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Post Download Brief on Low-wage Workers

Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers
from the Bureau of Labor Statisics

The BLS produces the report, Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers.

This report provides statistics on hourly-paid workers with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage.

Frequency and timespan: Annual report issued from 2002 to the present

Geographic Level of Coverage: National

Publication ands tables available online

Source:
United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers (PDF)

FAQ Sign-up for e-News Low-wage Work Uncertainty often Traps Low-wage Workers

What are the annual earnings for a full-time minimum wage worker?
Minimum wage basic calculations and its impact on poverty

Since it was first instituted in 1938, the federal minimum wage has established a floor for wages. While not every worker is eligible, it provides a minimum of earnings for the lowest-paid workers.

What are full-time annual earnings at the current minimum wage

FAQ The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives Low-wage Work Uncertainty often Traps Low-wage Workers Who are the working poor in America?

What are the characteristics of minimum wage workers?
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

In 2014, about 1.3 million U.S. workers age 16 and over earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Another 1.7 million had wages below the federal minimum.  Together these workers make up 4 percent of all hourly paid workers.