Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2003 

According to Current Population Survey estimates for 2003, some 72.9 million American 

workers were paid at hourly rates, representing 59.6 percent of all wage and salary 

workers.1 Of those paid by the hour, 545,000 were reported as earning exactly $5.15, the 

prevailing Federal minimum wage, and another 1.6 million were reported with wages below 

the minimum.2 Together, these 2.1 million workers with wages at or below the minimum 

made up 2.9 percent of all hourly-paid workers. Tables 1 - 10 present data on a wide array 

of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics for these low-wage workers. The 

following are some highlights from the 2003 data. 

x Minimum wage workers tend to be young. Slightly over half of workers earning $5.15 

or less were under age 25, and about one-fourth were age 16-19. Among teenagers, 

about 10 percent earned $5.15 or less. About 2 percent of workers age 25 and over 

earned the minimum wage or less. However, among those age 65 and over, the 

proportion was 4 percent. (See table 1 and table 7.) 

x About 4 percent of women paid hourly rates reported wages at or below the 

prevailing Federal minimum, compared with 2 percent of men. (See table 1.) 

x Three percent of white hourly-paid workers earned $5.15 or less, roughly the same 

proportion as for blacks and for Hispanics. The figure was slightly lower for Asians, at 

2 percent. For whites and Hispanics, women were about twice as likely as men to be 

low-wage earners. (See table 1.) 

x Never-married workers, who also tend to be quite young, were more likely to earn 

the minimum wage or less than persons who are married. (See table 8.) 

x Among hourly-paid workers age 16 and over, a little over 2 percent of those who had 

a high school diploma but had not gone on to college earned the minimum or less, 

compared with less than 2 percent for those who had obtained a college degree. (See 

table 6.)

x Part-time workers (persons who usually work less than 35 hours per week) were 

much more likely than their full-time counterparts to be paid $5.15 or less (about 7 

percent versus slightly over 1 percent). (See table 1 and table 9.)

x By occupational group, the proportion of hourly-paid workers whose earnings were 

reported at or below $5.15 ranged from a low of less than 1 percent for persons 

employed in management, professional, and related occupations and in natural 

resources, construction, and maintenance positions, to a high of about 10 percent for 

those in service occupations. More than two-thirds of all low-wage workers in 2003 

were in service-type occupations, mostly in food service jobs. (See table 4.) 

x Among industry groups, the proportion of workers with reported hourly wages at or 

below $5.15 was highest in leisure and hospitality (about 15 percent). About threefifths of all low-wage workers were employed in this industry, mostly in food services 

and drinking places. It should be recognized that for many of these workers, tips and 

commissions might supplement the hourly wages received. (See table 5.) 

x Among the four broad geographic regions, the West had the lowest proportion of 

hourly-paid workers with earnings at or below $5.15 (about 2 percent), while the 
South had the highest (about 4 percent). For a number of States, the proportion of 

hourly-paid workers earning at or below the Federal minimum wage exceeded the 

national average; in many other States, the proportion was much lower. Some 

States have minimum wage laws establishing minimum wage standards that exceed 

the Federal level of $5.15 per hour. (See table 2 and table 3.) 

x The proportion of hourly-paid workers earning the prevailing Federal minimum wage 

or less has trended downward since 1979, when data first began to be collected on a 

regular basis. (See table 10.)

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS data on minimum wage 

earners are derived from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a nationwide sample survey 

of households that includes questions enabling the identification of hourly-paid workers and 

their hourly wage rate. Data in this summary are 2003 annual averages. Originally Posted: 

May 10, 2004. 

1 Data are for wage and salary workers, excluding the incorporated self employed, and 

refer to earnings on a person's sole or principal job. 

2 It should be noted that the presence of a sizable number of workers with reported wages 

below the minimum does not necessarily indicate violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, 

as there are exemptions to the minimum wage provisions of the law. Indeed, the relatively 

large number of workers with reported wages below the minimum in 2003 includes about 

350,000 hourly-paid workers reported as earning exactly $5.00 per hour; to some extent, 

this may reflect rounding in the responses of survey participants. The estimates of the 

numbers of minimum and subminimum wage workers presented in the accompanying tables 

pertain to workers paid at hourly rates; salaried and other non-hourly workers are excluded. 

As such, the actual number of workers with earnings at or below the prevailing minimum is 

undoubtedly understated. Research has shown that a relatively smaller number and share of 

salaried workers and others not paid by the hour have earnings that, when translated into 

hourly rates, are at or below the minimum wage. However, BLS does not routinely estimate 

hourly earnings for non-hourly workers because of data concerns that arise in producing 

these estimates. For further information, see Steven Haugen and Earl Mellor, "Estimating 

the number of minimum wage workers," Monthly Labor Review, January 1990 (PDF 415K). 
Table 1. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

selected characteristics, 2003 annual averages

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution Percent of workers paid

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15

Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15

AGE AND SEX

Total, 16 years and over............ 72,946 2,100 545 1,555 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.9 0.7 2.1

 16 to 24 years........................ 15,871 1,106 330 776 21.8 52.7 60.6 49.9 7.0 2.1 4.9

 16 to 19 years..................... 5,412 534 212 322 7.4 25.4 38.9 20.7 9.9 3.9 5.9

 25 years and over.................. 57,075 995 215 780 78.2 47.4 39.4 50.2 1.7 0.4 1.4

 

Men, 16 years and over............ 35,853 706 213 493 49.2 33.6 39.1 31.7 2.0 0.6 1.4

 16 to 24 years....................... 8,031 391 154 237 11.0 18.6 28.3 15.2 4.9 1.9 3.0

 16 to 19 years..................... 2,608 205 109 96 3.6 9.8 20.0 6.2 7.9 4.2 3.7

 25 years and over................. 27,823 314 58 256 38.1 15.0 10.6 16.5 1.1 0.2 0.9

 

Women, 16 years and over...... 37,093 1,394 332 1,062 50.8 66.4 60.9 68.3 3.8 0.9 2.9

 16 to 24 years....................... 7,841 713 175 538 10.7 34.0 32.1 34.6 9.1 2.2 6.9

 16 to 19 years..................... 2,804 329 103 226 3.8 15.7 18.9 14.5 11.7 3.7 8.1

 25 years and over.................. 29,252 681 157 524 40.1 32.4 28.8 33.7 2.3 0.5 1.8

 

RACE, SEX, AND 

HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN 

White1.................................. 59,109 1,746 421 1,325 81.0 83.1 77.2 85.2 3.0 0.7 2.2

 Men.................................... 29,441 553 163 390 40.4 26.3 29.9 25.1 1.9 0.6 1.3

 Women............................... 29,668 1,192 257 935 40.7 56.8 47.2 60.1 4.0 0.9 3.2

 

Black1.................................... 9,419 250 105 145 12.9 11.9 19.3 9.3 2.7 1.1 1.5

 Men..................................... 4,246 112 41 71 5.8 5.3 7.5 4.6 2.6 1.0 1.7

 Women................................. 5,173 138 64 74 7.1 6.6 11.7 4.8 2.7 1.2 1.4

Asian1.................................. 2,528 51 5 46 3.5 2.4 0.9 3.0 2.0 0.2 1.8

 Men.................................... 1,208 22 2 20 1.7 1.0 0.4 1.3 1.8 0.2 1.7

 Women............................... 1,320 29 3 26 1.8 1.4 0.6 1.7 2.2 0.2 2.0

Hispanic or Latino1.................. 11,462 308 94 214 15.7 14.7 17.2 13.8 2.7 0.8 1.9

 Men..................................... 6,775 128 39 89 9.3 6.1 7.2 5.7 1.9 0.6 1.3

 Women............................... 4,687 180 55 125 6.4 8.6 10.1 8.0 3.8 1.2 2.7

 

FULL- AND PART-TIME 

STATUS AND SEX 

Full-time workers2..................... 54,887 795 156 639 75.2 37.9 28.6 41.1 1.4 0.3 1.2

 Men.................................... 30,141 303 60 243 41.3 14.4 11.0 15.6 1.0 0.2 0.8

 Women................................. 24,745 493 97 396 33.9 23.5 17.8 25.5 2.0 0.4 1.6

 

Part-time workers2.................. 17,932 1,298 388 910 24.6 61.8 71.2 58.5 7.2 2.2 5.1

 Men.................................... 5,651 402 153 249 7.7 19.1 28.1 16.0 7.1 2.7 4.4

 Women............................... 12,282 896 235 661 16.8 42.7 43.1 42.5 7.3 1.9 5.4

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated.

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.

Total paid 

hourly

rates

Characteristic Total paid 

hourly

rates

1 Beginning in 2003, the race categories include persons who selected one race only; persons who selected more than one race group are not included. 

Detail for the race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) will not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, 

persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as race.
Table 2. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

census region and division, 2003 annual averages

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution Percent of workers paid

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15

Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15

Total, 16 years and over.... 72,946 2,100 545 1,555 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.9 0.7 2.1

 

 Northeast......................... 12,876 412 82 330 17.7 19.6 15.0 21.2 3.2 0.6 2.6

 New England................... 3,745 82 10 72 5.1 3.9 1.8 4.6 2.2 0.3 1.9

 Middle Atlantic............... 9,131 330 72 258 12.5 15.7 13.2 16.6 3.6 0.8 2.8

 Midwest......................... 18,623 546 127 419 25.5 26.0 23.3 26.9 2.9 0.7 2.2

 East North Central.......... 12,875 376 77 299 17.7 17.9 14.1 19.2 2.9 0.6 2.3

 West North Central......... 5,748 170 50 120 7.9 8.1 9.2 7.7 3.0 0.9 2.1

 South.............................. 24,875 889 270 619 34.1 42.3 49.5 39.8 3.6 1.1 2.5

 South Atlantic................ 12,668 399 102 297 17.4 19.0 18.7 19.1 3.1 0.8 2.3

 East South Central.......... 4,362 142 47 95 6.0 6.8 8.6 6.1 3.3 1.1 2.2

 West South Central......... 7,845 347 120 227 10.8 16.5 22.0 14.6 4.4 1.5 2.9

 West.............................. 16,572 254 67 187 22.7 12.1 12.3 12.0 1.5 0.4 1.1

 Mountain....................... 4,942 163 57 106 6.8 7.8 10.5 6.8 3.3 1.2 2.1

 Pacific.......................... 11,631 91 10 81 15.9 4.3 1.8 5.2 0.8 0.1 0.7

 

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and 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

Total paid 

hourly

rates

Region and division Total paid 

hourly

rates
Table 3. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

State, 2003 annual averages

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution Percent of workers paid

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15

Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15

Total, 16 years and over.. 72,946 2,100 545 1,555 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.9 0.7 2.1

 

Alabama........................ 1,112 30 11 19 1.5 1.4 2.0 1.2 2.7 1.0 1.7

Alaska........................... 191 1 - 1 0.3 0.0 - 0.1 0.5 - 0.5

Arizona.......................... 1,320 48 13 35 1.8 2.3 2.4 2.3 3.6 1.0 2.7

Arkansas........................ 644 23 11 12 0.9 1.1 2.0 0.8 3.6 1.7 1.9

California........................ 8,537 59 5 54 11.7 2.8 0.9 3.5 0.7 0.1 0.6

Colorado........................ 1,139 32 5 27 1.6 1.5 0.9 1.7 2.8 0.4 2.4

Connecticut.................... 840 17 1 16 1.2 0.8 0.2 1.0 2.0 0.1 1.9

Delaware........................ 206 5 1 4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 2.4 0.5 1.9

District of Columbia.......... 116 4 2 2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.1 3.4 1.7 1.7

Florida........................... 3,886 133 33 100 5.3 6.3 6.1 6.4 3.4 0.8 2.6

Georgia.......................... 1,921 55 16 39 2.6 2.6 2.9 2.5 2.9 0.8 2.0

Hawaii........................... 309 4 1 3 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 1.3 0.3 1.0

Idaho............................. 368 11 2 9 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.6 3.0 0.5 2.4

Illinois............................ 3,111 71 19 52 4.3 3.4 3.5 3.3 2.3 0.6 1.7

Indiana.......................... 1,787 46 6 40 2.4 2.2 1.1 2.6 2.6 0.3 2.2

Iowa.............................. 890 23 8 15 1.2 1.1 1.5 1.0 2.6 0.9 1.7

Kansas.......................... 761 23 5 18 1.0 1.1 0.9 1.2 3.0 0.7 2.4

Kentucky....................... 1,103 36 10 26 1.5 1.7 1.8 1.7 3.3 0.9 2.4

Louisiana...................... 1,083 48 20 28 1.5 2.3 3.7 1.8 4.4 1.8 2.6

Maine............................ 392 9 2 7 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.5 2.3 0.5 1.8

Maryland........................ 1,334 28 6 22 1.8 1.3 1.1 1.4 2.1 0.4 1.6

Massachusetts................ 1,661 37 4 33 2.3 1.8 0.7 2.1 2.2 0.2 2.0

Michigan........................ 2,842 95 13 82 3.9 4.5 2.4 5.3 3.3 0.5 2.9

Minnesota....................... 1,553 32 10 22 2.1 1.5 1.8 1.4 2.1 0.6 1.4

Mississippi...................... 702 28 13 15 1.0 1.3 2.4 1.0 4.0 1.9 2.1

Missouri......................... 1,586 58 13 45 2.2 2.8 2.4 2.9 3.7 0.8 2.8

Montana......................... 252 10 6 4 0.3 0.5 1.1 0.3 4.0 2.4 1.6

Nebraska......................... 533 18 9 9 0.7 0.9 1.7 0.6 3.4 1.7 1.7

Nevada.......................... 580 12 8 4 0.8 0.6 1.5 0.3 2.1 1.4 0.7

New Hampshire............... 367 7 2 5 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.3 1.9 0.5 1.4

New Jersey..................... 1,810 75 11 64 2.5 3.6 2.0 4.1 4.1 0.6 3.5

New Mexico.................... 471 25 13 12 0.6 1.2 2.4 0.8 5.3 2.8 2.5

New York....................... 4,077 164 40 124 5.6 7.8 7.3 8.0 4.0 1.0 3.0

North Carolina................. 2,086 70 19 51 2.9 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.4 0.9 2.4

North Dakota................... 192 7 3 4 0.3 0.3 0.6 0.3 3.6 1.6 2.1

Ohio.............................. 3,306 113 28 85 4.5 5.4 5.1 5.5 3.4 0.8 2.6

Oklahoma....................... 860 41 15 26 1.2 2.0 2.8 1.7 4.8 1.7 3.0

Oregon.......................... 947 11 1 10 1.3 0.5 0.2 0.6 1.2 0.1 1.1

Pennsylvania................... 3,243 91 21 70 4.4 4.3 3.9 4.5 2.8 0.6 2.2

Rhode Island................... 310 7 - 7 0.4 0.3 - 0.5 2.3 - 2.3

South Carolina................. 980 39 14 25 1.3 1.9 2.6 1.6 4.0 1.4 2.6

South Dakota.................. 232 8 2 6 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 3.4 0.9 2.6

Tennesee....................... 1,445 47 12 35 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.3 3.3 0.8 2.4

Texas............................ 5,258 235 74 161 7.2 11.2 13.6 10.4 4.5 1.4 3.1

Utah.............................. 664 19 8 11 0.9 0.9 1.5 0.7 2.9 1.2 1.7

Vermont......................... 175 5 1 4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 2.9 0.6 2.3

Virginia.......................... 1,688 47 2 45 2.3 2.2 0.4 2.9 2.8 0.1 2.7

Washington.................... 1,646 14 2 12 2.3 0.7 0.4 0.8 0.9 0.1 0.7

West Virginia................... 452 19 10 9 0.6 0.9 1.8 0.6 4.2 2.2 2.0

Wisconsin...................... 1,829 50 11 39 2.5 2.4 2.0 2.5 2.7 0.6 2.1

Wyoming........................ 148 6 3 3 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.2 4.1 2.0 2.0

State Total paid 

hourly

rates

Total paid 

hourly

rates

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated. Users are reminded that these data are based on a sample and are 

therefore subject to sampling error; the degree of error may be quite large for less populous States. It is not possible to clearly determine whether 

workers surveyed in the CPS are actually covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or by individual State minimum wage laws. Thus, some 

workers reported as earning an hourly wage of $5.15 may not in fact be covered by Federal or State minimum wage laws. At the same time, the 

presence of a sizable number of workers with wages below the prevailing Federal minimum wage does not necessarily indicate violations of the FLSA or 

applicable State laws, because there are numerous exclusions and exemptions to these minimum wage statutes. Dash represents zero.
Table 4. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

major occupation group, 2003 annual averages

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution Percent of workers paid

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15

Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15

Total, 16 years and over......................... 72,946 2,100 545 1,555 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.9 0.7 2.1

Management, professional, and related 

 occupations..................................... 13,588 95 33 62 18.6 4.5 6.1 4.0 0.7 0.2 0.5

 Management, business, and financial

 operations occupations...................... 3,640 26 7 19 5.0 1.2 1.3 1.2 0.7 0.2 0.5

 Professional and related occupations...... 9,949 69 26 43 13.6 3.3 4.8 2.8 0.7 0.3 0.4

Service occupations............................... 15,887 1,521 277 1,244 21.8 72.4 50.8 80.0 9.6 1.7 7.8

 Healthcare support occupations.............. 2,431 59 18 41 3.3 2.8 3.3 2.6 2.4 0.7 1.7

 Protective service occupations.............. 1,688 30 5 25 2.3 1.4 0.9 1.6 1.8 0.3 1.5

 Food preparation and serving related

 occupations.................................... 6,247 1,158 159 999 8.6 55.1 29.2 64.2 18.5 2.5 16.0

 Building and grounds cleaning and 

 maintenance occupations.................. 3,445 111 48 63 4.7 5.3 8.8 4.1 3.2 1.4 1.8

 Personal care and service occupations.. 2,076 162 47 115 2.8 7.7 8.6 7.4 7.8 2.3 5.5

Sales and office occupations................... 20,649 287 154 133 28.3 13.7 28.3 8.6 1.4 0.7 0.6

 Sales and related occupations................ 7,379 146 72 74 10.1 7.0 13.2 4.8 2.0 1.0 1.0

 Office and administrative support 

 occupations.................................... 13,270 141 82 59 18.2 6.7 15.0 3.8 1.1 0.6 0.4

Natural resources, construction, and 

 maintenance occupations................. 9,121 66 26 40 12.5 3.1 4.8 2.6 0.7 0.3 0.4

 Farming, fishing, and forestry

 occupations.................................... 598 23 10 13 0.8 1.1 1.8 0.8 3.8 1.7 2.2

 Construction and extraction

 occupations.................................... 5,111 21 5 16 7.0 1.0 0.9 1.0 0.4 0.1 0.3

 Installation, maintenance, and 

 repair occupations.............................. 3,412 21 10 11 4.7 1.0 1.8 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.3

Production, transportation, and 

 material moving occupations.............. 13,700 132 55 77 18.8 6.3 10.1 5.0 1.0 0.4 0.6

 Production occupations....................... 7,799 54 23 31 10.7 2.6 4.2 2.0 0.7 0.3 0.4

 Transportation and material moving

 occupations.................................... 5,901 77 32 45 8.1 3.7 5.9 2.9 1.3 0.5 0.8

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated.

1 Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census occupational classification system.

Total paid 

hourly

rates

Occupation1 Total paid 

hourly

rates
Table 5. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

major industry group, 2003 annual averages

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution Percent of workers paid

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15

Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15

Total, 16 years and over.......................... 72,946 2,100 545 1,555 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.9 0.7 2.1

 Private sector....................................... 63,945 1,986 492 1,494 87.7 94.6 90.3 96.1 3.1 0.8 2.3

 Agriculture and related industries............ 639 27 12 15 0.9 1.3 2.2 1.0 4.2 1.9 2.3

 Nonagricultural industries.................... 63,306 1,959 480 1,479 86.8 93.3 88.1 95.1 3.1 0.8 2.3

 Mining............................................. 310 - - - - - - - - - -

 Construction................................... 5,132 27 6 21 7.0 1.3 1.1 1.4 0.5 0.1 0.4

 Manufacturing................................. 10,621 58 14 44 14.6 2.8 2.6 2.8 0.5 0.1 0.4

 Durable goods manufacturing......... 6,548 26 3 23 9.0 1.2 0.6 1.5 0.4 0.0 0.4

 Nondurable goods manufacturing...... 4,073 33 12 21 5.6 1.6 2.2 1.4 0.8 0.3 0.5

 Wholesale and retail trade................ 12,173 189 87 102 16.7 9.0 16.0 6.6 1.6 0.7 0.8

 Wholesale trade............................ 1,902 12 6 6 2.6 0.6 1.1 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.3

 Retail trade.................................. 10,270 177 81 96 14.1 8.4 14.9 6.2 1.7 0.8 0.9

 Transportation and utilities................. 2,881 20 9 11 3.9 1.0 1.7 0.7 0.7 0.3 0.4

 Information..................................... 1,587 27 15 12 2.2 1.3 2.8 0.8 1.7 0.9 0.8

 Financial activities........................... 3,433 27 10 17 4.7 1.3 1.8 1.1 0.8 0.3 0.5

 Professional and business services...... 5,274 65 35 30 7.2 3.1 6.4 1.9 1.2 0.7 0.6

 Education and health services............ 10,926 177 67 110 15.0 8.4 12.3 7.1 1.6 0.6 1.0

 Leisure and hospitality........................ 8,093 1,240 199 1,041 11.1 59.0 36.5 66.9 15.3 2.5 12.9

 Other services................................. 2,877 129 38 91 3.9 6.1 7.0 5.9 4.5 1.3 3.2

 Public sector....................................... 9,001 114 52 62 12.3 5.4 9.5 4.0 1.3 0.6 0.7

 Federal........................................... 1,734 17 6 11 2.4 0.8 1.1 0.7 1.0 0.3 0.6

 State................................................ 2,303 38 24 14 3.2 1.8 4.4 0.9 1.7 1.0 0.6

 Local................................................ 4,964 58 22 36 6.8 2.8 4.0 2.3 1.2 0.4 0.7

 

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated. Dash represents zero.

1 Industries reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census industry classification system.

Total paid 

hourly

rates

Industry1 Total paid 

hourly

rates
Table 6. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

educational attainment, 2003 annual averages

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution Percent of workers paid

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15

Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15

Total, 16 years and over........................... 72,946 2,100 545 1,555 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.9 0.7 2.1

 Less than a high school diploma............... 12,405 620 245 375 17.0 29.5 45.0 24.1 5.0 2.0 3.0

 Less than 1 year of high school............. 3,338 103 34 69 4.6 4.9 6.2 4.4 3.1 1.0 2.1

 1 to 3 years of high school..................... 7,765 468 196 272 10.6 22.3 36.0 17.5 6.0 2.5 3.5

 4 years of high school, no diploma......... 1,302 50 15 35 1.8 2.4 2.8 2.3 3.8 1.2 2.7

 High school graduates or more................ 60,541 1,479 299 1,180 83.0 70.4 54.9 75.9 2.4 0.5 1.9

 High school graduates, no college......... 26,944 617 131 486 36.9 29.4 24.0 31.3 2.3 0.5 1.8

 Some college or associate degree........ 23,640 700 146 554 32.4 33.3 26.8 35.6 3.0 0.6 2.3

 Some college, no degree.................. 16,504 595 126 469 22.6 28.3 23.1 30.2 3.6 0.8 2.8

 Associate degree.............................. 7,136 105 20 85 9.8 5.0 3.7 5.5 1.5 0.3 1.2

 Occupational program..................... 3,948 45 13 32 5.4 2.1 2.4 2.1 1.1 0.3 0.8

 Academic program........................ 3,188 60 7 53 4.4 2.9 1.3 3.4 1.9 0.2 1.7

 College graduates, total........................ 9,957 163 23 140 13.6 7.8 4.2 9.0 1.6 0.2 1.4

 Bachelor's degree........................... 7,956 142 20 122 10.9 6.8 3.7 7.8 1.8 0.3 1.5

 Master's degree.............................. 1,585 18 2 16 2.2 0.9 0.4 1.0 1.1 0.1 1.0

 Professional degree........................ 284 1 - 1 0.4 0.0 - 0.1 0.4 - 0.4

 Doctoral degree.............................. 132 3 1 2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 2.3 0.8 1.5

 

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated. Dash represents zero.

Total paid 

hourly

rates

Educational attainment Total paid 

hourly

rates
Table 7. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by

age and sex, 2003 annual averages

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution Percent of workers paid

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15

Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15

BOTH SEXES

Total, 16 years and over...... 72,946 2,100 545 1,555 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.9 0.7 2.1

 Under 25 years.................. 15,871 1,106 330 776 21.8 52.7 60.6 49.9 7.0 2.1 4.9

 16 to 19 years.................. 5,412 534 212 322 7.4 25.4 38.9 20.7 9.9 3.9 5.9

 20 to 24 years.................. 10,460 570 117 453 14.3 27.1 21.5 29.1 5.4 1.1 4.3

 25 years and over............ 57,075 995 215 780 78.2 47.4 39.4 50.2 1.7 0.4 1.4

 25 to 34 years.................. 16,499 400 71 329 22.6 19.0 13.0 21.2 2.4 0.4 2.0

 25 to 29 years............... 8,239 229 36 193 11.3 10.9 6.6 12.4 2.8 0.4 2.3

 30 to 34 years............... 8,259 172 35 137 11.3 8.2 6.4 8.8 2.1 0.4 1.7

 35 to 44 years.................. 16,827 245 52 193 23.1 11.7 9.5 12.4 1.5 0.3 1.1

 35 to 39 years............... 8,178 119 20 99 11.2 5.7 3.7 6.4 1.5 0.2 1.2

 40 to 44 years............... 8,649 127 33 94 11.9 6.0 6.1 6.0 1.5 0.4 1.1

 45 to 54 years.................. 14,544 183 38 145 19.9 8.7 7.0 9.3 1.3 0.3 1.0

 45 to 49 years............... 8,048 105 25 80 11.0 5.0 4.6 5.1 1.3 0.3 1.0

 50 to 54 years............... 6,496 79 14 65 8.9 3.8 2.6 4.2 1.2 0.2 1.0

 55 to 64 years.................. 7,130 84 23 61 9.8 4.0 4.2 3.9 1.2 0.3 0.9

 55 to 59 years............... 4,552 45 12 33 6.2 2.1 2.2 2.1 1.0 0.3 0.7

 60 to 64 years............... 2,579 39 11 28 3.5 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.5 0.4 1.1

 65 years and over............ 2,075 82 31 51 2.8 3.9 5.7 3.3 4.0 1.5 2.5

 65 to 69 years............... 1,155 35 9 26 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7 3.0 0.8 2.3

 70 years and over......... 920 46 21 25 1.3 2.2 3.9 1.6 5.0 2.3 2.7

MEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 35,853 706 213 493 49.2 33.6 39.1 31.7 2.0 0.6 1.4

 Under 25 years.................. 8,031 391 154 237 11.0 18.6 28.3 15.2 4.9 1.9 3.0

 16 to 19 years.................. 2,608 205 109 96 3.6 9.8 20.0 6.2 7.9 4.2 3.7

 20 to 24 years.................. 5,423 186 45 141 7.4 8.9 8.3 9.1 3.4 0.8 2.6

 25 years and over............ 27,823 314 58 256 38.1 15.0 10.6 16.5 1.1 0.2 0.9

 25 to 34 years.................. 8,765 152 20 132 12.0 7.2 3.7 8.5 1.7 0.2 1.5

 25 to 29 years............... 4,429 84 10 74 6.1 4.0 1.8 4.8 1.9 0.2 1.7

 30 to 34 years............... 4,336 68 10 58 5.9 3.2 1.8 3.7 1.6 0.2 1.3

 35 to 44 years.................. 8,224 73 14 59 11.3 3.5 2.6 3.8 0.9 0.2 0.7

 35 to 39 years............... 4,134 37 7 30 5.7 1.8 1.3 1.9 0.9 0.2 0.7

 40 to 44 years............... 4,089 36 7 29 5.6 1.7 1.3 1.9 0.9 0.2 0.7

 45 to 54 years.................. 6,691 57 13 44 9.2 2.7 2.4 2.8 0.9 0.2 0.7

 45 to 49 years............... 3,719 41 11 30 5.1 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.1 0.3 0.8

 50 to 54 years............... 2,972 16 2 14 4.1 0.8 0.4 0.9 0.5 0.1 0.5

 55 to 64 years.................. 3,202 23 6 17 4.4 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.7 0.2 0.5

 55 to 59 years............... 2,034 14 2 12 2.8 0.7 0.4 0.8 0.7 0.1 0.6

 60 to 64 years............... 1,168 8 3 5 1.6 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.7 0.3 0.4

 65 years and over............ 941 9 5 4 1.3 0.4 0.9 0.3 1.0 0.5 0.4

 65 to 69 years............... 534 3 1 2 0.7 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.6 0.2 0.4

 70 years and over......... 407 6 4 2 0.6 0.3 0.7 0.1 1.5 1.0 0.5

WOMEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 37,093 1,394 332 1,062 50.8 66.4 60.9 68.3 3.8 0.9 2.9

 Under 25 years.................. 7,841 713 175 538 10.7 34.0 32.1 34.6 9.1 2.2 6.9

 16 to 19 years.................. 2,804 329 103 226 3.8 15.7 18.9 14.5 11.7 3.7 8.1

 20 to 24 years.................. 5,037 385 72 313 6.9 18.3 13.2 20.1 7.6 1.4 6.2

 25 years and over............ 29,252 681 157 524 40.1 32.4 28.8 33.7 2.3 0.5 1.8

 25 to 34 years.................. 7,734 248 51 197 10.6 11.8 9.4 12.7 3.2 0.7 2.5

 25 to 29 years............... 3,810 145 26 119 5.2 6.9 4.8 7.7 3.8 0.7 3.1

 30 to 34 years............... 3,923 103 25 78 5.4 4.9 4.6 5.0 2.6 0.6 2.0

 35 to 44 years.................. 8,604 173 38 135 11.8 8.2 7.0 8.7 2.0 0.4 1.6

 35 to 39 years............... 4,044 81 12 69 5.5 3.9 2.2 4.4 2.0 0.3 1.7

 40 to 44 years............... 4,560 91 26 65 6.3 4.3 4.8 4.2 2.0 0.6 1.4

 45 to 54 years.................. 7,852 126 25 101 10.8 6.0 4.6 6.5 1.6 0.3 1.3

 45 to 49 years............... 4,329 64 14 50 5.9 3.0 2.6 3.2 1.5 0.3 1.2

 50 to 54 years............... 3,524 62 11 51 4.8 3.0 2.0 3.3 1.8 0.3 1.4

 55 to 64 years.................. 3,928 61 17 44 5.4 2.9 3.1 2.8 1.6 0.4 1.1

 55 to 59 years............... 2,518 31 10 21 3.5 1.5 1.8 1.4 1.2 0.4 0.8

 60 to 64 years............... 1,410 30 7 23 1.9 1.4 1.3 1.5 2.1 0.5 1.6

 65 years and over............ 1,134 73 26 47 1.6 3.5 4.8 3.0 6.4 2.3 4.1

 65 to 69 years............... 621 32 8 24 0.9 1.5 1.5 1.5 5.2 1.3 3.9

 70 years and over......... 514 41 18 23 0.7 2.0 3.3 1.5 8.0 3.5 4.5

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated.

Total paid 

hourly

rates

Age and sex Total paid 

hourly

rates
Table 8. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

marital status, age, and sex, 2003 annual averages

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution Percent of workers paid

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15

Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15

BOTH SEXES

Total, 16 years and over...... 72,946 2,100 545 1,555 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.9 0.7 2.1

 Never married.................. 24,737 1,295 354 941 33.9 61.7 65.0 60.5 5.2 1.4 3.8

 16 to 24 years............... 13,722 1,013 307 706 18.8 48.2 56.3 45.4 7.4 2.2 5.1

 25 years and over............ 11,016 282 47 235 15.1 13.4 8.6 15.1 2.6 0.4 2.1

 25 to 54 years............... 10,531 273 44 229 14.4 13.0 8.1 14.7 2.6 0.4 2.2

 Married, spouse present...... 35,963 516 121 395 49.3 24.6 22.2 25.4 1.4 0.3 1.1

 16 to 24 years............... 1,741 68 16 52 2.4 3.2 2.9 3.3 3.9 0.9 3.0

 25 years and over............ 34,222 447 105 342 46.9 21.3 19.3 22.0 1.3 0.3 1.0

 25 to 54 years............... 28,288 374 82 292 38.8 17.8 15.0 18.8 1.3 0.3 1.0

 Other marital status............ 12,246 289 70 219 16.8 13.8 12.8 14.1 2.4 0.6 1.8

 16 to 24 years............... 409 24 7 17 0.6 1.1 1.3 1.1 5.9 1.7 4.2

 25 years and over............ 11,837 266 64 202 16.2 12.7 11.7 13.0 2.2 0.5 1.7

 25 to 54 years............... 9,050 182 36 146 12.4 8.7 6.6 9.4 2.0 0.4 1.6

MEN

Total, 16 years and over.... 35,853 706 213 493 49.2 33.6 39.1 31.7 2.0 0.6 1.4

 Never married.................. 13,104 479 161 318 18.0 22.8 29.5 20.5 3.7 1.2 2.4

 16 to 24 years............... 7,055 362 149 213 9.7 17.2 27.3 13.7 5.1 2.1 3.0

 25 years and over............ 6,049 116 11 105 8.3 5.5 2.0 6.8 1.9 0.2 1.7

 25 to 54 years............... 5,843 115 11 104 8.0 5.5 2.0 6.7 2.0 0.2 1.8

 Married, spouse present...... 18,162 162 37 125 24.9 7.7 6.8 8.0 0.9 0.2 0.7

 16 to 24 years............... 816 21 3 18 1.1 1.0 0.6 1.2 2.6 0.4 2.2

 25 years and over............ 17,346 142 35 107 23.8 6.8 6.4 6.9 0.8 0.2 0.6

 25 to 54 years............... 14,189 120 27 93 19.5 5.7 5.0 6.0 0.8 0.2 0.7

 Other marital status............ 4,587 65 15 50 6.3 3.1 2.8 3.2 1.4 0.3 1.1

 16 to 24 years............... 160 9 3 6 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.4 5.6 1.9 3.8

 25 years and over............ 4,427 56 12 44 6.1 2.7 2.2 2.8 1.3 0.3 1.0

 25 to 54 years............... 3,647 47 9 38 5.0 2.2 1.7 2.4 1.3 0.2 1.0

WOMEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 37,093 1,394 332 1,062 50.8 66.4 60.9 68.3 3.8 0.9 2.9

 Never married.................. 11,633 816 193 623 15.9 38.9 35.4 40.1 7.0 1.7 5.4

 16 to 24 years............... 6,667 651 158 493 9.1 31.0 29.0 31.7 9.8 2.4 7.4

 25 years and over............ 4,966 165 35 130 6.8 7.9 6.4 8.4 3.3 0.7 2.6

 25 to 54 years............... 4,688 158 33 125 6.4 7.5 6.1 8.0 3.4 0.7 2.7

 Married, spouse present...... 17,802 354 84 270 24.4 16.9 15.4 17.4 2.0 0.5 1.5

 16 to 24 years............... 926 47 13 34 1.3 2.2 2.4 2.2 5.1 1.4 3.7

 25 years and over............ 16,876 306 70 236 23.1 14.6 12.8 15.2 1.8 0.4 1.4

 25 to 54 years............... 14,099 254 55 199 19.3 12.1 10.1 12.8 1.8 0.4 1.4

 Other marital status............ 7,658 224 55 169 10.5 10.7 10.1 10.9 2.9 0.7 2.2

 16 to 24 years............... 248 15 4 11 0.3 0.7 0.7 0.7 6.0 1.6 4.4

 25 years and over............ 7,410 209 51 158 10.2 10.0 9.4 10.2 2.8 0.7 2.1

 25 to 54 years............... 5,403 136 27 109 7.4 6.5 5.0 7.0 2.5 0.5 2.0

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated.

Total paid 

hourly

rates

Marital status, age, and sex Total paid 

hourly

rates
Table 9. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

usual hours worked per week, 2003 annual averages

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution Percent of workers paid

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15 At or below $5.15

Total At $5.15 Below

$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15 Total At $5.15 Below$5.15

Total, 16 years and over...... 72,946 2,100 545 1,555 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.9 0.7 2.1

 Hours vary..................... 5,291 301 74 227 7.3 14.3 13.6 14.6 5.7 1.4 4.3

 0 to 34 hours.................. 15,851 1,109 331 778 21.7 52.8 60.7 50.0 7.0 2.1 4.9

 0 to 4 hours.................. 319 24 3 21 0.4 1.1 0.6 1.4 7.5 0.9 6.6

 5 to 9 hours.................. 932 72 24 48 1.3 3.4 4.4 3.1 7.7 2.6 5.2

 10 to 14 hours............... 1,451 134 56 78 2.0 6.4 10.3 5.0 9.2 3.9 5.4

 15 to 19 hours............... 2,218 179 68 111 3.0 8.5 12.5 7.1 8.1 3.1 5.0

 20 to 24 hours............... 4,797 327 110 217 6.6 15.6 20.2 14.0 6.8 2.3 4.5

 25 to 29 hours............... 2,127 149 26 123 2.9 7.1 4.8 7.9 7.0 1.2 5.8

 30 to 34 hours............... 4,009 224 44 180 5.5 10.7 8.1 11.6 5.6 1.1 4.5

 35 hours or more............... 51,804 691 140 551 71.0 32.9 25.7 35.4 1.3 0.3 1.1

 35 to 39 hours............... 4,960 171 31 140 6.8 8.1 5.7 9.0 3.4 0.6 2.8

 40 hours or more............ 46,844 520 109 411 64.2 24.8 20.0 26.4 1.1 0.2 0.9

 40 hours..................... 40,616 450 101 349 55.7 21.4 18.5 22.4 1.1 0.2 0.9

 41 hours or more............ 6,228 70 8 62 8.5 3.3 1.5 4.0 1.1 0.1 1.0

 41 to 44 hours............ 801 3 - 3 1.1 0.1 - 0.2 0.4 - 0.4

 45 to 48 hours............ 2,306 19 5 14 3.2 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.2 0.6

 49 to 59 hours............ 2,160 24 2 22 3.0 1.1 0.4 1.4 1.1 0.1 1.0

 60 hours or more......... 962 24 1 23 1.3 1.1 0.2 1.5 2.5 0.1 2.4

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated. Dash represents zero.

Total paid 

hourly

rates

Usual hours worked

per week Total paid 

hourly

rates
Table 10. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum

wage by sex, 1979-2003 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Workers paid hourly rates

#

BOTH SEXES

1979........................ 87,529 51,721 59.1 2,916 3,997 6,912 13.4

1980........................ 87,644 51,335 58.6 3,087 4,686 7,773 15.1

1981....................... 88,516 51,869 58.6 3,513 4,311 7,824 15.1

1982........................ 87,368 50,846 58.2 2,348 4,148 6,496 12.8

1983........................ 88,290 51,820 58.7 2,077 4,261 6,338 12.2

1984........................ 92,194 54,143 58.7 1,838 4,125 5,963 11.0

1985........................ 94,521 55,762 59.0 1,639 3,899 5,538 9.9

19861........................ 96,903 57,529 59.4 1,599 3,461 5,060 8.8

1987........................ 99,303 59,552 60.0 1,468 3,229 4,698 7.9

1988........................ 101,407 60,878 60.0 1,319 2,608 3,927 6.5

1989........................ 103,480 62,389 60.3 1,372 1,790 3,162 5.1

19901........................ 104,876 63,172 60.2 22,132 21,096 23,228 25.1

1991........................ 103,723 62,627 60.4 22,377 22,906 25,283 28.4

1992........................ 104,668 63,610 60.8 1,939 2,982 4,921 7.7

1993........................ 106,101 64,274 60.6 1,707 2,625 4,332 6.7

19941........................ 107,989 66,549 61.6 1,995 2,132 4,128 6.2

1995........................ 110,038 68,354 62.1 1,699 1,956 3,656 5.3

1996........................ 111,960 69,255 61.9 21,863 21,861 23,724 25.4

19971........................ 114,533 70,735 61.8 22,990 21,764 24,754 26.7

19981........................ 116,730 71,440 61.2 2,834 1,593 4,427 6.2

19991........................ 118,963 72,306 60.8 2,194 1,146 3,340 4.6

20001........................ 122,089 73,496 60.2 1,752 898 2,650 3.6

2001........................ 122,229 73,392 60.0 1,518 656 2,174 3.0

2002........................ 121,826 72,508 59.5 1,579 567 2,146 3.0

20031...................... 122,358 72,946 59.6 1,555 545 2,100 2.9

MEN #

1979........................ 49,400 28,392 57.5 846 1,353 2,199 7.7

1980........................ 48,700 27,709 56.9 983 1,696 2,678 9.7

1981....................... 48,844 27,576 56.5 1,119 1,533 2,652 9.6

1982........................ 47,591 26,481 55.6 697 1,587 2,284 8.6

1983........................ 47,856 26,831 56.1 585 1,658 2,243 8.4

1984........................ 50,022 28,140 56.3 490 1,626 2,116 7.5

1985........................ 51,015 28,893 56.6 440 1,544 1,984 6.9

19861........................ 51,942 29,666 57.1 408 1,336 1,743 5.9

1987........................ 52,938 30,474 57.6 364 1,283 1,647 5.4

1988........................ 53,912 31,058 57.6 311 1,066 1,377 4.4

1989........................ 54,789 31,687 57.8 379 733 1,112 3.5

19901........................ 55,553 32,104 57.8 2712 2385 21,097 23.4

1991........................ 54,618 31,639 57.9 2795 21,114 21,909 26.0

1992........................ 54,826 32,155 58.6 653 1,231 1,885 5.9

1993........................ 55,475 32,337 58.3 573 1,091 1,664 5.1

19941........................ 56,570 33,528 59.3 674 891 1,565 4.7

1995........................ 57,669 34,420 59.7 542 796 1,338 3.9

1996........................ 58,473 34,838 59.6 2619 2755 21,374 23.9

19971........................ 59,825 35,521 59.4 21,147 2673 21,820 25.1

19981........................ 60,973 35,761 58.7 1,039 628 1,667 4.7

19991........................ 61,914 36,073 58.3 768 446 1,214 3.4

20001........................ 63,662 36,720 57.7 582 319 901 2.5

2001........................ 63,647 36,544 57.4 497 247 744 2.0

2002........................ 63,272 36,000 56.9 582 217 799 2.2

20031...................... 63,236 35,853 56.7 493 213 706 2.0

See footnotes at end of table.

Year and sex

Total

wage and

salary

workers Total

Percent of 

total wage 

and salary

workers

Below

prevailing

Federal

minimum

wage

At

prevailing

Federal

minimum

wage

Number

Percent

of hourly

paid

workers

Total at or below prevailing 

Federal minimum wage
Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum

wage by sex, 1979-2003 annual averages -- Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Workers paid hourly rates

WOMEN

1979........................ 38,129 23,329 61.2 2,070 2,644 4,714 20.2

1980........................ 38,944 23,626 60.7 2,104 2,990 5,095 21.6

1981....................... 39,672 24,294 61.2 2,394 2,778 5,172 21.3

1982........................ 39,777 24,365 61.3 1,651 2,561 4,212 17.3

1983........................ 40,433 24,989 61.8 1,492 2,603 4,095 16.4

1984........................ 42,172 26,003 61.7 1,348 2,499 3,847 14.8

1985........................ 43,506 26,869 61.8 1,198 2,356 3,554 13.2

19861........................ 44,961 27,863 62.0 1,192 2,125 3,317 11.9

1987........................ 46,365 29,078 62.7 1,105 1,946 3,051 10.5

1988........................ 47,495 29,820 62.8 1,008 1,542 2,550 8.6

1989........................ 48,691 30,702 63.1 994 1,056 2,050 6.7

19901........................ 49,323 31,069 63.0 21,420 2711 22,131 26.9

1991........................ 49,105 30,988 63.1 21,582 21,792 23,374 210.9

1992........................ 49,842 31,454 63.1 1,286 1,751 3,036 9.7

1993........................ 50,626 31,937 63.1 1,133 1,534 2,667 8.4

19941........................ 51,419 33,021 64.2 1,322 1,241 2,563 7.8

1995........................ 52,369 33,934 64.8 1,157 1,161 2,318 6.8

1996........................ 53,488 34,418 64.3 21,244 21,106 22,350 26.8

19971........................ 54,708 35,214 64.4 21,843 21,092 22,935 28.3

19981........................ 55,757 35,680 64.0 1,794 965 2,760 7.7

19991........................ 57,050 36,233 63.5 1,426 700 2,126 5.9

20001........................ 58,427 36,777 62.9 1,170 579 1,749 4.8

2001........................ 58,582 36,848 62.9 1,021 409 1,430 3.9

2002........................ 58,555 36,508 62.3 997 350 1,347 3.7

20031...................... 59,122 37,093 62.7 1,062 332 1,394 3.8

2 Data for 1990-91 and 1996-97 reflect changes in the minimum wage that took place in those years.

1 The comparability of historical labor force data has been affected at various times by methodological and conceptual changes in the 

Current Population Survey (CPS). For an explanation, see the Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error section of the February 2004 and 

subsequent issues of Employment and Earnings, a monthly BLS periodical.

NOTE: 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, and to $5.15 in September 1997. Data exclude the incorporated self

employed. Also note that the presence of a sizable number of workers with reported wages below the minimum does not necessarily

indicate violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as there are numerous exemptions to the minimum wage provisions of the law. Indeed, 

the relatively large number of workers with reported wages below the minimum in 1998-2003 includes some hourly-paid workers reported

as earning exactly $5.00 per hour (about 1.4 million in 1998, about 900,000 in 1999, about 600,000 in 2000, about 500,000 in 2001, about 

500,000 in 2002, and about 350,000 in 2003); to some extent, this may reflect rounding on the part of survey respondents.

Year and sex

Total

wage and

salary

workers Total

Percent of 

total wage 

and salary

workers Number

Percent

of hourly

paid

workers

Below

prevailing

Federal

minimum

wage

At

prevailing

Federal

minimum

wage

Total at or below prevailing 

Federal minimum wage