In 2022, 1.3 percent of workers in the United States were paid hourly rates at or below the official minimum wage. This is a decrease from the previous year, when 1.4 percent of workers were paid at or below the official minimum wage.
Share of wage and salary workers in the United States paid hourly rates at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage from 1979 to 2022
The prevailing Federal minimum wage was $2.90 in 1979, $3.10 in 1980, and $3.35 in 1981–89. The minimum wage rose to $3.80 in April 1990, to $4.25 in April 1991, to $4.75 in October 1996, to $5.15 in September 1997, to $5.85 in July 2007, to $6.55 in July 2008, and to $7.25 in July 2009.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (January 1, 2024). Share of wage and salary workers in the United States paid hourly rates at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage from 1979 to 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 12, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/188206/share-of-workers-paid-hourly-rates-at-or-below-minimum-wage-since-1979/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Share of wage and salary workers in the United States paid hourly rates at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage from 1979 to 2022." Chart. January 1, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 12, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/188206/share-of-workers-paid-hourly-rates-at-or-below-minimum-wage-since-1979/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Share of wage and salary workers in the United States paid hourly rates at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage from 1979 to 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 12, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/188206/share-of-workers-paid-hourly-rates-at-or-below-minimum-wage-since-1979/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Share of Wage and Salary Workers in The United States Paid Hourly Rates at or below The Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage from 1979 to 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jan 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/188206/share-of-workers-paid-hourly-rates-at-or-below-minimum-wage-since-1979/
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Share of wage and salary workers in the United States paid hourly rates at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage from 1979 to 2022 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/188206/share-of-workers-paid-hourly-rates-at-or-below-minimum-wage-since-1979/ (last visited December 12, 2024)
Share of wage and salary workers in the United States paid hourly rates at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage from 1979 to 2022 [Graph], Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 1, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/188206/share-of-workers-paid-hourly-rates-at-or-below-minimum-wage-since-1979/