May 2024 Report 1109

Characteristics of minimum wage workers, 2023

In 2023, 80.5 million workers age 16 and older in the United States were paid at hourly rates, representing 55.7 percent of all wage and salary workers. Among those paid by the hour, 81,000 workers earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. About 789,000 workers had wages below the federal minimum. The percentage of hourly paid workers earning the prevailing federal minimum wage or less edged down from 1.3 percent in 2022 to 1.1 percent in 2023. 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 whose earnings were at or below the federal minimum wage in 2023. The data are obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a national monthly survey of approximately 60,000 eligible 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 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. For more information, see the technical notes section, 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 2023 data:

Age. Minimum wage workers tend to be young. Although workers under age 25 represented 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, 3 percent earned the minimum wage or less, compared with just under 1 percent of workers age 25 and older. (See tables 1 and 7.)

Sex. Among workers who were paid hourly rates in 2023, 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. Among White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic workers, about 1 percent 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 earned the federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 1 percent of high school graduates (no college), those with some college or an associate’s degree, and those with a bachelor's degree and higher. (See table 6.)

Marital status. Among never-married workers, who are younger than married workers on average, about 2 percent of those who were paid hourly had wages at or below the federal minimum wage, compared with less than 1 percent for married workers and for workers who were widowed, divorced, or separated. (See table 8.)

Full- and part-time status. Among part-time workers (people who usually work fewer than 35 hours per week), about 2 percent were paid the federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 1 percent of full-time workers. (See table 1.)

Occupation. Among the major occupational groups, service occupations had the highest percentage of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage, at about 4 percent. Nearly 8 in 10 workers earning the minimum wage or less in 2023 were employed in service occupations, mostly in food preparation and serving-related jobs. For many of these workers, tips may supplement the hourly wages received. (See table 4.)

Industry. The industry with the highest percentage of workers earning hourly wages at or below the federal minimum wage in 2023 was leisure and hospitality (6 percent). About 7 in 10 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. (See table 5.)

State of residence. Among hourly paid workers in Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, the share of workers who earned the federal minimum wage or less was between 2 percent and 3 percent. Less than 1 percent of hourly paid workers earned at or below the federal minimum wage in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington. Note that, as of 2023, 30 states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages that exceed the federal minimum. (See table 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, 2023 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 sex
Total, 16 years and older	80,538	869	81	789	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
16 to 24 years	16,591	386	47	339	20.6	44.4	58.0	43.0	2.3	0.3	2.0
16 to 19 years	5,208	163	32	131	6.5	18.7	39.2	16.6	3.1	0.6	2.5
25 years and older	63,947	483	34	449	79.4	55.6	42.0	57.0	0.8	0.1	0.7
Men, 16 years and older	40,314	270	29	241	50.1	31.1	36.4	30.5	0.7	0.1	0.6
16 to 24 years	8,205	96	23	72	10.2	11.0	29.1	9.1	1.2	0.3	0.9
16 to 19 years	2,559	46	16	30	3.2	5.3	19.7	3.8	1.8	0.6	1.2
25 years and older	32,110	174	6	169	39.9	20.1	7.3	21.4	0.5	0.0	0.5
Women, 16 years and older	40,224	599	51	548	49.9	68.9	63.6	69.5	1.5	0.1	1.4
16 to 24 years	8,386	290	23	267	10.4	33.4	28.9	33.9	3.5	0.3	3.2
16 to 19 years	2,649	117	16	101	3.3	13.4	19.5	12.8	4.4	0.6	3.8
25 years and older	31,837	309	28	281	39.5	35.5	34.7	35.6	1.0	0.1	0.9
Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
White(1)	60,299	666	56	610	74.9	76.6	69.6	77.3	1.1	0.1	1.0
Men	30,758	211	18	194	38.2	24.3	21.9	24.5	0.7	0.1	0.6
Women	29,541	455	38	416	36.7	52.3	47.7	52.8	1.5	0.1	1.4
Black or African American(1)	12,353	130	16	114	15.3	15.0	19.9	14.5	1.1	0.1	0.9
Men	5,741	34	8	26	7.1	3.9	9.8	3.3	0.6	0.1	0.5
Women	6,612	96	8	88	8.2	11.0	10.1	11.1	1.4	0.1	1.3
Asian(1)	4,083	27	3	25	5.1	3.2	3.6	3.1	0.7	0.1	0.6
Men	1,888	9	0	9	2.3	1.1	0.0	1.2	0.5	0.0	0.5
Women	2,195	18	3	15	2.7	2.1	3.6	2.0	0.8	0.1	0.7
Hispanic or Latino(1)	18,841	168	20	148	23.4	19.3	24.8	18.7	0.9	0.1	0.8
Men	10,211	63	11	52	12.7	7.3	14.1	6.6	0.6	0.1	0.5
Women	8,630	104	9	96	10.7	12.0	10.7	12.1	1.2	0.1	1.1
Full- and part-time status
Full-time workers(2)	61,220	443	31	412	76.0	51.0	38.9	52.2	0.7	0.1	0.7
Men	33,552	153	11	142	41.7	17.7	14.1	18.0	0.5	0.0	0.4
Women	27,668	290	20	270	34.4	33.3	24.8	34.2	1.0	0.1	1.0
Part-time workers(2)	19,233	423	49	374	23.9	48.7	61.1	47.4	2.2	0.3	1.9
Men	6,727	115	18	97	8.4	13.3	22.3	12.3	1.7	0.3	1.4
Women	12,506	308	31	277	15.5	35.4	38.8	35.1	2.5	0.3	2.2
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, 2023 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	80,538	869	81	789	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
Northeast	13,110	161	20	141	16.3	18.5	25.1	17.9	1.2	0.2	1.1
New England	3,702	49	3	45	4.6	5.6	4.3	5.8	1.3	0.1	1.2
Middle Atlantic	9,408	112	17	96	11.7	12.9	20.7	12.1	1.2	0.2	1.0
Midwest	18,323	181	14	168	22.8	20.9	17.0	21.3	1.0	0.1	0.9
East North Central	12,341	126	7	119	15.3	14.5	9.1	15.0	1.0	0.1	1.0
West North Central	5,982	56	6	49	7.4	6.4	8.0	6.2	0.9	0.1	0.8
South	29,558	413	37	376	36.7	47.6	45.9	47.7	1.4	0.1	1.3
South Atlantic	15,161	200	16	184	18.8	23.0	19.8	23.4	1.3	0.1	1.2
East South Central	4,668	63	9	54	5.8	7.3	11.4	6.8	1.4	0.2	1.2
West South Central	9,728	150	12	138	12.1	17.2	14.7	17.5	1.5	0.1	1.4
West	19,548	113	10	104	24.3	13.0	12.0	13.1	0.6	0.0	0.5
Mountain	6,466	49	3	46	8.0	5.7	4.2	5.8	0.8	0.1	0.7
Pacific	13,082	64	6	58	16.2	7.4	7.8	7.3	0.5	0.0	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, 2023 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	80,538	869	81	789	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
Alabama	1,173	15	1	14	1.5	1.7	0.9	1.8	1.3	0.1	1.2
Alaska	210	1	0	0	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.2
Arizona	1,839	6	0	6	2.3	0.7	0.0	0.8	0.3	0.0	0.3
Arkansas	762	16	1	15	0.9	1.8	0.7	1.9	2.1	0.1	2.0
California	9,455	48	4	44	11.7	5.5	4.7	5.6	0.5	0.0	0.5
Colorado	1,336	11	0	11	1.7	1.2	0.0	1.4	0.8	0.0	0.8
Connecticut	903	9	0	9	1.1	1.0	0.0	1.1	1.0	0.0	1.0
Delaware	269	4	0	4	0.3	0.5	0.0	0.5	1.5	0.0	1.5
District of Columbia	84	2	0	2	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.2	2.2	0.0	2.2
Florida	4,975	44	0	44	6.2	5.1	0.0	5.6	0.9	0.0	0.9
Georgia	2,390	50	4	46	3.0	5.8	4.7	5.9	2.1	0.2	1.9
Hawaii	359	2	0	2	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.5	0.0	0.5
Idaho	504	8	2	7	0.6	0.9	1.9	0.8	1.6	0.3	1.3
Illinois	3,026	20	1	19	3.8	2.3	1.9	2.4	0.7	0.0	0.6
Indiana	1,838	27	1	26	2.3	3.1	1.8	3.3	1.5	0.1	1.4
Iowa	924	13	1	12	1.1	1.5	1.2	1.6	1.5	0.1	1.3
Kansas	777	6	3	3	1.0	0.6	3.2	0.4	0.7	0.3	0.4
Kentucky	1,097	14	2	12	1.4	1.6	2.8	1.5	1.3	0.2	1.1
Louisiana	1,033	19	3	16	1.3	2.2	3.9	2.0	1.8	0.3	1.5
Maine	360	4	1	3	0.4	0.5	1.1	0.4	1.1	0.2	0.9
Maryland	1,323	19	0	19	1.6	2.1	0.0	2.3	1.4	0.0	1.4
Massachusetts	1,604	21	1	19	2.0	2.4	1.7	2.4	1.3	0.1	1.2
Michigan	2,649	29	3	26	3.3	3.4	3.9	3.3	1.1	0.1	1.0
Minnesota	1,510	6	0	6	1.9	0.7	0.0	0.8	0.4	0.0	0.4
Mississippi	686	9	2	7	0.9	1.1	2.7	0.9	1.4	0.3	1.1
Missouri	1,687	18	2	17	2.1	2.1	1.9	2.1	1.1	0.1	1.0
Montana	308	2	0	2	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.6	0.0	0.6
Nebraska	586	7	1	7	0.7	0.9	1.0	0.8	1.3	0.1	1.1
Nevada	927	5	0	5	1.2	0.6	0.0	0.6	0.5	0.0	0.5
New Hampshire	370	5	0	4	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.6	1.3	0.1	1.2
New Jersey	1,921	16	0	16	2.4	1.9	0.0	2.1	0.8	0.0	0.8
New Mexico	443	6	0	6	0.5	0.7	0.0	0.8	1.4	0.0	1.4
New York	4,255	29	5	24	5.3	3.3	6.3	3.0	0.7	0.1	0.6
North Carolina	2,598	39	4	34	3.2	4.5	5.4	4.4	1.5	0.2	1.3
North Dakota	222	2	0	2	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.2	1.0	0.1	0.9
Ohio	3,114	28	0	28	3.9	3.2	0.0	3.5	0.9	0.0	0.9
Oklahoma	1,002	14	2	12	1.2	1.6	2.7	1.5	1.4	0.2	1.2
Oregon	1,056	6	2	4	1.3	0.7	2.9	0.5	0.6	0.2	0.4
Pennsylvania	3,232	67	12	56	4.0	7.8	14.4	7.1	2.1	0.4	1.7
Rhode Island	302	9	1	8	0.4	1.0	1.0	1.0	2.9	0.3	2.6
South Carolina	1,222	17	5	12	1.5	1.9	6.4	1.5	1.4	0.4	1.0
South Dakota	277	2	0	2	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.9	0.1	0.8
Tennessee	1,712	25	4	21	2.1	2.9	5.1	2.7	1.5	0.2	1.2
Texas	6,931	101	6	95	8.6	11.7	7.4	12.1	1.5	0.1	1.4
Utah	940	9	2	8	1.2	1.1	2.1	1.0	1.0	0.2	0.8
Vermont	164	2	0	2	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.2	1.0	0.0	1.0
Virginia	1,872	20	2	19	2.3	2.3	2.1	2.4	1.1	0.1	1.0
Washington	2,002	8	0	8	2.5	0.9	0.0	1.0	0.4	0.0	0.4
West Virginia	429	6	1	5	0.5	0.7	1.2	0.6	1.3	0.2	1.1
Wisconsin	1,713	21	1	20	2.1	2.4	1.5	2.5	1.2	0.1	1.2
Wyoming	170	2	0	2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	1.1	0.1	1.0
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, 2023 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	80,538	869	81	789	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
Management, professional, and related occupations	19,790	56	4	52	24.6	6.5	5.5	6.6	0.3	0.0	0.3
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	6,195	21	1	20	7.7	2.4	1.7	2.5	0.3	0.0	0.3
Professional and related occupations	13,594	35	3	32	16.9	4.1	3.8	4.1	0.3	0.0	0.2
Service occupations	19,036	676	49	627	23.6	77.7	60.9	79.5	3.5	0.3	3.3
Healthcare support occupations	4,128	31	3	28	5.1	3.6	3.9	3.5	0.7	0.1	0.7
Protective service occupations	2,104	17	1	15	2.6	1.9	1.8	2.0	0.8	0.1	0.7
Food preparation and serving related occupations	7,112	573	34	539	8.8	65.9	41.8	68.4	8.1	0.5	7.6
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	3,673	17	2	15	4.6	2.0	2.9	1.9	0.5	0.1	0.4
Personal care and service occupations	2,019	37	8	29	2.5	4.3	10.5	3.7	1.9	0.4	1.4
Sales and office occupations	17,588	62	14	48	21.8	7.1	18.0	6.0	0.4	0.1	0.3
Sales and related occupations	6,994	33	11	22	8.7	3.8	14.0	2.8	0.5	0.2	0.3
Office and administrative support occupations	10,594	29	3	26	13.2	3.3	4.0	3.2	0.3	0.0	0.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	9,117	19	3	16	11.3	2.1	3.5	2.0	0.2	0.0	0.2
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	648	3	3	0	0.8	0.3	3.5	0.0	0.5	0.4	0.0
Construction and extraction occupations	5,201	13	0	13	6.5	1.5	0.0	1.6	0.2	0.0	0.2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3,268	3	0	3	4.1	0.3	0.0	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.1
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	15,007	56	10	47	18.6	6.5	12.2	5.9	0.4	0.1	0.3
Production occupations	6,636	20	0	20	8.2	2.3	0.0	2.5	0.3	0.0	0.3
Transportation and material moving occupations	8,372	37	10	27	10.4	4.2	12.2	3.4	0.4	0.1	0.3
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. 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, 2023 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	80,538	869	81	789	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
Private sector	70,935	839	77	761	88.1	96.5	96.0	96.5	1.2	0.1	1.1
Agriculture and related industries	820	4	3	0	1.0	0.4	4.3	0.0	0.4	0.4	0.0
Nonagricultural industries	70,116	835	74	761	87.1	96.1	91.8	96.5	1.2	0.1	1.1
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	331	0	0	0	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.1
Construction	5,667	14	0	14	7.0	1.6	0.0	1.7	0.2	0.0	0.2
Manufacturing	8,917	24	2	23	11.1	2.8	2.0	2.9	0.3	0.0	0.3
Durable goods	5,673	12	0	12	7.0	1.4	0.0	1.5	0.2	0.0	0.2
Nondurable goods	3,244	12	2	10	4.0	1.4	2.0	1.3	0.4	0.0	0.3
Wholesale and retail trade	12,329	45	7	38	15.3	5.2	8.7	4.8	0.4	0.1	0.3
Wholesale trade	1,448	3	0	3	1.8	0.4	0.0	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.2
Retail trade	10,881	42	7	35	13.5	4.8	8.7	4.4	0.4	0.1	0.3
Transportation and utilities	4,513	22	2	20	5.6	2.5	2.2	2.5	0.5	0.0	0.4
Information	900	6	2	4	1.1	0.7	2.3	0.5	0.7	0.2	0.5
Financial activities	3,180	9	0	9	3.9	1.0	0.0	1.1	0.3	0.0	0.3
Professional and business services	6,645	25	1	24	8.3	2.9	1.8	3.0	0.4	0.0	0.4
Education and health services	14,451	60	11	49	17.9	6.9	14.1	6.2	0.4	0.1	0.3
Leisure and hospitality	9,892	603	47	556	12.3	69.4	58.1	70.5	6.1	0.5	5.6
Other services	3,291	27	2	25	4.1	3.1	2.6	3.2	0.8	0.1	0.8
Public sector	9,603	31	3	27	11.9	3.5	4.0	3.5	0.3	0.0	0.3
Federal	1,947	8	0	8	2.4	0.9	0.2	1.0	0.4	0.0	0.4
State	2,981	11	1	10	3.7	1.3	1.5	1.3	0.4	0.0	0.3
Local	4,675	12	2	10	5.8	1.3	2.3	1.2	0.2	0.0	0.2
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, 2023 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	80,538	869	81	789	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
Less than a high school diploma	8,947	142	25	118	11.1	16.4	30.6	14.9	1.6	0.3	1.3
Less than 1 year of high school	2,501	32	1	31	3.1	3.7	1.3	4.0	1.3	0.0	1.2
1 to 3 years of high school	5,073	94	22	72	6.3	10.8	27.1	9.1	1.8	0.4	1.4
4 years of high school, no diploma	1,372	16	2	14	1.7	1.9	2.2	1.8	1.2	0.1	1.0
High school graduates or more	71,591	727	56	671	88.9	83.6	69.4	85.1	1.0	0.1	0.9
High school graduates, no college	27,978	252	25	227	34.7	29.0	30.6	28.8	0.9	0.1	0.8
Some college or associate degree	25,415	303	21	282	31.6	34.9	26.4	35.7	1.2	0.1	1.1
Some college, no degree	15,493	233	15	219	19.2	26.8	18.3	27.7	1.5	0.1	1.4
Associate degree	9,922	70	7	63	12.3	8.0	8.2	8.0	0.7	0.1	0.6
Occupational program	4,175	23	2	21	5.2	2.6	2.6	2.6	0.5	0.1	0.5
Academic program	5,746	47	4	43	7.1	5.4	5.6	5.4	0.8	0.1	0.7
Bachelor's degree and higher	18,199	172	10	162	22.6	19.8	12.3	20.5	0.9	0.1	0.9
Bachelor's degree	13,757	148	7	141	17.1	17.1	8.8	17.9	1.1	0.1	1.0
Master's degree	3,629	17	3	14	4.5	2.0	3.6	1.8	0.5	0.1	0.4
Professional degree	301	2	0	2	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.6	0.0	0.6
Doctoral degree	512	4	0	4	0.6	0.5	0.0	0.5	0.8	0.0	0.8
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 sex, 2023 annual averages
Age and sex	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	80,538	869	81	789	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
16 to 24 years	16,591	386	47	339	20.6	44.4	58.0	43.0	2.3	0.3	2.0
16 to 19 years	5,208	163	32	131	6.5	18.7	39.2	16.6	3.1	0.6	2.5
20 to 24 years	11,383	223	15	208	14.1	25.7	18.8	26.4	2.0	0.1	1.8
25 years and older	63,947	483	34	449	79.4	55.6	42.0	57.0	0.8	0.1	0.7
25 to 34 years	18,908	227	11	215	23.5	26.1	14.0	27.3	1.2	0.1	1.1
25 to 29 years	9,684	119	6	114	12.0	13.7	7.2	14.4	1.2	0.1	1.2
30 to 34 years	9,223	107	5	102	11.5	12.4	6.8	12.9	1.2	0.1	1.1
35 to 44 years	15,199	112	7	106	18.9	12.9	8.3	13.4	0.7	0.0	0.7
35 to 39 years	7,963	63	7	56	9.9	7.2	8.3	7.1	0.8	0.1	0.7
40 to 44 years	7,236	49	0	49	9.0	5.7	0.0	6.3	0.7	0.0	0.7
45 to 54 years	13,211	69	6	62	16.4	7.9	8.0	7.9	0.5	0.0	0.5
45 to 49 years	6,547	42	4	38	8.1	4.8	4.5	4.9	0.6	0.1	0.6
50 to 54 years	6,664	27	3	24	8.3	3.1	3.5	3.0	0.4	0.0	0.4
55 to 64 years	11,920	49	6	43	14.8	5.6	7.1	5.5	0.4	0.0	0.4
55 to 59 years	6,432	36	3	33	8.0	4.1	3.5	4.2	0.6	0.0	0.5
60 to 64 years	5,488	13	3	10	6.8	1.5	3.6	1.3	0.2	0.1	0.2
65 years and older	4,710	27	4	23	5.8	3.1	4.7	2.9	0.6	0.1	0.5
65 to 69 years	2,705	18	2	16	3.4	2.1	2.4	2.1	0.7	0.1	0.6
70 years and older	2,005	8	2	6	2.5	0.9	2.3	0.8	0.4	0.1	0.3
Men
Total, 16 years and older	40,314	270	29	241	50.1	31.1	36.4	30.5	0.7	0.1	0.6
16 to 24 years	8,205	96	23	72	10.2	11.0	29.1	9.1	1.2	0.3	0.9
16 to 19 years	2,559	46	16	30	3.2	5.3	19.7	3.8	1.8	0.6	1.2
20 to 24 years	5,646	50	8	42	7.0	5.7	9.4	5.3	0.9	0.1	0.7
25 years and older	32,110	174	6	169	39.9	20.1	7.3	21.4	0.5	0.0	0.5
25 to 34 years	9,931	86	3	83	12.3	9.9	4.3	10.5	0.9	0.0	0.8
25 to 29 years	5,104	40	2	38	6.3	4.6	2.7	4.8	0.8	0.0	0.7
30 to 34 years	4,828	46	1	45	6.0	5.3	1.7	5.7	1.0	0.0	0.9
35 to 44 years	7,845	40	2	39	9.7	4.6	2.0	4.9	0.5	0.0	0.5
35 to 39 years	4,141	22	2	20	5.1	2.5	2.0	2.6	0.5	0.0	0.5
40 to 44 years	3,704	18	0	18	4.6	2.1	0.0	2.3	0.5	0.0	0.5
45 to 54 years	6,419	22	0	22	8.0	2.6	0.0	2.8	0.3	0.0	0.3
45 to 49 years	3,181	13	0	13	4.0	1.5	0.0	1.6	0.4	0.0	0.4
50 to 54 years	3,238	9	0	9	4.0	1.1	0.0	1.2	0.3	0.0	0.3
55 to 64 years	5,707	20	0	20	7.1	2.3	0.0	2.5	0.3	0.0	0.3
55 to 59 years	3,076	16	0	16	3.8	1.8	0.0	2.0	0.5	0.0	0.5
60 to 64 years	2,630	4	0	4	3.3	0.4	0.0	0.5	0.1	0.0	0.1
65 years and older	2,208	6	1	5	2.7	0.7	1.0	0.7	0.3	0.0	0.2
65 to 69 years	1,266	3	0	3	1.6	0.4	0.0	0.4	0.3	0.0	0.3
70 years and older	942	3	1	2	1.2	0.3	1.0	0.3	0.3	0.1	0.2
Women
Total, 16 years and older	40,224	599	51	548	49.9	68.9	63.6	69.5	1.5	0.1	1.4
16 to 24 years	8,386	290	23	267	10.4	33.4	28.9	33.9	3.5	0.3	3.2
16 to 19 years	2,649	117	16	101	3.3	13.4	19.5	12.8	4.4	0.6	3.8
20 to 24 years	5,737	174	8	166	7.1	20.0	9.4	21.0	3.0	0.1	2.9
25 years and older	31,837	309	28	281	39.5	35.5	34.7	35.6	1.0	0.1	0.9
25 to 34 years	8,976	141	8	133	11.1	16.2	9.7	16.8	1.6	0.1	1.5
25 to 29 years	4,581	79	4	76	5.7	9.1	4.5	9.6	1.7	0.1	1.7
30 to 34 years	4,396	61	4	57	5.5	7.0	5.1	7.2	1.4	0.1	1.3
35 to 44 years	7,354	72	5	67	9.1	8.3	6.3	8.5	1.0	0.1	0.9
35 to 39 years	3,822	41	5	36	4.7	4.7	6.3	4.5	1.1	0.1	0.9
40 to 44 years	3,532	31	0	31	4.4	3.6	0.0	4.0	0.9	0.0	0.9
45 to 54 years	6,792	46	6	40	8.4	5.3	8.0	5.1	0.7	0.1	0.6
45 to 49 years	3,366	29	4	26	4.2	3.4	4.5	3.2	0.9	0.1	0.8
50 to 54 years	3,426	17	3	14	4.3	2.0	3.5	1.8	0.5	0.1	0.4
55 to 64 years	6,213	29	6	24	7.7	3.4	7.1	3.0	0.5	0.1	0.4
55 to 59 years	3,356	20	3	17	4.2	2.3	3.5	2.2	0.6	0.1	0.5
60 to 64 years	2,857	9	3	6	3.5	1.1	3.6	0.8	0.3	0.1	0.2
65 years and older	2,502	21	3	18	3.1	2.4	3.7	2.2	0.8	0.1	0.7
65 to 69 years	1,439	15	2	13	1.8	1.7	2.4	1.7	1.0	0.1	0.9
70 years and older	1,063	5	1	4	1.3	0.6	1.3	0.6	0.5	0.1	0.4
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 sex, 2023 annual averages
Marital status, age, and sex	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	80,538	869	81	789	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
Never married	35,164	593	57	536	43.7	68.2	70.7	68.0	1.7	0.2	1.5
16 to 24 years	15,411	367	44	322	19.1	42.2	54.8	40.9	2.4	0.3	2.1
25 years and older	19,753	226	13	214	24.5	26.0	15.9	27.1	1.1	0.1	1.1
25 to 54 years	17,813	210	11	198	22.1	24.1	14.2	25.1	1.2	0.1	1.1
Married, spouse present(1)	33,363	183	13	170	41.4	21.0	16.4	21.5	0.5	0.0	0.5
16 to 24 years	834	14	2	12	1.0	1.6	2.0	1.5	1.6	0.2	1.4
25 years and older	32,529	169	12	158	40.4	19.5	14.4	20.0	0.5	0.0	0.5
25 to 54 years	22,708	132	7	125	28.2	15.2	9.0	15.9	0.6	0.0	0.6
Widowed, divorced, or separated(2)	12,011	93	10	83	14.9	10.7	12.9	10.5	0.8	0.1	0.7
16 to 24 years	346	6	1	5	0.4	0.6	1.2	0.6	1.6	0.3	1.3
25 years and older	11,665	88	9	78	14.5	10.1	11.8	9.9	0.8	0.1	0.7
25 to 54 years	6,796	66	6	60	8.4	7.6	7.0	7.6	1.0	0.1	0.9
Men
Total, 16 years and older	40,314	270	29	241	50.1	31.1	36.4	30.5	0.7	0.1	0.6
Never married	18,436	178	28	150	22.9	20.5	34.2	19.0	1.0	0.1	0.8
16 to 24 years	7,712	92	22	70	9.6	10.6	27.9	8.8	1.2	0.3	0.9
25 years and older	10,724	86	5	80	13.3	9.8	6.3	10.2	0.8	0.0	0.8
25 to 54 years	9,749	76	5	71	12.1	8.7	6.3	8.9	0.8	0.1	0.7
Married, spouse present(1)	17,043	67	1	66	21.2	7.7	1.0	8.4	0.4	0.0	0.4
16 to 24 years	348	1	0	1	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.2
25 years and older	16,695	66	1	66	20.7	7.6	1.0	8.3	0.4	0.0	0.4
25 to 54 years	11,551	56	0	56	14.3	6.4	0.0	7.0	0.5	0.0	0.5
Widowed, divorced, or separated(2)	4,835	25	1	24	6.0	2.9	1.2	3.1	0.5	0.0	0.5
16 to 24 years	144	3	1	2	0.2	0.3	1.2	0.2	1.8	0.6	1.1
25 years and older	4,691	22	0	22	5.8	2.6	0.0	2.9	0.5	0.0	0.5
25 to 54 years	2,895	18	0	18	3.6	2.0	0.0	2.2	0.6	0.0	0.6
Women
Total, 16 years and older	40,224	599	51	548	49.9	68.9	63.6	69.5	1.5	0.1	1.4
Never married	16,727	415	29	386	20.8	47.8	36.5	48.9	2.5	0.2	2.3
16 to 24 years	7,699	274	22	253	9.6	31.6	26.9	32.0	3.6	0.3	3.3
25 years and older	9,029	141	8	133	11.2	16.2	9.6	16.9	1.6	0.1	1.5
25 to 54 years	8,064	134	6	128	10.0	15.4	7.9	16.2	1.7	0.1	1.6
Married, spouse present(1)	16,320	116	12	103	20.3	13.3	15.3	13.1	0.7	0.1	0.6
16 to 24 years	486	13	2	11	0.6	1.5	2.0	1.4	2.7	0.3	2.3
25 years and older	15,834	103	11	92	19.7	11.8	13.4	11.7	0.6	0.1	0.6
25 to 54 years	11,157	77	7	69	13.9	8.8	9.0	8.8	0.7	0.1	0.6
Widowed, divorced, or separated(2)	7,177	68	9	59	8.9	7.9	11.8	7.5	1.0	0.1	0.8
16 to 24 years	202	3	0	3	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.4	1.5	0.0	1.5
25 years and older	6,975	65	9	56	8.7	7.5	11.8	7.1	0.9	0.1	0.8
25 to 54 years	3,901	48	6	43	4.8	5.6	7.0	5.4	1.2	0.1	1.1
Footnotes (1) Refers to persons in both opposite-sex and same-sex married couples. (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, 2023 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	80,538	869	81	789	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
Hours vary	3,906	85	2	82	4.9	9.7	2.9	10.4	2.2	0.1	2.1
0 to 34 hours	17,855	390	48	342	22.2	44.9	60.1	43.3	2.2	0.3	1.9
0 to 4 hours	364	10	1	10	0.5	1.2	0.8	1.2	2.8	0.2	2.6
5 to 9 hours	1,082	33	3	30	1.3	3.8	3.8	3.8	3.1	0.3	2.8
10 to 14 hours	1,701	38	6	32	2.1	4.4	7.9	4.0	2.2	0.4	1.9
15 to 19 hours	2,253	66	11	55	2.8	7.6	14.0	6.9	2.9	0.5	2.4
20 to 24 hours	5,325	107	19	88	6.6	12.3	23.7	11.1	2.0	0.4	1.7
25 to 29 hours	2,563	52	4	48	3.2	5.9	4.7	6.1	2.0	0.1	1.9
30 to 34 hours	4,567	84	4	80	5.7	9.7	5.3	10.1	1.8	0.1	1.7
35 hours or more	58,777	394	30	365	73.0	45.4	37.0	46.2	0.7	0.1	0.6
35 to 39 hours	5,497	118	5	114	6.8	13.6	5.8	14.4	2.2	0.1	2.1
40 hours or more	53,280	276	25	251	66.2	31.8	31.2	31.8	0.5	0.0	0.5
40 hours	46,422	232	23	209	57.6	26.7	28.4	26.5	0.5	0.0	0.5
41 hours or more	6,858	44	2	42	8.5	5.1	2.8	5.3	0.6	0.0	0.6
41 to 44 hours	743	4	0	4	0.9	0.5	0.0	0.5	0.6	0.0	0.6
45 to 48 hours	2,296	8	0	8	2.9	0.9	0.0	1.0	0.3	0.0	0.3
49 to 59 hours	2,579	21	2	19	3.2	2.4	2.8	2.4	0.8	0.1	0.7
60 hours or more	1,239	11	0	11	1.5	1.3	0.0	1.4	0.9	0.0	0.9
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 sex, 1979–2023 annual averages (Numbers in thousands)
Year and sex	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
2022	141,673	78,729	55.6	141	882	1,023	1.3
2023	144,541	80,538	55.7	81	789	869	1.1
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
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
2022	73,672	39,446	53.5	42	286	328	0.8
2023	75,079	40,314	53.7	29	241	270	0.7
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
2022	68,001	39,283	57.8	100	595	695	1.8
2023	69,462	40,224	57.9	51	548	599	1.5
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, regardless of whether their businesses are incorporated, are excluded from these earnings estimates.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services or the information voice phone at: (202) 691-5200. This publication is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission.

For more information on the data provided in this report, contact the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Labor Force Statistics. Email: cpsinfo@bls.gov; Telephone: (202) 691-6378.

Concepts and definitions

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, regardless of whether their businesses are incorporated.

Workers paid by the hour are wage and salary workers who report that they are paid 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.

Several states have established minimum wage rates that exceed the federal level. (Information on state minimum wage laws is available on the Department of Labor’s “State Minimum Wage Laws” webpage.) Users should be cautious about comparing state estimates with CPS estimates in this report because of differing statutory minimum wages. It should also be noted that the CPS sample is based on residence; workers report their earnings on their job, which 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 of the population is surveyed, rather than the entire population, 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 “Technical Documentation (CPS)” webpage.