Minimum wage workers account for 4.3 percent of hourly paid workers in 2013

In 2013, there were 3.3 million hourly paid workers in the United States with wages at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. These workers made up 4.3 percent of the 75.9 million workers age 16 and over who were paid at hourly rates. In 2013, about 5 percent of women who were paid hourly rates had wages at or below the federal minimum, compared with about 3 percent of men.

 

The percentage of hourly paid workers earning the federal minimum wage or less declined from 4.7 percent in 2012 to 4.3 percent in 2013. This remains well below the figure of 13.4 percent in 1979, when data were first collected on a regular basis.

Among occupational groups, the highest percentage of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage was in food preparation and serving‑related jobs, at about 22 percent. Nearly half of the 3.3 million workers earning the federal minimum wage or less in 2013 were employed in these jobs.

 

 

These data are from the Current Population Survey. For more information, see Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers, 2013 (PDF). Data are for wage and salary workers age 16 and older and refer to earnings on a person's sole or principal job. Hourly earnings for hourly paid workers do not include overtime pay, commissions, or tips received. The estimates of the number of workers with reported earnings at or below the federal minimum wage pertain only to workers who are paid hourly rates. Salaried workers and other nonhourly paid workers are excluded. All self-employed persons also are excluded, regardless of whether their businesses are incorporated.