U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 1

Characteristics of minimum wage workers, 2021

In 2021, 76.1 million workers age 16 and older in the United States 

were paid at hourly rates, representing 55.8 percent of all wage 

and salary workers. Among those paid by the hour, 181,000 

workers earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of 

$7.25 per hour. About 910,000 workers had wages below the 

federal minimum. Together, these 1.1 million workers with wages at 

or below the federal minimum made up 1.4 percent of all hourly 

paid workers.

Data on minimum wage workers for 2021 continue to reflect the 

impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the labor 

market. Comparisons with data on minimum wage workers for earlier years should be interpreted with caution. More 

information on labor market developments in 2021 is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemicand-response-on-the-employment-situation-news-release.htm.

The percentage of hourly paid workers earning the prevailing federal minimum wage or less, at 1.4 percent in 2021, was 

little different than in 2020. This remains well below the 13.4 percent recorded in 1979, when data were first collected on 

a regular basis. (See table 10.)

This report presents highlights and statistical tables describing workers who earned at or below the federal minimum 

wage in 2021. The data are obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a national monthly survey of 

approximately 60,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The CPS does not include questions on whether workers are covered by the minimum wage provisions of the federal 

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or by individual state or local minimum wage laws. The estimates of workers paid at or 

below the federal minimum wage are based solely on the hourly wage they report, which does not include overtime pay, 

tips, or commissions. See the accompanying technical notes section for more information, including a description of the 

source of the data and an explanation of the concepts and definitions used in this report.

Highlights

The following are highlights from the 2021 data:

Age. Minimum wage workers tend to be young. Although workers under age 25 represented nearly one-fifth of hourly 

paid workers, they made up 44 percent of those paid the federal minimum wage or less. Among employed teenagers 

(ages 16 to 19) paid by the hour, 4 percent earned the minimum wage or less, compared with 1 percent of workers age 

25 and older. (See tables 1 and 7.)

Gender. Among workers who were paid hourly rates in 2021, about 2 percent of women and 1 percent of men had 

wages at or below the prevailing federal minimum. (See table 1.)

April 2022 | Report 1098
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. The percentage of hourly paid workers with wages at or below the federal 

minimum differed little among the major race and ethnicity groups. White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic workers each had 

about 1 percent of workers who earned the federal minimum wage or less. (See table 1.)

Education. Among hourly paid workers age 16 and older, about 2 percent of those without a high school diploma, high 

school graduates (no college), and those with some college or an associate degree earned the federal minimum wage 

or less, compared with 1 percent of those with a bachelor's degree and higher. (See table 6.)

Marital status. Among workers paid an hourly wage, those who were never married were more likely than married 

workers to earn the federal minimum wage or less (about 2 percent versus about 1 percent). (See table 8.)

Full- and part-time status. About 3 percent of part-time workers (people who usually work fewer than 35 hours per 

week) were paid the federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 1 percent of full-time workers. (See table 1.)

Occupation. Among major occupational groups, service occupations had the highest percentage of hourly paid workers 

earning at or below the federal minimum wage, at about 5 percent. Nearly 3 out of 4 workers earning the minimum wage 

or less in 2021 were employed in service occupations, mostly in food preparation and serving related jobs. (See table 4.)

Industry. As has historically been the case, the industry with the highest percentage of workers earning hourly wages at 

or below the federal minimum wage in 2021 was leisure and hospitality (8 percent). About two-thirds of all workers paid 

at or below the federal minimum wage were employed in this industry, almost entirely in restaurants, bars, and other 

food services. For many of these workers, tips may supplement the hourly wages received. (See table 5.)

State of residence. The states with the highest percentages of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal 

minimum wage were mostly in the South. Compared with recent years, a relatively large number of states had less than 

1 percent of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, 

Colorado, Connecticut, Montana, Nevada, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington. It should be noted that 

more than half of all states have minimum wages that exceed the federal minimum. (See tables 2 and 3.)
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Statistical Tables

Characteristic

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Age and gender

Total, 16 years and older 76,125 1,091 181 910 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.4 0.2 1.2

16 to 24 years 15,153 484 111 373 19.9 44.3 61.5 40.9 3.2 0.7 2.5

16 to 19 years 4,776 190 62 128 6.3 17.4 34.1 14.1 4.0 1.3 2.7

25 years and older 60,973 607 70 538 80.1 55.7 38.5 59.1 1.0 0.1 0.9

Men, 16 years and older 38,089 398 87 311 50.0 36.5 48.0 34.2 1.0 0.2 0.8

16 to 24 years 7,544 159 51 108 9.9 14.6 28.0 11.9 2.1 0.7 1.4

16 to 19 years 2,309 72 29 43 3.0 6.6 16.1 4.7 3.1 1.3 1.9

25 years and older 30,545 239 36 203 40.1 21.9 20.0 22.3 0.8 0.1 0.7

Women, 16 years and older 38,036 693 94 599 50.0 63.5 52.0 65.8 1.8 0.2 1.6

16 to 24 years 7,608 325 61 264 10.0 29.8 33.5 29.0 4.3 0.8 3.5

16 to 19 years 2,467 118 33 85 3.2 10.8 18.0 9.4 4.8 1.3 3.5

25 years and older 30,428 368 34 335 40.0 33.7 18.5 36.8 1.2 0.1 1.1

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity

White(1) 58,021 832 127 706 76.2 76.2 69.9 77.5 1.4 0.2 1.2

Men 29,656 293 64 229 39.0 26.8 35.5 25.1 1.0 0.2 0.8

Women 28,366 539 62 477 37.3 49.4 34.4 52.4 1.9 0.2 1.7

Black or African American(1) 11,019 146 34 112 14.5 13.4 18.6 12.3 1.3 0.3 1.0

Men 5,009 62 13 49 6.6 5.7 7.0 5.4 1.2 0.3 1.0

Women 6,010 84 21 63 7.9 7.7 11.6 6.9 1.4 0.3 1.0

Asian(1) 3,809 44 9 34 5.0 4.0 5.1 3.8 1.1 0.2 0.9

Men 1,766 15 5 10 2.3 1.4 2.6 1.1 0.8 0.3 0.6

Women 2,044 29 4 24 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.7 1.4 0.2 1.2

Table 1. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by selected characteristics, 2021 

annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Footnotes

(1) Estimates for the above race groups--White, Black or African American, and Asian--do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any 

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. Full time is 35 hours or more per week; part time is less than 35 hours.

Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Characteristic

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Hispanic or Latino(1) 16,998 226 33 194 22.3 20.7 18.0 21.3 1.3 0.2 1.1

Men 9,464 90 21 69 12.4 8.2 11.7 7.5 0.9 0.2 0.7

Women 7,534 137 11 125 9.9 12.5 6.2 13.8 1.8 0.1 1.7

Full- and part-time status

Full-time workers(2) 58,259 520 47 473 76.5 47.6 26.1 51.9 0.9 0.1 0.8

Men 31,827 202 27 175 41.8 18.5 14.9 19.3 0.6 0.1 0.6

Women 26,432 318 20 297 34.7 29.1 11.2 32.7 1.2 0.1 1.1

Part-time workers(2) 17,757 567 134 433 23.3 52.0 73.9 47.6 3.2 0.8 2.4

Men 6,205 193 60 133 8.2 17.7 33.1 14.6 3.1 1.0 2.1

Women 11,552 374 74 300 15.2 34.3 40.8 33.0 3.2 0.6 2.6

Table 1. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by selected characteristics, 2021 

annual averages

Region and division

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Table 2. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by census region and division, 2021 

annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Region and division

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 76,125 1,091 181 910 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.4 0.2 1.2

Northeast 12,195 167 26 140 16.0 15.3 14.5 15.4 1.4 0.2 1.2

New England 3,505 47 1 46 4.6 4.3 0.6 5.0 1.3 0.0 1.3

Middle Atlantic 8,691 120 25 94 11.4 11.0 13.9 10.4 1.4 0.3 1.1

Midwest 17,688 230 34 197 23.2 21.1 18.5 21.6 1.3 0.2 1.1

East North Central 11,884 160 25 135 15.6 14.6 13.6 14.8 1.3 0.2 1.1

West North Central 5,804 71 9 62 7.6 6.5 5.0 6.8 1.2 0.2 1.1

South 27,808 577 104 473 36.5 52.8 57.3 51.9 2.1 0.4 1.7

South Atlantic 14,158 285 33 253 18.6 26.1 18.0 27.8 2.0 0.2 1.8

East South Central 4,513 79 25 54 5.9 7.2 13.7 5.9 1.7 0.5 1.2

West South Central 9,137 213 46 166 12.0 19.5 25.6 18.3 2.3 0.5 1.8

West 18,434 118 18 100 24.2 10.8 9.7 11.0 0.6 0.1 0.5

Mountain 6,187 57 11 46 8.1 5.2 6.2 5.1 0.9 0.2 0.7

Pacific 12,246 61 6 54 16.1 5.6 3.5 6.0 0.5 0.1 0.4

Table 2. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by census region and division, 2021 

annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 6

Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are 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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

State

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 76,125 1,091 181 910 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.4 0.2 1.2

Alabama 1,158 21 6 15 1.5 1.9 3.5 1.6 1.8 0.5 1.3

Alaska 182 1 0 1 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.6 0.0 0.6

Arizona 1,837 8 0 8 2.4 0.7 0.0 0.8 0.4 0.0 0.4

Arkansas 698 4 1 3 0.9 0.4 0.8 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.4

California 8,812 41 5 36 11.6 3.8 2.7 4.0 0.5 0.1 0.4

Colorado 1,250 5 0 5 1.6 0.5 0.0 0.6 0.4 0.0 0.4

Connecticut 842 4 0 4 1.1 0.4 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.5

Delaware 260 6 1 5 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.6 2.4 0.3 2.1

Table 3. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by state, 2021 annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 7

State

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

District of Columbia 81 2 0 2 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2 2.5 0.6 2.0

Florida 4,495 103 5 98 5.9 9.4 2.6 10.8 2.3 0.1 2.2

Georgia 2,285 49 7 43 3.0 4.5 3.6 4.7 2.2 0.3 1.9

Hawaii 311 3 0 3 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.3 1.0 0.1 0.9

Idaho 508 11 4 7 0.7 1.0 2.0 0.8 2.1 0.7 1.4

Illinois 2,820 28 2 26 3.7 2.6 1.3 2.8 1.0 0.1 0.9

Indiana 1,698 30 4 26 2.2 2.7 2.4 2.8 1.8 0.3 1.5

Iowa 909 10 1 9 1.2 0.9 0.4 1.0 1.1 0.1 1.0

Kansas 736 12 1 11 1.0 1.1 0.7 1.2 1.6 0.2 1.4

Kentucky 1,086 21 5 16 1.4 2.0 2.8 1.8 2.0 0.5 1.5

Louisiana 1,045 34 7 27 1.4 3.1 3.7 3.0 3.2 0.6 2.6

Maine 358 5 0 5 0.5 0.4 0.0 0.5 1.3 0.0 1.3

Maryland 1,305 16 0 16 1.7 1.4 0.0 1.7 1.2 0.0 1.2

Massachusetts 1,513 24 1 24 2.0 2.2 0.5 2.6 1.6 0.1 1.6

Michigan 2,476 34 5 29 3.3 3.1 2.9 3.2 1.4 0.2 1.2

Minnesota 1,574 15 3 12 2.1 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.0 0.2 0.8

Mississippi 697 16 7 9 0.9 1.4 3.7 1.0 2.2 1.0 1.3

Missouri 1,551 22 3 19 2.0 2.0 1.5 2.1 1.4 0.2 1.2

Montana 297 3 0 2 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.8 0.1 0.8

Nebraska 549 7 1 6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 1.2 0.2 1.0

Nevada 827 7 2 6 1.1 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.9 0.2 0.7

New Hampshire 375 9 0 9 0.5 0.8 0.0 0.9 2.3 0.0 2.3

New Jersey 1,606 26 0 26 2.1 2.4 0.0 2.8 1.6 0.0 1.6

New Mexico 452 7 0 7 0.6 0.7 0.0 0.8 1.6 0.0 1.6

New York 3,869 32 6 26 5.1 2.9 3.5 2.8 0.8 0.2 0.7

North Carolina 2,402 41 6 35 3.2 3.8 3.5 3.8 1.7 0.3 1.4

North Dakota 221 3 0 3 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.3 1.4 0.1 1.3

Table 3. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by state, 2021 annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 8

State

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Ohio 3,196 41 5 36 4.2 3.7 2.8 3.9 1.3 0.2 1.1

Oklahoma 910 18 5 13 1.2 1.6 2.8 1.4 2.0 0.5 1.4

Oregon 1,027 3 0 3 1.3 0.3 0.0 0.4 0.3 0.0 0.3

Pennsylvania 3,216 62 19 43 4.2 5.7 10.4 4.7 1.9 0.6 1.3

Rhode Island 272 3 0 3 0.4 0.3 0.0 0.4 1.2 0.0 1.2

South Carolina 1,168 23 5 19 1.5 2.1 2.5 2.1 2.0 0.4 1.6

South Dakota 265 2 0 2 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.9 0.0 0.9

Tennessee 1,572 20 7 14 2.1 1.9 3.7 1.5 1.3 0.4 0.9

Texas 6,485 157 33 124 8.5 14.4 18.4 13.6 2.4 0.5 1.9

Utah 866 13 5 8 1.1 1.2 2.9 0.9 1.5 0.6 0.9

Vermont 145 2 0 1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 1.1 0.1 1.0

Virginia 1,737 39 9 30 2.3 3.6 4.8 3.3 2.2 0.5 1.7

Washington 1,914 12 1 11 2.5 1.1 0.7 1.2 0.6 0.1 0.6

West Virginia 425 6 1 6 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.6 1.4 0.1 1.3

Wisconsin 1,694 26 7 19 2.2 2.4 4.1 2.1 1.6 0.4 1.1

Wyoming 151 3 1 2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.2 1.9 0.5 1.4

Table 3. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by state, 2021 annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 9

Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated. These data are based on a sample and therefore are subject to sampling error; the degree of error may be quite large for less 

populous states.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Occupation

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution

Percentage of workers 

paid

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum 

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 76,125 1,091 181 910 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.4 0.2 1.2

Management, professional, and related occupations 17,899 67 12 55 23.5 6.1 6.7 6.0 0.4 0.1 0.3

Management, business, and financial operations occupations 5,594 27 2 24 7.3 2.4 1.3 2.7 0.5 0.0 0.4

Professional and related occupations 12,305 40 10 30 16.2 3.7 5.4 3.3 0.3 0.1 0.2

Service occupations 17,398 804 85 719 22.9 73.7 47.1 79.0 4.6 0.5 4.1

Healthcare support occupations 3,896 23 9 15 5.1 2.2 4.8 1.6 0.6 0.2 0.4

Protective service occupations 1,923 25 1 24 2.5 2.3 0.6 2.7 1.3 0.1 1.3

Food preparation and serving related occupations 6,424 643 51 593 8.4 58.9 27.9 65.1 10.0 0.8 9.2

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations 3,503 49 6 43 4.6 4.5 3.4 4.7 1.4 0.2 1.2

Personal care and service occupations 1,652 63 19 44 2.2 5.8 10.5 4.9 3.8 1.1 2.7

Sales and office occupations 17,336 88 44 45 22.8 8.1 24.0 4.9 0.5 0.3 0.3

Sales and related occupations 7,094 55 26 29 9.3 5.0 14.2 3.2 0.8 0.4 0.4

Office and administrative support occupations 10,243 33 18 16 13.5 3.1 9.8 1.7 0.3 0.2 0.2

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 8,867 24 6 18 11.6 2.2 3.1 2.0 0.3 0.1 0.2

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 660 2 1 0 0.9 0.2 0.8 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.1

Construction and extraction occupations 4,903 14 0 14 6.4 1.3 0.0 1.5 0.3 0.0 0.3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations 3,305 8 4 4 4.3 0.8 2.3 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.1

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 14,624 108 34 74 19.2 9.9 19.0 8.1 0.7 0.2 0.5

Production occupations 6,307 30 9 21 8.3 2.7 4.9 2.3 0.5 0.1 0.3

Table 4. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by occupation, 2021 annual 

averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 10

Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Effective with January 2020 data, occupations reflect the introduction of the 2018 Census occupational classification system, 

derived from the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). No historical data have been revised. Data for 2020 are not strictly comparable with earlier years. 

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Occupation

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution

Percentage of workers 

paid

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum 

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Transportation and material moving occupations 8,317 78 26 53 10.9 7.2 14.1 5.8 0.9 0.3 0.6

Table 4. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by occupation, 2021 annual 

averages

Industry

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 76,125 1,091 181 910 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.4 0.2 1.2

Private sector 67,168 1,023 176 847 88.2 93.7 97.1 93.1 1.5 0.3 1.3

Agriculture and related industries 839 0 0 0 1.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0

Nonagricultural industries 66,329 1,023 176 847 87.1 93.7 97.1 93.0 1.5 0.3 1.3

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction 282 1 0 1 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.2

Construction 5,281 9 1 8 6.9 0.8 0.6 0.9 0.2 0.0 0.1

Manufacturing 8,391 30 5 26 11.0 2.8 2.5 2.8 0.4 0.1 0.3

Durable goods 5,251 15 1 15 6.9 1.4 0.3 1.6 0.3 0.0 0.3

Nondurable goods 3,140 15 4 11 4.1 1.4 2.2 1.2 0.5 0.1 0.4

Wholesale and retail trade 12,514 65 29 36 16.4 6.0 15.9 4.0 0.5 0.2 0.3

Table 5. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by industry, 2021 annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 11

Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Industry

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Wholesale trade 1,598 0 0 0 2.1 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Retail trade 10,916 65 28 36 14.3 5.9 15.7 4.0 0.6 0.3 0.3

Transportation and utilities 4,269 27 10 17 5.6 2.4 5.3 1.9 0.6 0.2 0.4

Information 894 2 1 1 1.2 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1

Financial activities 3,178 8 1 6 4.2 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.2 0.0 0.2

Professional and business services 6,137 25 3 22 8.1 2.3 1.8 2.4 0.4 0.1 0.4

Education and health services 13,445 77 30 47 17.7 7.0 16.5 5.2 0.6 0.2 0.3

Leisure and hospitality 8,907 715 77 637 11.7 65.5 42.8 70.0 8.0 0.9 7.2

Other services 3,032 65 19 46 4.0 5.9 10.6 5.0 2.1 0.6 1.5

Public sector 8,957 68 5 63 11.8 6.3 2.9 6.9 0.8 0.1 0.7

Federal 1,831 10 1 10 2.4 1.0 0.5 1.0 0.6 0.0 0.5

State 2,620 18 3 15 3.4 1.7 1.7 1.6 0.7 0.1 0.6

Local 4,506 40 1 39 5.9 3.6 0.7 4.2 0.9 0.0 0.9

Table 5. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by industry, 2021 annual averages

Educational attainment

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 76,125 1,091 181 910 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.4 0.2 1.2

Table 6. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by educational attainment, 2021 

annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 12

Educational attainment

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Less than a high school diploma 8,505 163 57 105 11.2 14.9 31.7 11.5 1.9 0.7 1.2

Less than 1 year of high school 2,425 21 4 16 3.2 1.9 2.4 1.8 0.9 0.2 0.7

1 to 3 years of high school 4,892 113 46 67 6.4 10.4 25.6 7.3 2.3 0.9 1.4

4 years of high school, no diploma 1,189 29 7 22 1.6 2.6 3.7 2.4 2.4 0.6 1.9

High school graduates or more 67,620 929 124 805 88.8 85.1 68.3 88.5 1.4 0.2 1.2

High school graduates, no college 25,888 376 64 312 34.0 34.4 35.3 34.2 1.5 0.2 1.2

Some college or associate degree 24,960 393 50 342 32.8 36.0 27.8 37.6 1.6 0.2 1.4

Some college, no degree 15,419 297 39 257 20.3 27.2 21.8 28.3 1.9 0.3 1.7

Associate degree 9,541 96 11 85 12.5 8.8 6.0 9.3 1.0 0.1 0.9

Occupational program 4,094 36 4 33 5.4 3.3 2.1 3.6 0.9 0.1 0.8

Academic program 5,447 60 7 52 7.2 5.5 3.9 5.8 1.1 0.1 1.0

Bachelor's degree and higher 16,772 161 9 151 22.0 14.7 5.1 16.6 1.0 0.1 0.9

Bachelor's degree 12,748 134 6 129 16.7 12.3 3.1 14.1 1.1 0.0 1.0

Master's degree 3,207 20 2 18 4.2 1.8 1.0 2.0 0.6 0.1 0.6

Professional degree 375 5 1 3 0.5 0.4 0.7 0.4 1.2 0.3 0.9

Doctoral degree 442 1 1 1 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.2

Table 6. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by educational attainment, 2021 

annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 13

Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Age and gender

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

Total, 16 years and older 76,125 1,091 181 910 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.4 0.2 1.2

16 to 24 years 15,153 484 111 373 19.9 44.3 61.5 40.9 3.2 0.7 2.5

16 to 19 years 4,776 190 62 128 6.3 17.4 34.1 14.1 4.0 1.3 2.7

20 to 24 years 10,377 294 50 244 13.6 26.9 27.4 26.8 2.8 0.5 2.4

25 years and older 60,973 607 70 538 80.1 55.7 38.5 59.1 1.0 0.1 0.9

25 to 34 years 18,352 268 18 250 24.1 24.6 10.2 27.5 1.5 0.1 1.4

25 to 29 years 9,607 153 6 146 12.6 14.0 3.5 16.1 1.6 0.1 1.5

30 to 34 years 8,745 116 12 104 11.5 10.6 6.7 11.4 1.3 0.1 1.2

35 to 44 years 14,137 117 11 106 18.6 10.7 6.0 11.7 0.8 0.1 0.8

35 to 39 years 7,342 70 7 63 9.6 6.4 3.7 7.0 1.0 0.1 0.9

40 to 44 years 6,795 47 4 43 8.9 4.3 2.4 4.7 0.7 0.1 0.6

45 to 54 years 12,826 97 9 88 16.8 8.9 4.9 9.6 0.8 0.1 0.7

45 to 49 years 6,399 57 6 51 8.4 5.2 3.1 5.7 0.9 0.1 0.8

50 to 54 years 6,428 40 3 36 8.4 3.6 1.8 4.0 0.6 0.1 0.6

55 to 64 years 11,524 91 17 74 15.1 8.3 9.4 8.1 0.8 0.1 0.6

55 to 59 years 6,360 49 6 44 8.4 4.5 3.0 4.8 0.8 0.1 0.7

60 to 64 years 5,164 41 12 30 6.8 3.8 6.4 3.3 0.8 0.2 0.6

65 years and older 4,134 34 14 20 5.4 3.1 8.0 2.2 0.8 0.3 0.5

65 to 69 years 2,411 16 5 10 3.2 1.4 2.9 1.1 0.6 0.2 0.4

70 years and older 1,723 19 9 10 2.3 1.7 5.0 1.1 1.1 0.5 0.6

Men

Table 7. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by age and gender, 2021 annual 

averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 14

Age and gender

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 38,089 398 87 311 50.0 36.5 48.0 34.2 1.0 0.2 0.8

16 to 24 years 7,544 159 51 108 9.9 14.6 28.0 11.9 2.1 0.7 1.4

16 to 19 years 2,309 72 29 43 3.0 6.6 16.1 4.7 3.1 1.3 1.9

20 to 24 years 5,235 87 22 66 6.9 8.0 11.9 7.2 1.7 0.4 1.3

25 years and older 30,545 239 36 203 40.1 21.9 20.0 22.3 0.8 0.1 0.7

25 to 34 years 9,691 100 14 86 12.7 9.1 7.7 9.4 1.0 0.1 0.9

25 to 29 years 5,004 55 3 51 6.6 5.0 1.8 5.6 1.1 0.1 1.0

30 to 34 years 4,687 45 11 34 6.2 4.1 5.9 3.8 1.0 0.2 0.7

35 to 44 years 7,251 43 7 36 9.5 4.0 3.8 4.0 0.6 0.1 0.5

35 to 39 years 3,859 25 6 19 5.1 2.3 3.4 2.1 0.6 0.2 0.5

40 to 44 years 3,392 18 1 18 4.5 1.7 0.4 1.9 0.5 0.0 0.5

45 to 54 years 6,194 38 4 34 8.1 3.5 2.2 3.7 0.6 0.1 0.5

45 to 49 years 3,103 23 1 21 4.1 2.1 0.7 2.4 0.7 0.0 0.7

50 to 54 years 3,092 15 3 12 4.1 1.4 1.5 1.4 0.5 0.1 0.4

55 to 64 years 5,477 41 6 35 7.2 3.7 3.3 3.8 0.7 0.1 0.6

55 to 59 years 2,994 20 2 18 3.9 1.8 1.0 2.0 0.7 0.1 0.6

60 to 64 years 2,483 21 4 17 3.3 1.9 2.3 1.9 0.8 0.2 0.7

65 years and older 1,931 18 5 12 2.5 1.6 2.9 1.4 0.9 0.3 0.6

65 to 69 years 1,114 5 0 5 1.5 0.5 0.0 0.6 0.5 0.0 0.5

70 years and older 818 12 5 7 1.1 1.1 2.9 0.8 1.5 0.6 0.9

Women

Total, 16 years and older 38,036 693 94 599 50.0 63.5 52.0 65.8 1.8 0.2 1.6

16 to 24 years 7,608 325 61 264 10.0 29.8 33.5 29.0 4.3 0.8 3.5

16 to 19 years 2,467 118 33 85 3.2 10.8 18.0 9.4 4.8 1.3 3.5

20 to 24 years 5,142 207 28 179 6.8 19.0 15.5 19.6 4.0 0.5 3.5

25 years and older 30,428 368 34 335 40.0 33.7 18.5 36.8 1.2 0.1 1.1

Table 7. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by age and gender, 2021 annual 

averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 15

Age and gender

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

25 to 34 years 8,661 169 4 164 11.4 15.5 2.4 18.1 1.9 0.1 1.9

25 to 29 years 4,603 98 3 95 6.0 9.0 1.7 10.5 2.1 0.1 2.1

30 to 34 years 4,057 71 1 69 5.3 6.5 0.8 7.6 1.7 0.0 1.7

35 to 44 years 6,885 74 4 70 9.0 6.8 2.2 7.7 1.1 0.1 1.0

35 to 39 years 3,482 45 0 45 4.6 4.1 0.3 4.9 1.3 0.0 1.3

40 to 44 years 3,403 29 4 25 4.5 2.6 2.0 2.8 0.8 0.1 0.7

45 to 54 years 6,632 59 5 54 8.7 5.4 2.7 5.9 0.9 0.1 0.8

45 to 49 years 3,296 34 4 30 4.3 3.1 2.4 3.3 1.0 0.1 0.9

50 to 54 years 3,336 24 1 24 4.4 2.2 0.3 2.6 0.7 0.0 0.7

55 to 64 years 6,047 50 11 39 7.9 4.6 6.1 4.3 0.8 0.2 0.6

55 to 59 years 3,366 29 4 26 4.4 2.7 2.0 2.8 0.9 0.1 0.8

60 to 64 years 2,681 20 7 13 3.5 1.9 4.1 1.4 0.8 0.3 0.5

65 years and older 2,203 17 9 8 2.9 1.5 5.1 0.8 0.8 0.4 0.3

65 to 69 years 1,297 10 5 5 1.7 1.0 2.9 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.4

70 years and older 905 6 4 2 1.2 0.6 2.1 0.3 0.7 0.4 0.3

Table 7. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by age and gender, 2021 annual 

averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 16

Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Marital status, age,

and gender

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

Total, 16 years and older 76,125 1,091 181 910 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.4 0.2 1.2

Never married 32,653 720 141 579 42.9 65.9 77.9 63.6 2.2 0.4 1.8

16 to 24 years 14,026 458 109 350 18.4 42.0 60.0 38.4 3.3 0.8 2.5

25 years and older 18,627 261 32 229 24.5 23.9 17.8 25.2 1.4 0.2 1.2

25 to 54 years 16,801 228 21 207 22.1 20.9 11.5 22.7 1.4 0.1 1.2

Married, spouse present(1) 31,762 249 24 225 41.7 22.8 13.2 24.7 0.8 0.1 0.7

16 to 24 years 815 17 2 15 1.1 1.6 1.1 1.7 2.1 0.2 1.9

25 years and older 30,948 232 22 210 40.7 21.2 12.1 23.1 0.7 0.1 0.7

25 to 54 years 21,667 179 16 163 28.5 16.4 8.8 17.9 0.8 0.1 0.8

Widowed, divorced, or separated(2) 11,710 123 16 107 15.4 11.2 8.9 11.7 1.0 0.1 0.9

16 to 24 years 312 8 1 8 0.4 0.8 0.3 0.9 2.7 0.2 2.5

25 years and older 11,398 114 15 99 15.0 10.5 8.6 10.9 1.0 0.1 0.9

25 to 54 years 6,847 75 1 74 9.0 6.9 0.8 8.1 1.1 0.0 1.1

Men

Total, 16 years and older 38,089 398 87 311 50.0 36.5 48.0 34.2 1.0 0.2 0.8

Never married 17,178 262 72 190 22.6 24.0 39.9 20.8 1.5 0.4 1.1

16 to 24 years 7,042 156 51 105 9.3 14.3 28.0 11.6 2.2 0.7 1.5

25 years and older 10,136 106 22 84 13.3 9.7 11.9 9.2 1.0 0.2 0.8

25 to 54 years 9,217 87 16 71 12.1 8.0 8.7 7.8 0.9 0.2 0.8

Married, spouse present(1) 16,270 101 12 89 21.4 9.2 6.8 9.7 0.6 0.1 0.5

16 to 24 years 359 2 0 2 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.5 0.0 0.5

Table 8. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by marital status, age, and gender, 

2021 annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 17

Footnotes

(1) Refers to persons in both opposite-sex and same-sex married couples.

(2) Separated includes persons who are married, spouse absent.

Marital status, age,

and gender

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

25 years and older 15,911 99 12 87 20.9 9.1 6.8 9.5 0.6 0.1 0.5

25 to 54 years 11,090 73 9 64 14.6 6.7 5.1 7.0 0.7 0.1 0.6

Widowed, divorced, or separated(2) 4,641 36 2 33 6.1 3.3 1.3 3.7 0.8 0.0 0.7

16 to 24 years 143 1 0 1 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.8 0.0 0.8

25 years and older 4,498 34 2 32 5.9 3.2 1.3 3.5 0.8 0.1 0.7

25 to 54 years 2,830 21 0 21 3.7 1.9 0.0 2.3 0.7 0.0 0.7

Women

Total, 16 years and older 38,036 693 94 599 50.0 63.5 52.0 65.8 1.8 0.2 1.6

Never married 15,475 458 69 389 20.3 41.9 38.0 42.7 3.0 0.4 2.5

16 to 24 years 6,984 302 58 244 9.2 27.7 32.0 26.8 4.3 0.8 3.5

25 years and older 8,490 156 11 145 11.2 14.3 5.9 15.9 1.8 0.1 1.7

25 to 54 years 7,584 140 5 135 10.0 12.9 2.8 14.9 1.9 0.1 1.8

Married, spouse present(1) 15,492 148 12 137 20.4 13.6 6.4 15.0 1.0 0.1 0.9

16 to 24 years 456 15 2 13 0.6 1.4 1.1 1.5 3.4 0.4 2.9

25 years and older 15,037 133 10 123 19.8 12.2 5.3 13.5 0.9 0.1 0.8

25 to 54 years 10,578 106 7 100 13.9 9.7 3.7 10.9 1.0 0.1 0.9

Widowed, divorced, or separated(2) 7,069 87 14 73 9.3 8.0 7.7 8.0 1.2 0.2 1.0

16 to 24 years 168 7 1 7 0.2 0.7 0.3 0.7 4.3 0.4 4.0

25 years and older 6,901 80 13 67 9.1 7.3 7.3 7.3 1.2 0.2 1.0

25 to 54 years 4,016 55 1 53 5.3 5.0 0.8 5.9 1.4 0.0 1.3

Table 8. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by marital status, age, and gender, 

2021 annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 18

Note: Data exclude all self-employed workers, whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Usual hours worked per week on primary job

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 76,125 1,091 181 910 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.4 0.2 1.2

Hours vary 4,139 160 31 130 5.4 14.7 17.0 14.2 3.9 0.7 3.1

0 to 34 hours 16,430 518 124 394 21.6 47.5 68.7 43.2 3.2 0.8 2.4

0 to 4 hours 356 13 7 6 0.5 1.2 3.9 0.6 3.6 2.0 1.6

5 to 9 hours 863 37 9 29 1.1 3.4 4.7 3.1 4.3 1.0 3.3

10 to 14 hours 1,427 37 14 23 1.9 3.4 7.6 2.6 2.6 1.0 1.6

15 to 19 hours 2,066 52 19 33 2.7 4.8 10.6 3.6 2.5 0.9 1.6

20 to 24 hours 4,871 163 41 122 6.4 14.9 22.7 13.4 3.3 0.8 2.5

25 to 29 hours 2,507 100 23 77 3.3 9.2 12.7 8.5 4.0 0.9 3.1

30 to 34 hours 4,339 115 12 104 5.7 10.6 6.5 11.4 2.7 0.3 2.4

35 hours or more 55,557 413 26 387 73.0 37.8 14.4 42.5 0.7 0.0 0.7

35 to 39 hours 5,398 107 5 101 7.1 9.8 3.0 11.1 2.0 0.1 1.9

40 hours or more 50,158 306 21 286 65.9 28.1 11.4 31.4 0.6 0.0 0.6

40 hours 43,411 280 19 261 57.0 25.7 10.7 28.6 0.6 0.0 0.6

41 hours or more 6,748 26 1 25 8.9 2.4 0.7 2.8 0.4 0.0 0.4

41 to 44 hours 652 5 0 5 0.9 0.4 0.0 0.5 0.7 0.0 0.7

45 to 48 hours 2,250 10 0 10 3.0 0.9 0.0 1.1 0.4 0.0 0.4

49 to 59 hours 2,663 4 1 3 3.5 0.4 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.1

60 hours or more 1,182 7 0 7 1.6 0.7 0.0 0.8 0.6 0.0 0.6

Table 9. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by usual hours worked per week on 

primary job, 2021 annual averages

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 19

Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Estimates of usual hours worked presented in this table differ from usual full- or part-time status (as shown in table 1) because of a 

sizable number of workers whose usual hours vary on the primary job.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

Total

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1986 96,903 57,529 59.4 3,461 1,599 5,060 8.8

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

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

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

1990 104,876 63,172 60.2 1,096 2,132 3,228 5.1

1991 103,723 62,627 60.4 2,906 2,377 5,283 8.4

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

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

1994 107,989 66,549 61.6 2,132 1,995 4,128 6.2

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

1996 111,960 69,255 61.9 1,861 1,863 3,724 5.4

1997 114,533 70,735 61.8 1,764 2,990 4,754 6.7

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2021 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 20

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

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

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

2000 122,089 73,496 60.2 898 1,752 2,650 3.6

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

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

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

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

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

2006 128,237 76,514 59.7 409 1,283 1,692 2.2

2007 129,767 75,873 58.5 267 1,462 1,729 2.3

2008 129,377 75,305 58.2 286 1,940 2,226 3.0

2009 124,490 72,611 58.3 980 2,592 3,572 4.9

2010 124,073 72,902 58.8 1,820 2,541 4,361 6.0

2011 125,187 73,926 59.1 1,677 2,152 3,829 5.2

2012 127,577 75,276 59.0 1,566 1,984 3,550 4.7

2013 129,110 75,948 58.8 1,532 1,768 3,301 4.3

2014 131,431 77,207 58.7 1,255 1,737 2,992 3.9

2015 133,743 78,232 58.5 870 1,691 2,561 3.3

2016 136,101 79,883 58.7 701 1,451 2,153 2.7

2017 137,890 80,439 58.3 542 1,282 1,824 2.3

2018 140,099 81,915 58.5 434 1,276 1,711 2.1

2019 141,737 82,289 58.1 392 1,211 1,603 1.9

2020 132,174 73,305 55.5 247 865 1,112 1.5

2021 136,393 76,125 55.8 181 910 1,091 1.4

Men

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2021 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 21

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1986 51,942 29,666 57.1 1,336 408 1,743 5.9

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

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

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

1990 55,553 32,104 57.8 385 712 1,097 3.4

1991 54,618 31,639 57.9 1,114 795 1,909 6.0

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

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

1994 56,570 33,528 59.3 891 674 1,565 4.7

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

1996 58,473 34,838 59.6 755 619 1,374 3.9

1997 59,825 35,521 59.4 673 1,147 1,820 5.1

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

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

2000 63,662 36,720 57.7 319 582 901 2.5

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

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

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

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2021 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 22

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

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

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

2006 66,811 38,193 57.2 146 422 568 1.5

2007 67,468 37,790 56.0 86 460 546 1.4

2008 66,846 37,334 55.9 90 638 728 1.9

2009 63,539 35,185 55.4 368 990 1,358 3.9

2010 63,531 35,498 55.9 669 943 1,612 4.5

2011 64,686 36,457 56.4 648 785 1,433 3.9

2012 65,898 37,113 56.3 567 696 1,263 3.4

2013 66,794 37,544 56.2 622 621 1,243 3.3

2014 68,048 38,405 56.4 516 598 1,114 2.9

2015 69,298 38,732 55.9 330 629 959 2.5

2016 70,589 39,568 56.1 270 499 769 1.9

2017 71,469 39,781 55.7 226 452 678 1.7

2018 72,632 40,691 56.0 168 464 632 1.6

2019 73,349 40,918 55.8 125 411 536 1.3

2020 68,711 36,792 53.5 111 258 369 1.0

2021 70,739 38,089 53.8 87 311 398 1.0

Women

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

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

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

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

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

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

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2021 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 23

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

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

1986 44,961 27,863 62.0 2,125 1,192 3,317 11.9

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

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

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

1990 49,323 31,069 63.0 711 1,420 2,131 6.9

1991 49,105 30,988 63.1 1,792 1,582 3,374 10.9

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

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

1994 51,419 33,021 64.2 1,241 1,322 2,563 7.8

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

1996 53,488 34,418 64.3 1,106 1,244 2,350 6.8

1997 54,708 35,214 64.4 1,092 1,843 2,935 8.3

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

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

2000 58,427 36,777 62.9 579 1,170 1,749 4.8

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

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

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

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

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

2006 61,426 38,321 62.4 263 861 1,124 2.9

2007 62,299 38,082 61.1 181 1,002 1,183 3.1

2008 62,532 37,972 60.7 196 1,302 1,498 3.9

2009 60,951 37,426 61.4 612 1,603 2,215 5.9

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2021 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]

See footnotes at end of table.
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 24

Footnotes

(1) Data for 1990–1991, 1996–1997, and 2007–2009 reflect changes in the minimum wage that took place in those years.

Note: The comparability of historical labor force data has been affected at various times by methodological and conceptual changes in the Current Population Survey (CPS). Information about historical comparability is available 

at

https://www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#comp.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

2010 60,542 37,404 61.8 1,151 1,598 2,749 7.3

2011 60,502 37,469 61.9 1,029 1,366 2,395 6.4

2012 61,679 38,163 61.9 999 1,288 2,287 6.0

2013 62,316 38,404 61.6 910 1,148 2,058 5.4

2014 63,383 38,802 61.2 739 1,139 1,878 4.8

2015 64,445 39,500 61.3 540 1,062 1,602 4.1

2016 65,512 40,315 61.5 432 952 1,384 3.4

2017 66,421 40,658 61.2 316 829 1,146 2.8

2018 67,467 41,223 61.1 267 812 1,078 2.6

2019 68,388 41,372 60.5 268 800 1,067 2.6

2020 63,462 36,513 57.5 136 607 742 2.0

2021 65,654 38,036 57.9 94 599 693 1.8

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2021 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 25

Technical Notes

The estimates in this report were obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides information on the 

labor force, employment, and unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

(BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau using a nationally representative sample of about 60,000 eligible households in all 50 

states and the District of Columbia. The survey also provides data on earnings, which are based on one-fourth of the 

CPS monthly sample and are limited to wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers, whether or not their 

businesses are incorporated, are excluded from these earnings estimates.

The material in this report is in the public domain and may be used without permission.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay 

services or the information voice phone at: (202) 691-5200. 

Concepts and definitions

The principal definitions used in connection with the estimates of minimum wage workers presented in this report are 

described briefly below.

Wage and salary workers are people age 16 and older who receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payments in 

kind, or piece rates on their sole or principal job. This group includes employees in both the private and public sectors. 

All self-employed workers are excluded whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Workers paid by the hour are wage and salary workers who report that they are paid at an hourly rate on their job. 

Historically, workers paid an hourly wage have made up approximately three-fifths of all wage and salary workers. 

Estimates of workers paid by the hour include both full- and part-time workers unless otherwise specified.

Hourly earnings data are for wage and salary workers who are paid by the hour and pertain to earnings from a person’s 

sole or principal job. Hourly earnings for hourly paid workers do not include overtime pay, commissions, or tips received.

Workers paid at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage include only workers who are paid hourly rates. Salaried 

workers and other nonhourly paid workers are excluded.

Regular collection of earnings data in the basic CPS began in 1979. The prevailing federal minimum wage for 1979 and 

later years is listed in the following table.

Federal minimum wage Effective date

$2.90 January 1, 1979

$3.10 January 1, 1980

$3.35 January 1, 1981

$3.80 April 1, 1990
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 26

Estimates of the annual average number of minimum wage workers for years when the minimum wage increased during 

the year reflect both minimum wage levels in effect during the year. For example, data for 2007 reflect the number of 

workers at or below the federal minimum of $5.15 for January to July and $5.85 for August to December.

Full-time workers are defined as those who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or principal job. The 

federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not define full- or part-time employment.

Part-time workers are defined as those who usually work fewer than 35 hours per week at their sole or principal job.

Race is reported by the household respondent. In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget standards, 

White, Black or African American, and Asian are terms used to describe a person’s race for the data presented in this 

report. Data for other race groups--American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders--

and for people of Two or More Races are included in totals but not separately identified in this report because the 

number of survey respondents is too small to develop estimates of acceptable reliability.

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity refers to people who identified themselves in the survey process as being of Hispanic, 

Latino, or Spanish origin. People who identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race.

Married, spouse present refers to people in both opposite-sex and same-sex marriages living together in the same 

household.

Other marital status refers to people who are never married; widowed; divorced; separated; or married, spouse absent. 

Separated includes people with legal separations, those living apart with intentions of obtaining a divorce, and other 

people permanently or temporarily separated because of marital discord. Married, spouse absent includes both 

opposite-sex and same-sex married people living apart because either the husband or wife was employed and living at a 

considerable distance from home, was serving away from home in the Armed Forces, had moved to another area, or 

had a different place of residence for any other reason except those listed in the previous definition of separated.

Interpreting minimum wage data

The CPS does not determine whether workers are covered by the minimum wage provisions of the federal Fair Labor 

Standards Act (FLSA) or by individual state or local minimum wage laws. The estimates of workers paid at or below the 

federal minimum wage are based solely on the hourly wage that respondents report (which does not include overtime 

$4.25 April 1, 1991

$4.75 October 1, 1996

$5.15 September 1, 1997

$5.85 July 24, 2007

$6.55 July 24, 2008

$7.25 July 24, 2009
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 27

pay, tips, or commissions). It should be noted that some respondents might round their hourly earnings when answering 

survey questions. As a result, some workers might be reported as having hourly earnings above or below the federal 

minimum wage when, in fact, they earn the minimum wage.

Some workers reported as earning at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage may not in fact be covered by 

federal or state minimum wage laws because of exclusions and exemptions in the statutes. Thus, the presence of 

workers with hourly earnings below the federal minimum wage does not necessarily indicate violations of the FLSA or 

state statutes in cases where such standards apply.

Estimates of the number of minimum wage workers in this report pertain only to workers who are paid hourly rates. 

Salaried workers and other workers who are not paid by the hour are excluded, even though some have earnings that, if 

converted to hourly rates, would be at or below the federal minimum wage. Consequently, the estimates presented in 

this report likely underestimate the actual number of workers with hourly earnings at or below the minimum wage. BLS 

does not routinely estimate the hourly earnings of workers not paid by the hour because of data quality concerns 

associated with constructing such an estimate.

A number of states have established minimum wage rates that exceed the federal level. (Information on state minimum 

wage laws is available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state.) Users should be cautious about 

comparing state estimates with CPS estimates in this report because of differing statutory minimum wages. It also 

should be noted that the CPS sample is based on residence; workers report their earnings on their job, which may or 

may not be located in the same state in which they live. In addition, the degree of sampling error may be quite large for 

some state estimates.

Reliability

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire 

population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the true population values they 

represent. The component of this difference that occurs because samples differ by chance is known as sampling error, 

and its variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of 

confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the true population 

value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the 

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain information from all respondents in the sample, inability 

or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the 

data. For example, respondents may round their hourly earnings to whole dollars when answering survey questions.

Information about the reliability of data from the CPS is available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/cps/

documentation.htm#reliability.