	6,360	49	6	44	8.4	4.5	3.0	4.8	0.8	0.1	0.7
60 to 64 years	5,164	41	12	30	6.8	3.8	6.4	3.3	0.8	0.2	0.6
65 years and older	4,134	34	14	20	5.4	3.1	8.0	2.2	0.8	0.3	0.5
65 to 69 years	2,411	16	5	10	3.2	1.4	2.9	1.1	0.6	0.2	0.4
70 years and older	1,723	19	9	10	2.3	1.7	5.0	1.1	1.1	0.5	0.6

Men
Total, 16 years and older	38,089	398	87	311	50.0	36.5	48.0	34.2	1.0	0.2	0.8
16 to 24 years	7,544	159	51	108	9.9	14.6	28.0	11.9	2.1	0.7	1.4
16 to 19 years	2,309	72	29	43	3.0	6.6	16.1	4.7	3.1	1.3	1.9
20 to 24 years	5,235	87	22	66	6.9	8.0	11.9	7.2	1.7	0.4	1.3
25 years and older	30,545	239	36	203	40.1	21.9	20.0	22.3	0.8	0.1	0.7
25 to 34 years	9,691	100	14	86	12.7	9.1	7.7	9.4	1.0	0.1	0.9
25 to 29 years	5,004	55	3	51	6.6	5.0	1.8	5.6	1.1	0.1	1.0
30 to 34 years	4,687	45	11	34	6.2	4.1	5.9	3.8	1.0	0.2	0.7
35 to 44 years	7,251	43	7	36	9.5	4.0	3.8	4.0	0.6	0.1	0.5
35 to 39 years	3,859	25	6	19	5.1	2.3	3.4	2.1	0.6	0.2	0.5
40 to 44 years	3,392	18	1	18	4.5	1.7	0.4	1.9	0.5	0.0	0.5
45 to 54 years	6,194	38	4	34	8.1	3.5	2.2	3.7	0.6	0.1	0.5
45 to 49 years	3,103	23	1	21	4.1	2.1	0.7	2.4	0.7	0.0	0.7
50 to 54 years	3,092	15	3	12	4.1	1.4	1.5	1.4	0.5	0.1	0.4
55 to 64 years	5,477	41	6	35	7.2	3.7	3.3	3.8	0.7	0.1	0.6
55 to 59 years	2,994	20	2	18	3.9	1.8	1.0	2.0	0.7	0.1	0.6
60 to 64 years	2,483	21	4	17	3.3	1.9	2.3	1.9	0.8	0.2	0.7
65 years and older	1,931	18	5	12	2.5	1.6	2.9	1.4	0.9	0.3	0.6
65 to 69 years	1,114	5	0	5	1.5	0.5	0.0	0.6	0.5	0.0	0.5
70 years and older	818	12	5	7	1.1	1.1	2.9	0.8	1.5	0.6	0.9

Women
Total, 16 years and older	38,036	693	94	599	50.0	63.5	52.0	65.8	1.8	0.2	1.6
16 to 24 years	7,608	325	61	264	10.0	29.8	33.5	29.0	4.3	0.8	3.5
16 to 19 years	2,467	118	33	85	3.2	10.8	18.0	9.4	4.8	1.3	3.5
20 to 24 years	5,142	207	28	179	6.8	19.0	15.5	19.6	4.0	0.5	3.5
25 years and older	30,428	368	34	335	40.0	33.7	18.5	36.8	1.2	0.1	1.1
25 to 34 years	8,661	169	4	164	11.4	15.5	2.4	18.1	1.9	0.1	1.9
25 to 29 years	4,603	98	3	95	6.0	9.0	1.7	10.5	2.1	0.1	2.1
30 to 34 years	4,057	71	1	69	5.3	6.5	0.8	7.6	1.7	0.0	1.7
35 to 44 years	6,885	74	4	70	9.0	6.8	2.2	7.7	1.1	0.1	1.0
35 to 39 years	3,482	45	0	45	4.6	4.1	0.3	4.9	1.3	0.0	1.3
40 to 44 years	3,403	29	4	25	4.5	2.6	2.0	2.8	0.8	0.1	0.7
45 to 54 years	6,632	59	5	54	8.7	5.4	2.7	5.9	0.9	0.1	0.8
45 to 49 years	3,296	34	4	30	4.3	3.1	2.4	3.3	1.0	0.1	0.9
50 to 54 years	3,336	24	1	24	4.4	2.2	0.3	2.6	0.7	0.0	0.7
55 to 64 years	6,047	50	11	39	7.9	4.6	6.1	4.3	0.8	0.2	0.6
55 to 59 years	3,366	29	4	26	4.4	2.7	2.0	2.8	0.9	0.1	0.8
60 to 64 years	2,681	20	7	13	3.5	1.9	4.1	1.4	0.8	0.3	0.5
65 years and older	2,203	17	9	8	2.9	1.5	5.1	0.8	0.8	0.4	0.3
65 to 69 years	1,297	10	5	5	1.7	1.0	2.9	0.6	0.8	0.4	0.4
70 years and older	905	6	4	2	1.2	0.6	2.1	0.3	0.7	0.4	0.3
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, 2021 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	76,125	1,091	181	910	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.4	0.2	1.2
Never married	32,653	720	141	579	42.9	65.9	77.9	63.6	2.2	0.4	1.8
16 to 24 years	14,026	458	109	350	18.4	42.0	60.0	38.4	3.3	0.8	2.5
25 years and older	18,627	261	32	229	24.5	23.9	17.8	25.2	1.4	0.2	1.2
25 to 54 years	16,801	228	21	207	22.1	20.9	11.5	22.7	1.4	0.1	1.2
Married, spouse present(1)	31,762	249	24	225	41.7	22.8	13.2	24.7	0.8	0.1	0.7
16 to 24 years	815	17	2	15	1.1	1.6	1.1	1.7	2.1	0.2	1.9
25 years and older	30,948	232	22	210	40.7	21.2	12.1	23.1	0.7	0.1	0.7
25 to 54 years	21,667	179	16	163	28.5	16.4	8.8	17.9	0.8	0.1	0.8
Widowed, divorced, or separated(2)	11,710	123	16	107	15.4	11.2	8.9	11.7	1.0	0.1	0.9
16 to 24 years	312	8	1	8	0.4	0.8	0.3	0.9	2.7	0.2	2.5
25 years and older	11,398	114	15	99	15.0	10.5	8.6	10.9	1.0	0.1	0.9
25 to 54 years	6,847	75	1	74	9.0	6.9	0.8	8.1	1.1	0.0	1.1

Men
Total, 16 years and older	38,089	398	87	311	50.0	36.5	48.0	34.2	1.0	0.2	0.8
Never married	17,178	262	72	190	22.6	24.0	39.9	20.8	1.5	0.4	1.1
16 to 24 years	7,042	156	51	105	9.3	14.3	28.0	11.6	2.2	0.7	1.5
25 years and older	10,136	106	22	84	13.3	9.7	11.9	9.2	1.0	0.2	0.8
25 to 54 years	9,217	87	16	71	12.1	8.0	8.7	7.8	0.9	0.2	0.8
Married, spouse present(1)	16,270	101	12	89	21.4	9.2	6.8	9.7	0.6	0.1	0.5
16 to 24 years	359	2	0	2	0.5	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.5	0.0	0.5
25 years and older	15,911	99	12	87	20.9	9.1	6.8	9.5	0.6	0.1	0.5
25 to 54 years	11,090	73	9	64	14.6	6.7	5.1	7.0	0.7	0.1	0.6
Widowed, divorced, or separated(2)	4,641	36	2	33	6.1	3.3	1.3	3.7	0.8	0.0	0.7
16 to 24 years	143	1	0	1	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.8	0.0	0.8
25 years and older	4,498	34	2	32	5.9	3.2	1.3	3.5	0.8	0.1	0.7
25 to 54 years	2,830	21	0	21	3.7	1.9	0.0	2.3	0.7	0.0	0.7

Women
Total, 16 years and older	38,036	693	94	599	50.0	63.5	52.0	65.8	1.8	0.2	1.6
Never married	15,475	458	69	389	20.3	41.9	38.0	42.7	3.0	0.4	2.5
16 to 24 years	6,984	302	58	244	9.2	27.7	32.0	26.8	4.3	0.8	3.5
25 years and older	8,490	156	11	145	11.2	14.3	5.9	15.9	1.8	0.1	1.7
25 to 54 years	7,584	140	5	135	10.0	12.9	2.8	14.9	1.9	0.1	1.8
Married, spouse present(1)	15,492	148	12	137	20.4	13.6	6.4	15.0	1.0	0.1	0.9
16 to 24 years	456	15	2	13	0.6	1.4	1.1	1.5	3.4	0.4	2.9
25 years and older	15,037	133	10	123	19.8	12.2	5.3	13.5	0.9	0.1	0.8
25 to 54 years	10,578	106	7	100	13.9	9.7	3.7	10.9	1.0	0.1	0.9
Widowed, divorced, or separated(2)	7,069	87	14	73	9.3	8.0	7.7	8.0	1.2	0.2	1.0
16 to 24 years	168	7	1	7	0.2	0.7	0.3	0.7	4.3	0.4	4.0
25 years and older	6,901	80	13	67	9.1	7.3	7.3	7.3	1.2	0.2	1.0
25 to 54 years	4,016	55	1	53	5.3	5.0	0.8	5.9	1.4	0.0	1.3
Footnotes (1) Refers to persons in both opposite-sex and same-sex married couples. (2) Separated includes persons 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, 2021 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	76,125	1,091	181	910	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.4	0.2	1.2
Hours vary	4,139	160	31	130	5.4	14.7	17.0	14.2	3.9	0.7	3.1
0 to 34 hours	16,430	518	124	394	21.6	47.5	68.7	43.2	3.2	0.8	2.4
0 to 4 hours	356	13	7	6	0.5	1.2	3.9	0.6	3.6	2.0	1.6
5 to 9 hours	863	37	9	29	1.1	3.4	4.7	3.1	4.3	1.0	3.3
10 to 14 hours	1,427	37	14	23	1.9	3.4	7.6	2.6	2.6	1.0	1.6
15 to 19 hours	2,066	52	19	33	2.7	4.8	10.6	3.6	2.5	0.9	1.6
20 to 24 hours	4,871	163	41	122	6.4	14.9	22.7	13.4	3.3	0.8	2.5
25 to 29 hours	2,507	100	23	77	3.3	9.2	12.7	8.5	4.0	0.9	3.1
30 to 34 hours	4,339	115	12	104	5.7	10.6	6.5	11.4	2.7	0.3	2.4
35 hours or more	55,557	413	26	387	73.0	37.8	14.4	42.5	0.7	0.0	0.7
35 to 39 hours	5,398	107	5	101	7.1	9.8	3.0	11.1	2.0	0.1	1.9
40 hours or more	50,158	306	21	286	65.9	28.1	11.4	31.4	0.6	0.0	0.6
40 hours	43,411	280	19	261	57.0	25.7	10.7	28.6	0.6	0.0	0.6
41 hours or more	6,748	26	1	25	8.9	2.4	0.7	2.8	0.4	0.0	0.4
41 to 44 hours	652	5	0	5	0.9	0.4	0.0	0.5	0.7	0.0	0.7
45 to 48 hours	2,250	10	0	10	3.0	0.9	0.0	1.1	0.4	0.0	0.4
49 to 59 hours	2,663	4	1	3	3.5	0.4	0.7	0.3	0.2	0.0	0.1
60 hours or more	1,182	7	0	7	1.6	0.7	0.0	0.8	0.6	0.0	0.6
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, 1979–2021 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
2019	141,737	82,289	58.1	392	1,211	1,603	1.9
2020	132,174	73,305	55.5	247	865	1,112	1.5
2021	136,393	76,125	55.8	181	910	1,091	1.4

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
2019	73,349	40,918	55.8	125	411	536	1.3
2020	68,711	36,792	53.5	111	258	369	1.0
2021	70,739	38,089	53.8	87	311	398	1.0

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
2019	68,388	41,372	60.5	268	800	1,067	2.6
2020	63,462	36,513	57.5	136	607	742	2.0
2021	65,654	38,036	57.9	94	599	693	1.8
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 nationally representative 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, whether or not their businesses are incorporated, are excluded from these earnings estimates.

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

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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 are people 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 pertain to earnings from 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 include only 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 in the following table.

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 during the year 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. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not define full- or part-time employment.

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

Race is reported by the household respondent. In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget standards, White, Black or African American, and Asian are terms used to describe a person’s race for the data presented in this report. Data for other race groups--American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders--and for people of Two or More Races are included in totals but not separately identified in this report because the number of survey respondents is too small to develop estimates of acceptable reliability.

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

Married, spouse present refers to people in both opposite-sex and same-sex marriages living together in the same household.

Other marital status refers to people who are never married; widowed; divorced; separated; or married, spouse absent. Separated includes people with legal separations, those living apart with intentions of obtaining a divorce, and other people permanently or temporarily separated because of marital discord. Married, spouse absent includes both opposite-sex and same-sex married people living apart because either the husband or wife was employed and living at a considerable distance from home, was serving away from home in the Armed Forces, had moved to another area, or had a different place of residence for any other reason except those listed in the previous definition of separated.

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 their 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 https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state.) Users should be cautious about comparing state estimates with CPS 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 from 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.