Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2005

Bureau of Labor Statistics

U.S. Department of Labor

May 2006
Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2005 

 According to Current Population Survey estimates for 2005, 75.6 million American workers were paid at hourly rates, 

representing 60.1 percent of all wage and salary workers.1

 Of those paid by the hour, 479,000 were reported as earning exactly 

$5.15, the prevailing Federal minimum wage. Another 1.4 million were reported as earning wages below the minimum. 2 Together, 

these 1.9 million workers with wages at or below the minimum made up 2.5 percent of all hourly-paid workers. Tables 1-10 present 

data on a wide array of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics for hourly-paid workers earning at or below the Federal 

minimum wage. The following are some highlights from the 2005 data. 

-- Minimum wage workers tend to be young. About half of workers earning $5.15 or less were under age 25, and about one-fourth of 

workers earning at or below the minimum wage were age 16-19. Among employed teenagers, about 9 percent earned $5.15 or less. 

About 2 percent of workers age 25 and over earned the minimum wage or less. Among those age 65 and over, the proportion was 

about 3 percent. (See table 1 and table 7.) 

-- About 3 percent of women paid hourly rates reported wages at or below the prevailing Federal minimum, compared with under 2 

percent of men. (See table 1.) 

-- Less than 3 percent of white hourly-paid workers earned $5.15 or less. Among black, Asian, and Hispanic hourly-paid workers, 

about 2 percent earned the Federal minimum wage or less. For whites and Hispanics, women were twice as likely as men to earn 

$5.15 or less. (See table 1.) 

-- Never-married workers, who tend to be young, were more likely to earn the minimum wage or less than married workers. (See table 

8.) 

-- Among hourly-paid workers age 16 and over, 2 percent of those who had a high school diploma but had not gone on to college 

earned the minimum wage or less. (See table 6.) 

-- Part-time workers (persons who usually work less than 35 hours per week) were more likely than their full-time counterparts to be 

paid $5.15 or less (about 6 percent versus 1 percent). (See table 1 and table 9.) 

-- By occupational group, the highest proportion of workers earning at or below the Federal minimum wage occurred in service 

occupations, at about 8 percent. About three in four workers earning $5.15 or less in 2005 were employed in service occupations, 

mostly in food preparation and service jobs. The proportion of hourly-paid workers whose earnings were reported at or below $5.15 

was lowest for persons employed in management, professional, and related occupations and natural resources, construction, and 

maintenance occupations (less than 1 percent for both). (See table 4.) 

-- The industry with the highest proportion of workers with reported hourly wages at or below $5.15 was leisure and hospitality (about 

14 percent). About three-fifths of all workers paid at or below the Federal minimum wage were employed in this industry, primarily in 

the food services and drinking places component. For many of these workers, tips and commissions supplement the hourly wages 

received. (See table 5.) 

-- Among the states, Oklahoma and West Virginia had the highest proportion of hourly-paid workers earning at or below $5.15 (at 

about 4 percent). Alaska, California, and Washington had the lowest proportion earning the minimum wage or less (less than 1 

percent). It should be noted that 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.) 

-- 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. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 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 hourlypaid workers and their hourly wage rate. Data in this summary are 2005 annual averages. 

 

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 2005 includes about 300,000 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. 
Table 1. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

selected characteristics, 2005 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour

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................. 75,609 1,882 479 1,403 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.5 0.6 1.9

 16 to 24 years........................... 16,374 1,003 283 720 21.7 53.3 59.1 51.3 6.1 1.7 4.4

 16 to 19 years.......................... 5,528 491 179 312 7.3 26.1 37.4 22.2 8.9 3.2 5.6

 25 years and over....................... 59,235 879 196 683 78.3 46.7 40.9 48.7 1.5 0.3 1.2

 

Men, 16 years and over................. 37,652 648 189 459 49.8 34.4 39.5 32.7 1.7 0.5 1.2

 16 to 24 years........................... 8,288 353 130 223 11.0 18.8 27.1 15.9 4.3 1.6 2.7

 16 to 19 years......................... 2,654 172 86 86 3.5 9.1 18.0 6.1 6.5 3.2 3.2

 25 years and over....................... 29,364 296 60 236 38.8 15.7 12.5 16.8 1.0 0.2 0.8

 

Women, 16 years and over............ 37,957 1,234 290 944 50.2 65.6 60.5 67.3 3.3 0.8 2.5

 16 to 24 years............................ 8,086 649 153 496 10.7 34.5 31.9 35.4 8.0 1.9 6.1

 16 to 19 years......................... 2,874 318 93 225 3.8 16.9 19.4 16.0 11.1 3.2 7.8

 25 years and over...................... 29,871 584 137 447 39.5 31.0 28.6 31.9 2.0 0.5 1.5

 

RACE, SEX, AND 

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY 

White 1....................................... 60,978 1,537 349 1,188 80.6 81.7 72.9 84.7 2.5 0.6 1.9

 Men........................................ 30,901 485 133 352 40.9 25.8 27.8 25.1 1.6 0.4 1.1

 Women.................................... 30,078 1,052 216 836 39.8 55.9 45.1 59.6 3.5 0.7 2.8

 

Black or African American 1............... 9,793 215 96 119 13.0 11.4 20.0 8.5 2.2 1.0 1.2

 Men........................................ 4,421 105 42 63 5.8 5.6 8.8 4.5 2.4 1.0 1.4

 Women................................... 5,372 111 54 57 7.1 5.9 11.3 4.1 2.1 1.0 1.1

Asian 1....................................... 2,720 65 14 51 3.6 3.5 2.9 3.6 2.4 0.5 1.9

 Men......................................... 1,283 30 5 25 1.7 1.6 1.0 1.8 2.3 0.4 1.9

 Women.................................... 1,437 35 9 26 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.4 0.6 1.8

Hispanic or Latino 1....................... 12,527 281 71 210 16.6 14.9 14.8 15.0 2.2 0.6 1.7

 Men........................................ 7,467 114 29 85 9.9 6.1 6.1 6.1 1.5 0.4 1.1

 Women................................... 5,060 167 42 125 6.7 8.9 8.8 8.9 3.3 0.8 2.5

 

FULL- AND PART-TIME 

STATUS AND SEX 

Full-time workers 2......................... 57,385 751 143 608 75.9 39.9 29.9 43.3 1.3 0.2 1.1

 Men........................................ 31,911 321 69 252 42.2 17.1 14.4 18.0 1.0 0.2 0.8

 Women................................... 25,474 430 74 356 33.7 22.8 15.4 25.4 1.7 0.3 1.4

Part-time workers 2....................... 18,084 1,126 336 790 23.9 59.8 70.1 56.3 6.2 1.9 4.4

 Men........................................ 5,669 327 120 207 7.5 17.4 25.1 14.8 5.8 2.1 3.7

 Women................................... 12,415 799 216 583 16.4 42.5 45.1 41.6 6.4 1.7 4.7

1 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.

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.

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

Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Characteristic Total paid 

hourly 

rates
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, 2005 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour

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.... 75,609 1,882 479 1,403 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.5 0.6 1.9

 

 Northeast......................... 13,284 302 61 241 17.6 16.0 12.7 17.2 2.3 0.5 1.8

 New England................... 3,836 71 9 62 5.1 3.8 1.9 4.4 1.9 0.2 1.6

 Middle Atlantic............... 9,448 232 52 180 12.5 12.3 10.9 12.8 2.5 0.6 1.9

 North Central................... 18,879 502 112 390 25.0 26.7 23.4 27.8 2.7 0.6 2.1

 East North Central.......... 13,015 341 65 276 17.2 18.1 13.6 19.7 2.6 0.5 2.1

 West North Central......... 5,864 160 46 114 7.8 8.5 9.6 8.1 2.7 0.8 1.9

 South.............................. 26,138 813 232 581 34.6 43.2 48.4 41.4 3.1 0.9 2.2

 South Atlantic................ 13,578 388 83 305 18.0 20.6 17.3 21.7 2.9 0.6 2.2

 East South Central.......... 4,442 145 51 94 5.9 7.7 10.6 6.7 3.3 1.1 2.1

 West South Central......... 8,118 279 97 182 10.7 14.8 20.3 13.0 3.4 1.2 2.2

 West.............................. 17,309 266 75 191 22.9 14.1 15.7 13.6 1.5 0.4 1.1

 Mountain....................... 5,237 158 52 106 6.9 8.4 10.9 7.6 3.0 1.0 2.0

 Pacific.......................... 12,071 108 23 85 16.0 5.7 4.8 6.1 0.9 0.2 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

North Central:

 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, 2005 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour

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.. 75,609 1,882 479 1,403 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.5 0.6 1.9

 

Alabama........................ 1,152 36 16 20 1.5 1.9 3.3 1.4 3.1 1.4 1.7

Alaska........................... 192 1 - 1 0.3 0.1 - 0.1 0.5 - 0.5

Arizona.......................... 1,396 47 11 36 1.8 2.5 2.3 2.6 3.4 0.8 2.6

Arkansas........................ 700 25 14 11 0.9 1.3 2.9 0.8 3.6 2.0 1.6

California........................ 8,846 82 20 62 11.7 4.4 4.2 4.4 0.9 0.2 0.7

Colorado........................ 1,131 34 9 25 1.5 1.8 1.9 1.8 3.0 0.8 2.2

Connecticut.................... 892 9 1 8 1.2 0.5 0.2 0.6 1.0 0.1 0.9

Delaware........................ 219 4 1 3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 1.8 0.5 1.4

District of Columbia.......... 110 2 - 2 0.1 0.1 - 0.1 1.8 - 1.8

Florida........................... 4,404 117 12 105 5.8 6.2 2.5 7.5 2.7 0.3 2.4

Georgia.......................... 2,060 66 14 52 2.7 3.5 2.9 3.7 3.2 0.7 2.5

Hawaii............................ 341 4 - 4 0.4 0.3 - 0.3 1.2 - 1.2

Idaho............................. 415 12 4 8 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.6 2.9 1.0 1.9

Illinois............................ 3,207 77 12 65 4.2 4.1 2.5 4.6 2.4 0.4 2.0

Indiana........................... 1,794 37 6 31 2.4 2.0 1.3 2.2 2.1 0.3 1.7

Iowa.............................. 922 20 4 16 1.2 1.1 0.8 1.1 2.2 0.4 1.7

Kansas.......................... 770 27 8 19 1.0 1.4 1.7 1.4 3.5 1.0 2.5

Kentucky....................... 1,120 35 9 26 1.5 1.9 1.9 1.9 3.1 0.8 2.3

Louisiana...................... 1,109 42 18 24 1.5 2.2 3.8 1.7 3.8 1.6 2.2

Maine............................ 409 8 1 7 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.5 2.0 0.2 1.7

Maryland........................ 1,318 28 2 26 1.7 1.5 0.4 1.9 2.1 0.2 2.0

Massachusetts................ 1,666 31 4 27 2.2 1.6 0.8 1.9 1.9 0.2 1.6

Michigan........................ 2,869 88 16 72 3.8 4.7 3.3 5.1 3.1 0.6 2.5

Minnesota....................... 1,593 29 11 18 2.1 1.5 2.3 1.3 1.8 0.7 1.1

Mississippi...................... 664 23 8 15 0.9 1.2 1.7 1.1 3.5 1.2 2.3

Missouri......................... 1,613 56 15 41 2.1 3.0 3.1 2.9 3.5 0.9 2.5

Montana......................... 278 6 4 2 0.4 0.3 0.8 0.1 2.2 1.4 0.7

Nebraska......................... 544 17 5 12 0.7 0.9 1.0 0.9 3.1 0.9 2.2

Nevada.......................... 684 19 10 9 0.9 1.0 2.1 0.6 2.8 1.5 1.3

New Hampshire............... 377 11 2 9 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.6 2.9 0.5 2.4

New Jersey..................... 1,922 40 9 31 2.5 2.1 1.9 2.2 2.1 0.5 1.6

New Mexico.................... 505 18 8 10 0.7 1.0 1.7 0.7 3.6 1.6 2.0

New York....................... 4,186 95 18 77 5.5 5.0 3.8 5.5 2.3 0.4 1.8

North Carolina................. 2,176 58 13 45 2.9 3.1 2.7 3.2 2.7 0.6 2.1

North Dakota................... 183 4 1 3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 2.2 0.5 1.6

Ohio.............................. 3,403 111 26 85 4.5 5.9 5.4 6.1 3.3 0.8 2.5

Oklahoma....................... 841 36 10 26 1.1 1.9 2.1 1.9 4.3 1.2 3.1

Oregon.......................... 959 10 1 9 1.3 0.5 0.2 0.6 1.0 0.1 0.9

Pennsylvania................... 3,340 97 25 72 4.4 5.2 5.2 5.1 2.9 0.7 2.2

Rhode Island................... 309 8 - 8 0.4 0.4 - 0.6 2.6 - 2.6

South Carolina................. 1,073 34 10 24 1.4 1.8 2.1 1.7 3.2 0.9 2.2

South Dakota.................. 240 9 3 6 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.4 3.8 1.3 2.5

Tennesee....................... 1,506 51 17 34 2.0 2.7 3.5 2.4 3.4 1.1 2.3

Texas............................ 5,467 176 55 121 7.2 9.4 11.5 8.6 3.2 1.0 2.2

Utah.............................. 677 16 4 12 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.9 2.4 0.6 1.8

Vermont......................... 182 3 - 3 0.2 0.2 - 0.2 1.6 - 1.6

Virginia.......................... 1,753 60 22 38 2.3 3.2 4.6 2.7 3.4 1.3 2.2

Washington.................... 1,733 10 1 9 2.3 0.5 0.2 0.6 0.6 0.1 0.5

West Virginia................... 466 20 10 10 0.6 1.1 2.1 0.7 4.3 2.1 2.1

Wisconsin...................... 1,743 27 5 22 2.3 1.4 1.0 1.6 1.5 0.3 1.3

Wyoming........................ 150 4 1 3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 2.7 0.7 2.0

 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 and there

are a number of States that have minimum wages that exceed the Federal minimum wage. 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 indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

State Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Total paid 

hourly 

rates
Table 4. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

major occupation group, 2005 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour

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......................... 75,609 1,882 479 1,403 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.5 0.6 1.9

Management, professional, and related 

 occupations..................................... 14,258 72 26 46 18.9 3.8 5.4 3.3 0.5 0.2 0.3

 Management, business, and financial

 operations occupations...................... 3,893 22 7 15 5.1 1.2 1.5 1.1 0.6 0.2 0.4

 Professional and related occupations...... 10,366 51 19 32 13.7 2.7 4.0 2.3 0.5 0.2 0.3

Service occupations............................... 16,751 1,394 242 1,152 22.2 74.1 50.5 82.1 8.3 1.4 6.9

 Healthcare support occupations.............. 2,565 40 6 34 3.4 2.1 1.3 2.4 1.6 0.2 1.3

 Protective service occupations.............. 1,775 21 4 17 2.3 1.1 0.8 1.2 1.2 0.2 1.0

 Food preparation and serving related

 occupations.................................... 6,493 1,131 165 966 8.6 60.1 34.4 68.9 17.4 2.5 14.9

 Building and grounds cleaning and 

 maintenance occupations.................. 3,590 89 34 55 4.7 4.7 7.1 3.9 2.5 0.9 1.5

 Personal care and service occupations.. 2,328 113 32 81 3.1 6.0 6.7 5.8 4.9 1.4 3.5

Sales and office occupations................... 20,930 240 136 104 27.7 12.8 28.4 7.4 1.1 0.6 0.5

 Sales and related occupations................ 7,612 142 77 65 10.1 7.5 16.1 4.6 1.9 1.0 0.9

 Office and administrative support 

 occupations.................................... 13,318 98 59 39 17.6 5.2 12.3 2.8 0.7 0.4 0.3

Natural resources, construction, and 

 maintenance occupations................. 9,900 48 18 30 13.1 2.6 3.8 2.1 0.5 0.2 0.3

 Farming, fishing, and forestry

 occupations.................................... 623 14 7 7 0.8 0.7 1.5 0.5 2.2 1.1 1.1

 Construction and extraction

 occupations.................................... 5,828 18 6 12 7.7 1.0 1.3 0.9 0.3 0.1 0.2

 Installation, maintenance, and 

 repair occupations.............................. 3,449 16 5 11 4.6 0.9 1.0 0.8 0.5 0.1 0.3

Production, transportation, and 

 material moving occupations.............. 13,770 128 57 71 18.2 6.8 11.9 5.1 0.9 0.4 0.5

 Production occupations....................... 7,658 47 19 28 10.1 2.5 4.0 2.0 0.6 0.2 0.4

 Transportation and material moving

 occupations.................................... 6,112 81 38 43 8.1 4.3 7.9 3.1 1.3 0.6 0.7

 

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

Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Occupation 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, 2005 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour

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.......................... 75,609 1,882 479 1,403 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.5 0.6 1.9

 Private sector....................................... 66,135 1,782 438 1,344 87.5 94.7 91.4 95.8 2.7 0.7 2.0

 Agriculture and related industries............ 641 15 8 7 0.8 0.8 1.7 0.5 2.3 1.2 1.1

 Nonagricultural industries.................... 65,495 1,767 430 1,337 86.6 93.9 89.8 95.3 2.7 0.7 2.0

 Mining............................................. 390 - - - 0.5 - - - - - -

 Construction................................... 5,897 19 4 15 7.8 1.0 0.8 1.1 0.3 0.1 0.3

 Manufacturing................................. 10,299 39 14 25 13.6 2.1 2.9 1.8 0.4 0.1 0.2

 Durable goods .............................. 6,462 18 3 15 8.5 1.0 0.6 1.1 0.3 0.0 0.2

 Nondurable goods ........................ 3,837 20 10 10 5.1 1.1 2.1 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.3

 Wholesale and retail trade................ 12,765 181 100 81 16.9 9.6 20.9 5.8 1.4 0.8 0.6

 Wholesale trade............................ 2,044 7 4 3 2.7 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1

 Retail trade.................................. 10,721 174 96 78 14.2 9.2 20.0 5.6 1.6 0.9 0.7

 Transportation and utilities................. 3,029 22 7 15 4.0 1.2 1.5 1.1 0.7 0.2 0.5

 Information..................................... 1,406 16 7 9 1.9 0.9 1.5 0.6 1.1 0.5 0.6

 Financial activities........................... 3,366 17 9 8 4.5 0.9 1.9 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.2

 Professional and business services...... 5,537 59 19 40 7.3 3.1 4.0 2.9 1.1 0.3 0.7

 Education and health services............ 11,335 126 38 88 15.0 6.7 7.9 6.3 1.1 0.3 0.8

 Leisure and hospitality........................ 8,420 1,201 197 1,004 11.1 63.8 41.1 71.6 14.3 2.3 11.9

 Other services................................. 3,051 87 35 52 4.0 4.6 7.3 3.7 2.9 1.1 1.7

 Public sector....................................... 9,474 100 41 59 12.5 5.3 8.6 4.2 1.1 0.4 0.6

 Federal........................................... 1,892 14 8 6 2.5 0.7 1.7 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.3

 State................................................ 2,464 25 11 14 3.3 1.3 2.3 1.0 1.0 0.4 0.6

 Local................................................ 5,118 61 21 40 6.8 3.2 4.4 2.9 1.2 0.4 0.8

 

 NOTE: Data exclude all the self-employed, both unincorporated and incorporated. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication 

criteria.

Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Industry 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, 2005 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour

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........................... 75,609 1,882 479 1,403 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.5 0.6 1.9

 Less than a high school diploma............... 12,647 561 211 350 16.7 29.8 44.1 24.9 4.4 1.7 2.8

 Less than 1 year of high school............. 3,576 91 32 59 4.7 4.8 6.7 4.2 2.5 0.9 1.6

 1 to 3 years of high school..................... 7,800 439 170 269 10.3 23.3 35.5 19.2 5.6 2.2 3.4

 4 years of high school, no diploma......... 1,271 32 9 23 1.7 1.7 1.9 1.6 2.5 0.7 1.8

 High school graduates or more................ 62,963 1,321 268 1,053 83.3 70.2 55.9 75.1 2.1 0.4 1.7

 High school graduates, no college......... 27,622 547 129 418 36.5 29.1 26.9 29.8 2.0 0.5 1.5

 Some college or associate degree........ 24,654 645 120 525 32.6 34.3 25.1 37.4 2.6 0.5 2.1

 Some college, no degree.................. 16,857 536 97 439 22.3 28.5 20.3 31.3 3.2 0.6 2.6

 Associate degree.............................. 7,797 109 23 86 10.3 5.8 4.8 6.1 1.4 0.3 1.1

 Occupational program..................... 4,301 52 10 42 5.7 2.8 2.1 3.0 1.2 0.2 1.0

 Academic program........................ 3,496 57 13 44 4.6 3.0 2.7 3.1 1.6 0.4 1.3

 College graduates, total........................ 10,687 127 18 109 14.1 6.7 3.8 7.8 1.2 0.2 1.0

 Bachelor's degree........................... 8,485 113 17 96 11.2 6.0 3.5 6.8 1.3 0.2 1.1

 Master's degree.............................. 1,702 12 1 11 2.3 0.6 0.2 0.8 0.7 0.1 0.6

 Professional degree........................ 311 1 - 1 0.4 0.1 - 0.1 0.3 - 0.3

 Doctoral degree.............................. 188 2 - 2 0.2 0.1 - 0.1 1.1 - 1.1

 

 NOTE: Data exclude all the self-employed, both unincorporated and incorporated. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication 

criteria.

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, 2005 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour

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...... 75,609 1,882 479 1,403 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.5 0.6 1.9

 Under 25 years.................. 16,374 1,003 283 720 21.7 53.3 59.1 51.3 6.1 1.7 4.4

 16 to 19 years.................. 5,528 491 179 312 7.3 26.1 37.4 22.2 8.9 3.2 5.6

 20 to 24 years.................. 10,846 512 104 408 14.3 27.2 21.7 29.1 4.7 1.0 3.8

 25 years and over............ 59,235 879 196 683 78.3 46.7 40.9 48.7 1.5 0.3 1.2

 25 to 34 years.................. 16,779 373 67 306 22.2 19.8 14.0 21.8 2.2 0.4 1.8

 25 to 29 years............... 8,692 229 38 191 11.5 12.2 7.9 13.6 2.6 0.4 2.2

 30 to 34 years............... 8,088 144 28 116 10.7 7.7 5.8 8.3 1.8 0.3 1.4

 35 to 44 years.................. 16,761 208 39 169 22.2 11.1 8.1 12.0 1.2 0.2 1.0

 35 to 39 years............... 7,992 107 23 84 10.6 5.7 4.8 6.0 1.3 0.3 1.1

 40 to 44 years............... 8,769 101 16 85 11.6 5.4 3.3 6.1 1.2 0.2 1.0

 45 to 54 years.................. 15,419 164 30 134 20.4 8.7 6.3 9.6 1.1 0.2 0.9

 45 to 49 years............... 8,417 100 19 81 11.1 5.3 4.0 5.8 1.2 0.2 1.0

 50 to 54 years............... 7,002 64 11 53 9.3 3.4 2.3 3.8 0.9 0.2 0.8

 55 to 64 years.................. 8,015 79 37 42 10.6 4.2 7.7 3.0 1.0 0.5 0.5

 55 to 59 years............... 5,163 46 18 28 6.8 2.4 3.8 2.0 0.9 0.3 0.5

 60 to 64 years............... 2,851 32 18 14 3.8 1.7 3.8 1.0 1.1 0.6 0.5

 65 years and over............ 2,261 56 24 32 3.0 3.0 5.0 2.3 2.5 1.1 1.4

 65 to 69 years............... 1,236 22 10 12 1.6 1.2 2.1 0.9 1.8 0.8 1.0

 70 years and over......... 1,025 34 14 20 1.4 1.8 2.9 1.4 3.3 1.4 2.0

MEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 37,652 648 189 459 49.8 34.4 39.5 32.7 1.7 0.5 1.2

 Under 25 years.................. 8,288 353 130 223 11.0 18.8 27.1 15.9 4.3 1.6 2.7

 16 to 19 years.................. 2,654 172 86 86 3.5 9.1 18.0 6.1 6.5 3.2 3.2

 20 to 24 years.................. 5,634 180 43 137 7.5 9.6 9.0 9.8 3.2 0.8 2.4

 25 years and over............ 29,364 296 60 236 38.8 15.7 12.5 16.8 1.0 0.2 0.8

 25 to 34 years.................. 9,063 144 22 122 12.0 7.7 4.6 8.7 1.6 0.2 1.3

 25 to 29 years............... 4,756 90 13 77 6.3 4.8 2.7 5.5 1.9 0.3 1.6

 30 to 34 years............... 4,307 54 9 45 5.7 2.9 1.9 3.2 1.3 0.2 1.0

 35 to 44 years.................. 8,374 60 14 46 11.1 3.2 2.9 3.3 0.7 0.2 0.5

 35 to 39 years............... 4,082 35 9 26 5.4 1.9 1.9 1.9 0.9 0.2 0.6

 40 to 44 years............... 4,292 26 5 21 5.7 1.4 1.0 1.5 0.6 0.1 0.5

 45 to 54 years.................. 7,222 55 13 42 9.6 2.9 2.7 3.0 0.8 0.2 0.6

 45 to 49 years............... 3,959 38 8 30 5.2 2.0 1.7 2.1 1.0 0.2 0.8

 50 to 54 years............... 3,264 16 5 11 4.3 0.9 1.0 0.8 0.5 0.2 0.3

 55 to 64 years.................. 3,695 23 7 16 4.9 1.2 1.5 1.1 0.6 0.2 0.4

 55 to 59 years............... 2,369 14 2 12 3.1 0.7 0.4 0.9 0.6 0.1 0.5

 60 to 64 years............... 1,326 8 4 4 1.8 0.4 0.8 0.3 0.6 0.3 0.3

 65 years and over............ 1,009 14 4 10 1.3 0.7 0.8 0.7 1.4 0.4 1.0

 65 to 69 years............... 547 5 2 3 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.9 0.4 0.5

 70 years and over......... 462 8 1 7 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.5 1.7 0.2 1.5

WOMEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 37,957 1,234 290 944 50.2 65.6 60.5 67.3 3.3 0.8 2.5

 Under 25 years.................. 8,086 649 153 496 10.7 34.5 31.9 35.4 8.0 1.9 6.1

 16 to 19 years.................. 2,874 318 93 225 3.8 16.9 19.4 16.0 11.1 3.2 7.8

 20 to 24 years.................. 5,212 331 60 271 6.9 17.6 12.5 19.3 6.4 1.2 5.2

 25 years and over............ 29,871 584 137 447 39.5 31.0 28.6 31.9 2.0 0.5 1.5

 25 to 34 years.................. 7,716 230 45 185 10.2 12.2 9.4 13.2 3.0 0.6 2.4

 25 to 29 years............... 3,936 140 26 114 5.2 7.4 5.4 8.1 3.6 0.7 2.9

 30 to 34 years............... 3,781 89 19 70 5.0 4.7 4.0 5.0 2.4 0.5 1.9

 35 to 44 years.................. 8,387 147 25 122 11.1 7.8 5.2 8.7 1.8 0.3 1.5

 35 to 39 years............... 3,910 72 14 58 5.2 3.8 2.9 4.1 1.8 0.4 1.5

 40 to 44 years............... 4,477 76 12 64 5.9 4.0 2.5 4.6 1.7 0.3 1.4

 45 to 54 years.................. 8,197 110 17 93 10.8 5.8 3.5 6.6 1.3 0.2 1.1

 45 to 49 years............... 4,459 62 11 51 5.9 3.3 2.3 3.6 1.4 0.2 1.1

 50 to 54 years............... 3,738 47 5 42 4.9 2.5 1.0 3.0 1.3 0.1 1.1

 55 to 64 years.................. 4,319 56 30 26 5.7 3.0 6.3 1.9 1.3 0.7 0.6

 55 to 59 years............... 2,794 33 16 17 3.7 1.8 3.3 1.2 1.2 0.6 0.6

 60 to 64 years............... 1,525 24 14 10 2.0 1.3 2.9 0.7 1.6 0.9 0.7

 65 years and over............ 1,252 42 20 22 1.7 2.2 4.2 1.6 3.4 1.6 1.8

 65 to 69 years............... 689 17 8 9 0.9 0.9 1.7 0.6 2.5 1.2 1.3

 70 years and over......... 563 26 13 13 0.7 1.4 2.7 0.9 4.6 2.3 2.3

 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, 2005 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour

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...... 75,609 1,882 479 1,403 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.5 0.6 1.9

 Never married............... 26,288 1,213 325 888 34.8 64.5 67.8 63.3 4.6 1.2 3.4

 16 to 24 years............... 14,289 929 268 661 18.9 49.4 55.9 47.1 6.5 1.9 4.6

 25 years and over......... 11,998 284 57 227 15.9 15.1 11.9 16.2 2.4 0.5 1.9

 25 to 54 years............ 11,362 273 50 223 15.0 14.5 10.4 15.9 2.4 0.4 2.0

 Married, spouse present... 36,340 422 93 329 48.1 22.4 19.4 23.4 1.2 0.3 0.9

 16 to 24 years............... 1,683 49 10 39 2.2 2.6 2.1 2.8 2.9 0.6 2.3

 25 years and over......... 34,657 375 84 291 45.8 19.9 17.5 20.7 1.1 0.2 0.8

 25 to 54 years............ 28,181 308 54 254 37.3 16.4 11.3 18.1 1.1 0.2 0.9

 Other marital status......... 12,982 247 61 186 17.2 13.1 12.7 13.3 1.9 0.5 1.4

 16 to 24 years............... 402 25 5 20 0.5 1.3 1.0 1.4 6.2 1.2 5.0

 25 years and over......... 12,580 222 56 166 16.6 11.8 11.7 11.8 1.8 0.4 1.3

 25 to 54 years............ 9,416 163 31 132 12.5 8.7 6.5 9.4 1.7 0.3 1.4

MEN

Total, 16 years and over.... 37,652 648 189 459 49.8 34.4 39.5 32.7 1.7 0.5 1.2

 Never married............... 13,980 473 145 328 18.5 25.1 30.3 23.4 3.4 1.0 2.3

 16 to 24 years............... 7,349 336 128 208 9.7 17.9 26.7 14.8 4.6 1.7 2.8

 25 years and over......... 6,632 138 17 121 8.8 7.3 3.5 8.6 2.1 0.3 1.8

 25 to 54 years............ 6,344 134 16 118 8.4 7.1 3.3 8.4 2.1 0.3 1.9

 Married, spouse present... 18,695 111 28 83 24.7 5.9 5.8 5.9 0.6 0.1 0.4

 16 to 24 years............... 769 11 1 10 1.0 0.6 0.2 0.7 1.4 0.1 1.3

 25 years and over......... 17,926 100 27 73 23.7 5.3 5.6 5.2 0.6 0.2 0.4

 25 to 54 years............ 14,433 81 20 61 19.1 4.3 4.2 4.3 0.6 0.1 0.4

 Other marital status......... 4,977 64 16 48 6.6 3.4 3.3 3.4 1.3 0.3 1.0

 16 to 24 years............... 171 6 1 5 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.4 3.5 0.6 2.9

 25 years and over......... 4,806 58 15 43 6.4 3.1 3.1 3.1 1.2 0.3 0.9

 25 to 54 years............ 3,882 44 13 31 5.1 2.3 2.7 2.2 1.1 0.3 0.8

WOMEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 37,957 1,234 290 944 50.2 65.6 60.5 67.3 3.3 0.8 2.5

 Never married............... 12,307 740 180 560 16.3 39.3 37.6 39.9 6.0 1.5 4.6

 16 to 24 years............... 6,941 593 140 453 9.2 31.5 29.2 32.3 8.5 2.0 6.5

 25 years and over......... 5,367 147 40 107 7.1 7.8 8.4 7.6 2.7 0.7 2.0

 25 to 54 years............ 5,018 140 35 105 6.6 7.4 7.3 7.5 2.8 0.7 2.1

 Married, spouse present... 17,645 313 66 247 23.3 16.6 13.8 17.6 1.8 0.4 1.4

 16 to 24 years............... 914 38 9 29 1.2 2.0 1.9 2.1 4.2 1.0 3.2

 25 years and over......... 16,730 275 57 218 22.1 14.6 11.9 15.5 1.6 0.3 1.3

 25 to 54 years............ 13,748 227 34 193 18.2 12.1 7.1 13.8 1.7 0.2 1.4

 Other marital status......... 8,005 182 45 137 10.6 9.7 9.4 9.8 2.3 0.6 1.7

 16 to 24 years............... 231 18 4 14 0.3 1.0 0.8 1.0 7.8 1.7 6.1

 25 years and over......... 7,774 163 40 123 10.3 8.7 8.4 8.8 2.1 0.5 1.6

 25 to 54 years............ 5,534 119 18 101 7.3 6.3 3.8 7.2 2.2 0.3 1.8

 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 on primary job per week, 2005 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour At or below $5.15 per hour

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...... 75,609 1,882 479 1,403 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 2.5 0.6 1.9

 Hours vary..................... 5,695 273 55 218 7.5 14.5 11.5 15.5 4.8 1.0 3.8

 0 to 34 hours.................. 15,861 974 305 669 21.0 51.8 63.7 47.7 6.1 1.9 4.2

 0 to 4 hours.................. 324 20 5 15 0.4 1.1 1.0 1.1 6.2 1.5 4.6

 5 to 9 hours.................. 876 65 24 41 1.2 3.5 5.0 2.9 7.4 2.7 4.7

 10 to 14 hours............... 1,427 104 41 63 1.9 5.5 8.6 4.5 7.3 2.9 4.4

 15 to 19 hours............... 2,100 143 42 101 2.8 7.6 8.8 7.2 6.8 2.0 4.8

 20 to 24 hours............... 4,796 291 114 177 6.3 15.5 23.8 12.6 6.1 2.4 3.7

 25 to 29 hours............... 2,149 148 41 107 2.8 7.9 8.6 7.6 6.9 1.9 5.0

 30 to 34 hours............... 4,189 202 37 165 5.5 10.7 7.7 11.8 4.8 0.9 3.9

 35 hours or more............... 54,054 634 119 515 71.5 33.7 24.8 36.7 1.2 0.2 1.0

 35 to 39 hours............... 5,330 187 38 149 7.0 9.9 7.9 10.6 3.5 0.7 2.8

 40 hours or more............ 48,725 448 81 367 64.4 23.8 16.9 26.2 0.9 0.2 0.8

 40 hours..................... 41,954 380 63 317 55.5 20.2 13.2 22.6 0.9 0.2 0.8

 41 hours or more............ 6,771 67 18 49 9.0 3.6 3.8 3.5 1.0 0.3 0.7

 41 to 44 hours............ 826 3 1 2 1.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.2

 45 to 48 hours............ 2,415 26 8 18 3.2 1.4 1.7 1.3 1.1 0.3 0.7

 49 to 59 hours............ 2,518 20 5 15 3.3 1.1 1.0 1.1 0.8 0.2 0.6

 60 hours or more......... 1,013 19 4 15 1.3 1.0 0.8 1.1 1.9 0.4 1.5

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

Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Usual hours worked per 

week on primary job 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, 1979-2005 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

1986 1..................... 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

1990 1..................... 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

1994 1..................... 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

1997 1..................... 114,533 70,735 61.8 22,990 21,764 24,754 26.7

1998 1..................... 116,730 71,440 61.2 2,834 1,593 4,427 6.2

1999 1..................... 118,963 72,306 60.8 2,194 1,146 3,340 4.6

2000 1..................... 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

2003 1..................... 122,358 72,946 59.6 1,555 545 2,100 2.9

2004 1..................... 123,554 73,939 59.8 1,483 520 2,003 2.7

2005........................ 125,889 75,609 60.1 1,403 479 1,882 2.5

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

1986 1..................... 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

1990 1..................... 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

1994 1..................... 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

1997 1..................... 59,825 35,521 59.4 21,147 2673 21,820 25.1

1998 1..................... 60,973 35,761 58.7 1,039 628 1,667 4.7

1999 1..................... 61,914 36,073 58.3 768 446 1,214 3.4

2000 1..................... 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

2003 1..................... 63,236 35,853 56.7 493 213 706 2.0

2004 1..................... 64,145 36,806 57.4 470 210 680 1.8

2005........................ 65,466 37,652 57.5 459 189 648 1.7

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, 1979-2005 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

1986 1..................... 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

1990 1..................... 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

1994 1..................... 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

1997 1..................... 54,708 35,214 64.4 21,843 21,092 22,935 28.3

1998 1..................... 55,757 35,680 64.0 1,794 965 2,760 7.7

1999 1..................... 57,050 36,233 63.5 1,426 700 2,126 5.9

2000 1..................... 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

2003 1..................... 59,122 37,093 62.7 1,062 332 1,394 3.8

2004 1..................... 59,408 37,133 62.5 1,013 310 1,323 3.6

2005........................ 60,423 37,957 62.8 944 290 1,234 3.3

Year and sex

Total

wage and

salary

workers Total

Percent of 

total wage 

and salary

workers Number

Percent

of hourly

paid

workers

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 2005 and subsequent issues of

Employment and Earnings, a monthly BLS periodical.

2 Data for 1990-91 and 1996-97 reflect changes in the

minimum wage that took place in those years.

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. 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 1998-2005 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 and in

2002, about 350,000 in 2003 and in 2004, and 300,000

in 2005); to some extent, this may reflect rounding on

the part of survey respondents. 

Below

prevailing

Federal

minimum 

wage

At 

prevailing

Federal

minimum 

wage

Total at or below prevailing 

Federal minimum wage