Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2010

Bureau of Labor Statistics

U.S. Department of Labor

February 25, 2011
Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2010 

In 2010, 72.9 million American workers age 16 and over were paid at hourly rates, representing 58.8 percent of all wage and 

salary workers.1 Among those paid by the hour, 1.8 million earned exactly the prevailing Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per 

hour. About 2.5 million had wages below the minimum.2 Together, these 4.4 million workers with wages at or below the 

Federal minimum made up 6.0 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 2010 data. 

-- Minimum wage workers tend to be young. Although workers under age 25 represented only about one-fifth of hourly-paid 

workers, they made up about half of those paid the Federal minimum wage or less. Among employed teenagers paid by the 

hour, about 25 percent earned the minimum wage or less, compared with about 4 percent of workers age 25 and over. (See 

table 1 and table 7.) 

-- About 7 percent of women paid hourly rates had wages at or below the prevailing Federal minimum, compared with about 

5 percent of men. (See table 1.) 

-- The percentage of workers earning the minimum wage did not vary much across the major race and ethnicity groups. 

About 6 percent of White hourly-paid workers earned the Federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 7 percent of 

Blacks and about 5 percent of Asians. Among hourly-paid workers with Hispanic ethnicity, about 6 percent earned the 

minimum wage or less. (See table 1.) 

-- Among hourly-paid workers age 16 and over, about 13 percent of those who had less than a high school diploma earned 

the Federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 5 percent of those who had a high school diploma (with no college) 

and about 3 percent of college graduates. (See table 6.) 

-- Never-married workers, who tend to be young, were more likely than married workers to earn the Federal minimum wage 

or less (about 11 percent versus about 3 percent). (See table 8.) 

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

paid the Federal minimum wage or less (about 14 percent versus about 3 percent). (See table 1 and table 9.) 

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

service occupations, at about 14 percent. About 6 in 10 workers earning the minimum wage or less in 2010 were employed 

in service occupations, mostly in food preparation and serving related jobs. (See table 4.) 

-- The industry with the highest proportion of workers with hourly wages at or below the Federal minimum wage was leisure 

and hospitality (23 percent). Nearly one-half of all workers paid at or below the Federal minimum wage were employed in 

this industry, primarily in restaurants and other food services. For many of these workers, tips and commissions supplement 

the hourly wages received. (See table 5.) 

-- The States with the highest proportions of hourly-paid workers earning at or below the Federal minimum wage included 

Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, and West Virginia (between 9 and 10 percent). The States with the lowest percentage of 

workers earning at or below the Federal minimum wage included Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and California, all at or 

below 2 percent. It should be noted that some States have minimum wage laws establishing standards that exceed the 

Federal minimum wage. (See table 2 and table 3.) 

-- The proportion of hourly-paid workers earning the prevailing Federal minimum wage or less rose from 4.9 percent in 2009 

to 6.0 percent in 2010. This remains well below the figure of about 13.4 percent in 1979, when data were first collected on a 

regular basis. (See table 10.) 

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These data on minimum wage earners are derived 

from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly nationwide sample survey of households. Data in this summary are 

2010 annual averages. 

                                                           

1

 Data are for wage and salary workers age 16 and over and refer to earnings on a person's sole or principal job. All self-employed persons 

are excluded whether or not their businesses are incorporated. 

2

 The presence of a sizable number of workers with wages below the Federal minimum does not necessarily indicate violations of the Fair 

Labor Standards Act, as there are exemptions to the minimum wage provisions of the law. 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 Federal minimum is undoubtedly 

understated. Research has shown that a relatively small 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.
Table 1. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by 

selected characteristics, 2010 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below minimum wage 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 SEX

Total, 16 years and over................. 72,902 4,361 1,820 2,541 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6.0 2.5 3.5

 16 to 24 years.............................. 14,061 2,135 955 1,180 19.3 49.0 52.5 46.4 15.2 6.8 8.4

 16 to 19 years........................... 3,985 994 514 480 5.5 22.8 28.2 18.9 24.9 12.9 12.0

 25 years and over........................ 58,842 2,225 865 1,360 80.7 51.0 47.5 53.5 3.8 1.5 2.3

 

Men, 16 years and over................. 35,498 1,612 669 943 48.7 37.0 36.8 37.1 4.5 1.9 2.7

 16 to 24 years............................. 6,913 851 413 438 9.5 19.5 22.7 17.2 12.3 6.0 6.3

 16 to 19 years........................... 1,889 412 236 176 2.6 9.4 13.0 6.9 21.8 12.5 9.3

 25 years and over....................... 28,585 762 257 505 39.2 17.5 14.1 19.9 2.7 0.9 1.8

 

Women, 16 years and over............ 37,404 2,749 1,151 1,598 51.3 63.0 63.2 62.9 7.3 3.1 4.3

 16 to 24 years............................. 7,148 1,286 543 743 9.8 29.5 29.8 29.2 18.0 7.6 10.4

 16 to 19 years........................... 2,096 581 277 304 2.9 13.3 15.2 12.0 27.7 13.2 14.5

 25 years and over........................ 30,256 1,463 608 855 41.5 33.5 33.4 33.6 4.8 2.0 2.8

 

RACE, SEX, AND 

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY 

White 1....................................... 58,529 3,429 1,414 2,015 80.3 78.6 77.7 79.3 5.9 2.4 3.4

 Men........................................... 28,949 1,254 538 716 39.7 28.8 29.6 28.2 4.3 1.9 2.5

 Women...................................... 29,580 2,174 875 1,299 40.6 49.9 48.1 51.1 7.3 3.0 4.4

 

Black or African American 1............... 9,436 650 301 349 12.9 14.9 16.5 13.7 6.9 3.2 3.7

 Men........................................... 4,137 244 92 152 5.7 5.6 5.1 6.0 5.9 2.2 3.7

 Women...................................... 5,299 406 209 197 7.3 9.3 11.5 7.8 7.7 3.9 3.7

Asian 1........................................ 2,920 140 36 104 4.0 3.2 2.0 4.1 4.8 1.2 3.6

 Men........................................... 1,406 59 12 47 1.9 1.4 0.7 1.8 4.2 0.9 3.3

 Women...................................... 1,513 81 24 57 2.1 1.9 1.3 2.2 5.4 1.6 3.8

Hispanic or Latino 1....................... 12,977 822 360 462 17.8 18.8 19.8 18.2 6.3 2.8 3.6

 Men........................................... 7,474 355 154 201 10.3 8.1 8.5 7.9 4.7 2.1 2.7

 Women...................................... 5,503 468 207 261 7.5 10.7 11.4 10.3 8.5 3.8 4.7

 

FULL- AND PART-TIME 

STATUS AND SEX 

Full-time workers 2......................... 52,803 1,634 595 1,039 72.4 37.5 32.7 40.9 3.1 1.1 2.0

 Men........................................... 28,574 699 255 444 39.2 16.0 14.0 17.5 2.4 0.9 1.6

 Women...................................... 24,229 935 340 595 33.2 21.4 18.7 23.4 3.9 1.4 2.5

 

Part-time workers 2........................ 19,994 2,716 1,220 1,496 27.4 62.3 67.0 58.9 13.6 6.1 7.5

 Men........................................... 6,871 911 413 498 9.4 20.9 22.7 19.6 13.3 6.0 7.2

 Women...................................... 13,123 1,805 807 998 18.0 41.4 44.3 39.3 13.8 6.1 7.6

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.

 NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are 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, 2010 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below minimum wage 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 over.... 72,902 4,361 1,820 2,541 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6.0 2.5 3.5

 

 Northeast......................... 12,577 717 255 462 17.3 16.4 14.0 18.2 5.7 2.0 3.7

 New England................... 3,589 134 29 105 4.9 3.1 1.6 4.1 3.7 0.8 2.9

 Middle Atlantic............... 8,989 584 226 358 12.3 13.4 12.4 14.1 6.5 2.5 4.0

 Midwest......................... 17,815 1,041 403 638 24.4 23.9 22.1 25.1 5.8 2.3 3.6

 East North Central.......... 12,075 652 217 435 16.6 15.0 11.9 17.1 5.4 1.8 3.6

 West North Central......... 5,740 389 186 203 7.9 8.9 10.2 8.0 6.8 3.2 3.5

 South.............................. 25,324 2,082 962 1,120 34.7 47.7 52.9 44.1 8.2 3.8 4.4

 South Atlantic................ 12,613 934 394 540 17.3 21.4 21.6 21.3 7.4 3.1 4.3

 East South Central.......... 4,426 383 200 183 6.1 8.8 11.0 7.2 8.7 4.5 4.1

 West South Central......... 8,284 765 368 397 11.4 17.5 20.2 15.6 9.2 4.4 4.8

 West.............................. 17,186 520 200 320 23.6 11.9 11.0 12.6 3.0 1.2 1.9

 Mountain....................... 5,307 292 123 169 7.3 6.7 6.8 6.7 5.5 2.3 3.2

 Pacific.......................... 11,879 228 77 151 16.3 5.2 4.2 5.9 1.9 0.6 1.3

 

 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

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, 2010 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below minimum wage 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 over.. 72,902 4,361 1,820 2,541 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6.0 2.5 3.5

 

Alabama........................ 1,141 106 59 47 1.6 2.4 3.2 1.8 9.3 5.2 4.1

Alaska........................... 208 4 1 3 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.9 0.5 1.4

Arizona.......................... 1,492 83 38 45 2.0 1.9 2.1 1.8 5.6 2.5 3.0

Arkansas........................ 705 56 32 24 1.0 1.3 1.8 0.9 7.9 4.5 3.4

California........................ 8,619 174 55 119 11.8 4.0 3.0 4.7 2.0 0.6 1.4

Colorado........................ 1,135 55 14 41 1.6 1.3 0.8 1.6 4.8 1.2 3.6

Connecticut.................... 866 35 5 30 1.2 0.8 0.3 1.2 4.0 0.6 3.5

Delaware........................ 203 14 6 8 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 6.9 3.0 3.9

District of Columbia.......... 97 5 1 4 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 5.2 1.0 4.1

Florida........................... 3,778 253 100 153 5.2 5.8 5.5 6.0 6.7 2.6 4.0

Georgia.......................... 1,912 163 85 78 2.6 3.7 4.7 3.1 8.5 4.4 4.1

Hawaii............................ 318 15 8 7 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 4.7 2.5 2.2

Idaho............................. 396 30 15 15 0.5 0.7 0.8 0.6 7.6 3.8 3.8

Illinois............................ 3,145 126 34 92 4.3 2.9 1.9 3.6 4.0 1.1 2.9

Indiana........................... 1,610 126 60 66 2.2 2.9 3.3 2.6 7.8 3.7 4.1

Iowa.............................. 947 61 33 28 1.3 1.4 1.8 1.1 6.4 3.5 3.0

Kansas.......................... 771 59 30 29 1.1 1.4 1.6 1.1 7.7 3.9 3.8

Kentucky....................... 1,119 91 43 48 1.5 2.1 2.4 1.9 8.1 3.8 4.3

Louisiana...................... 981 87 29 58 1.3 2.0 1.6 2.3 8.9 3.0 5.9

Maine............................ 369 14 3 11 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.4 3.8 0.8 3.0

Maryland........................ 1,311 77 21 56 1.8 1.8 1.2 2.2 5.9 1.6 4.3

Massachusetts................ 1,519 45 10 35 2.1 1.0 0.5 1.4 3.0 0.7 2.3

Michigan........................ 2,478 137 30 107 3.4 3.1 1.6 4.2 5.5 1.2 4.3

Minnesota....................... 1,497 90 39 51 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0 6.0 2.6 3.4

Mississippi...................... 663 63 34 29 0.9 1.4 1.9 1.1 9.5 5.1 4.4

Missouri......................... 1,531 123 55 68 2.1 2.8 3.0 2.7 8.0 3.6 4.4

Montana......................... 255 17 12 5 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.2 6.7 4.7 2.0

Nebraska......................... 536 30 17 13 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.5 5.6 3.2 2.4

Nevada.......................... 651 23 10 13 0.9 0.5 0.5 0.5 3.5 1.5 2.0

New Hampshire............... 356 19 5 14 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.6 5.3 1.4 3.9

New Jersey..................... 1,612 113 31 82 2.2 2.6 1.7 3.2 7.0 1.9 5.1

New Mexico.................... 476 26 6 20 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.8 5.5 1.3 4.2

New York....................... 4,122 264 103 161 5.7 6.1 5.7 6.3 6.4 2.5 3.9

North Carolina................. 2,121 168 73 95 2.9 3.9 4.0 3.7 7.9 3.4 4.5

North Dakota................... 200 13 7 6 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 6.5 3.5 3.0

Ohio.............................. 3,185 172 49 123 4.4 3.9 2.7 4.8 5.4 1.5 3.9

Oklahoma....................... 835 72 39 33 1.1 1.7 2.1 1.3 8.6 4.7 4.0

Oregon.......................... 994 16 6 10 1.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 1.6 0.6 1.0

Pennsylvania................... 3,255 206 91 115 4.5 4.7 5.0 4.5 6.3 2.8 3.5

Rhode Island................... 294 14 4 10 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.4 4.8 1.4 3.4

South Carolina................. 1,050 78 32 46 1.4 1.8 1.8 1.8 7.4 3.0 4.4

South Dakota.................. 257 15 7 8 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 5.8 2.7 3.1

Tennessee....................... 1,503 124 64 60 2.1 2.8 3.5 2.4 8.3 4.3 4.0

Texas............................ 5,763 550 268 282 7.9 12.6 14.7 11.1 9.5 4.7 4.9

Utah.............................. 739 45 21 24 1.0 1.0 1.2 0.9 6.1 2.8 3.2

Vermont......................... 184 6 1 5 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.2 3.3 0.5 2.7

Virginia.......................... 1,712 136 53 83 2.3 3.1 2.9 3.3 7.9 3.1 4.8

Washington.................... 1,739 19 7 12 2.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 1.1 0.4 0.7

West Virginia................... 430 40 23 17 0.6 0.9 1.3 0.7 9.3 5.3 4.0

Wisconsin...................... 1,657 91 44 47 2.3 2.1 2.4 1.8 5.5 2.7 2.8

Wyoming........................ 163 12 6 6 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 7.4 3.7 3.7

 NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Users are reminded that 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. It is not possible to determine clearly

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 the prevailing Federal minimum wage may not in fact be covered by Federal or State minimum wage laws. Also,

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.

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, 2010 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below minimum wage 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 over......................... 72,902 4,361 1,820 2,541 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6.0 2.5 3.5

Management, professional, and related 

 occupations..................................... 15,208 224 97 127 20.9 5.1 5.3 5.0 1.5 0.6 0.8

 Management, business, and financial

 operations occupations...................... 4,013 53 22 31 5.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 0.5 0.8

 Professional and related occupations...... 11,195 172 75 97 15.4 3.9 4.1 3.8 1.5 0.7 0.9

Service occupations............................... 17,732 2,511 825 1,686 24.3 57.6 45.3 66.4 14.2 4.7 9.5

 Healthcare support occupations.............. 2,727 135 83 52 3.7 3.1 4.6 2.0 5.0 3.0 1.9

 Protective service occupations.............. 2,093 76 30 46 2.9 1.7 1.6 1.8 3.6 1.4 2.2

 Food preparation and serving related

 occupations.................................... 6,604 1,694 449 1,245 9.1 38.8 24.7 49.0 25.7 6.8 18.9

 Building and grounds cleaning and 

 maintenance occupations.................. 3,606 281 126 155 4.9 6.4 6.9 6.1 7.8 3.5 4.3

 Personal care and service occupations.. 2,703 325 137 188 3.7 7.5 7.5 7.4 12.0 5.1 7.0

Sales and office occupations................... 19,773 1,059 646 413 27.1 24.3 35.5 16.3 5.4 3.3 2.1

 Sales and related occupations................ 7,670 734 463 271 10.5 16.8 25.4 10.7 9.6 6.0 3.5

 Office and administrative support 

 occupations.................................... 12,103 326 184 142 16.6 7.5 10.1 5.6 2.7 1.5 1.2

Natural resources, construction, and 

 maintenance occupations................. 8,200 104 27 77 11.2 2.4 1.5 3.0 1.3 0.3 0.9

 Farming, fishing, and forestry

 occupations.................................... 621 34 14 20 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 5.5 2.3 3.2

 Construction and extraction

 occupations.................................... 4,355 39 4 35 6.0 0.9 0.2 1.4 0.9 0.1 0.8

 Installation, maintenance, and 

 repair occupations.............................. 3,224 32 9 23 4.4 0.7 0.5 0.9 1.0 0.3 0.7

Production, transportation, and 

 material moving occupations.............. 11,989 462 225 237 16.4 10.6 12.4 9.3 3.9 1.9 2.0

 Production occupations....................... 6,356 171 86 85 8.7 3.9 4.7 3.3 2.7 1.4 1.3

 Transportation and material moving

 occupations.................................... 5,633 291 139 152 7.7 6.7 7.6 6.0 5.2 2.5 2.7

 

 NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are 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, 2010 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below minimum wage 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 over.......................... 72,902 4,361 1,820 2,541 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6.0 2.5 3.5

 Private sector....................................... 63,201 4,089 1,711 2,378 86.7 93.8 94.0 93.6 6.5 2.7 3.8

 Agriculture and related industries............ 726 31 15 16 1.0 0.7 0.8 0.6 4.3 2.1 2.2

 Nonagricultural industries.................... 62,475 4,058 1,696 2,362 85.7 93.1 93.2 93.0 6.5 2.7 3.8

 Mining............................................. 422 – – – 0.6 – – – – – –

 Construction................................... 4,252 46 9 37 5.8 1.1 0.5 1.5 1.1 0.2 0.9

 Manufacturing................................. 8,355 159 71 88 11.5 3.6 3.9 3.5 1.9 0.8 1.1

 Durable goods .............................. 5,072 60 29 31 7.0 1.4 1.6 1.2 1.2 0.6 0.6

 Nondurable goods ........................ 3,283 98 42 56 4.5 2.2 2.3 2.2 3.0 1.3 1.7

 Wholesale and retail trade................ 12,123 811 482 329 16.6 18.6 26.5 12.9 6.7 4.0 2.7

 Wholesale trade............................ 1,613 46 28 18 2.2 1.1 1.5 0.7 2.9 1.7 1.1

 Retail trade.................................. 10,510 764 454 310 14.4 17.5 24.9 12.2 7.3 4.3 2.9

 Transportation and utilities................. 2,973 52 23 29 4.1 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.7 0.8 1.0

 Information..................................... 1,267 49 28 21 1.7 1.1 1.5 0.8 3.9 2.2 1.7

 Financial activities........................... 3,154 73 35 38 4.3 1.7 1.9 1.5 2.3 1.1 1.2

 Professional and business services...... 5,617 175 96 79 7.7 4.0 5.3 3.1 3.1 1.7 1.4

 Education and health services............ 12,658 425 238 187 17.4 9.7 13.1 7.4 3.4 1.9 1.5

 Leisure and hospitality........................ 8,751 2,015 615 1,400 12.0 46.2 33.8 55.1 23.0 7.0 16.0

 Other services................................. 2,905 255 100 155 4.0 5.8 5.5 6.1 8.8 3.4 5.3

 Public sector....................................... 9,701 272 109 163 13.3 6.2 6.0 6.4 2.8 1.1 1.7

 Federal........................................... 1,878 33 9 24 2.6 0.8 0.5 0.9 1.8 0.5 1.3

 State................................................ 2,666 102 44 58 3.7 2.3 2.4 2.3 3.8 1.7 2.2

 Local................................................ 5,157 137 56 81 7.1 3.1 3.1 3.2 2.7 1.1 1.6

 

 NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are 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, 2010 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below minimum wage 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 over........................... 72,902 4,361 1,820 2,541 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6.0 2.5 3.5

 Less than a high school diploma............... 9,768 1,285 630 655 13.4 29.5 34.6 25.8 13.2 6.4 6.7

 Less than 1 year of high school............. 2,915 245 105 140 4.0 5.6 5.8 5.5 8.4 3.6 4.8

 1 to 3 years of high school..................... 5,773 935 476 459 7.9 21.4 26.2 18.1 16.2 8.2 8.0

 4 years of high school, no diploma......... 1,079 106 49 57 1.5 2.4 2.7 2.2 9.8 4.5 5.3

 High school graduates or more................ 63,135 3,075 1,190 1,885 86.6 70.5 65.4 74.2 4.9 1.9 3.0

 High school graduates, no college......... 25,768 1,334 573 761 35.3 30.6 31.5 29.9 5.2 2.2 3.0

 Some college or associate degree........ 25,030 1,414 546 868 34.3 32.4 30.0 34.2 5.6 2.2 3.5

 Some college, no degree.................. 16,614 1,155 447 708 22.8 26.5 24.6 27.9 7.0 2.7 4.3

 Associate degree.............................. 8,416 259 99 160 11.5 5.9 5.4 6.3 3.1 1.2 1.9

 Occupational program..................... 4,071 124 46 78 5.6 2.8 2.5 3.1 3.0 1.1 1.9

 Academic program........................ 4,345 135 53 82 6.0 3.1 2.9 3.2 3.1 1.2 1.9

 Bachelor's degree and higher............... 12,336 327 71 256 16.9 7.5 3.9 10.1 2.7 0.6 2.1

 Bachelor's degree........................... 9,715 288 57 231 13.3 6.6 3.1 9.1 3.0 0.6 2.4

 Master's degree.............................. 2,089 32 11 21 2.9 0.7 0.6 0.8 1.5 0.5 1.0

 Professional degree........................ 290 5 2 3 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.7 0.7 1.0

 Doctoral degree.............................. 243 2 1 1 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.8 0.4 0.4

 

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

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, 2010 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below minimum wage 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

BOTH SEXES

Total, 16 years and over...... 72,902 4,361 1,820 2,541 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6.0 2.5 3.5

 Under 25 years.................. 14,061 2,135 955 1,180 19.3 49.0 52.5 46.4 15.2 6.8 8.4

 16 to 19 years.................. 3,985 994 514 480 5.5 22.8 28.2 18.9 24.9 12.9 12.0

 20 to 24 years.................. 10,076 1,141 441 700 13.8 26.2 24.2 27.5 11.3 4.4 6.9

 25 years and over............... 58,842 2,225 865 1,360 80.7 51.0 47.5 53.5 3.8 1.5 2.3

 25 to 34 years.................. 16,827 844 271 573 23.1 19.4 14.9 22.6 5.0 1.6 3.4

 25 to 29 years............... 9,091 502 163 339 12.5 11.5 9.0 13.3 5.5 1.8 3.7

 30 to 34 years............... 7,735 342 108 234 10.6 7.8 5.9 9.2 4.4 1.4 3.0

 35 to 44 years.................. 14,362 530 216 314 19.7 12.2 11.9 12.4 3.7 1.5 2.2

 35 to 39 years............... 7,043 265 105 160 9.7 6.1 5.8 6.3 3.8 1.5 2.3

 40 to 44 years............... 7,319 265 111 154 10.0 6.1 6.1 6.1 3.6 1.5 2.1

 45 to 54 years.................. 15,316 457 200 257 21.0 10.5 11.0 10.1 3.0 1.3 1.7

 45 to 49 years............... 7,805 242 101 141 10.7 5.5 5.5 5.5 3.1 1.3 1.8

 50 to 54 years............... 7,511 214 98 116 10.3 4.9 5.4 4.6 2.8 1.3 1.5

 55 to 64 years.................. 9,584 227 103 124 13.1 5.2 5.7 4.9 2.4 1.1 1.3

 55 to 59 years............... 5,864 136 56 80 8.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 2.3 1.0 1.4

 60 to 64 years............... 3,719 91 47 44 5.1 2.1 2.6 1.7 2.4 1.3 1.2

 65 years and over............ 2,753 167 75 92 3.8 3.8 4.1 3.6 6.1 2.7 3.3

 65 to 69 years............... 1,535 77 36 41 2.1 1.8 2.0 1.6 5.0 2.3 2.7

 70 years and over......... 1,218 90 39 51 1.7 2.1 2.1 2.0 7.4 3.2 4.2

MEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 35,498 1,612 669 943 48.7 37.0 36.8 37.1 4.5 1.9 2.7

 Under 25 years.................. 6,913 851 413 438 9.5 19.5 22.7 17.2 12.3 6.0 6.3

 16 to 19 years.................. 1,889 412 236 176 2.6 9.4 13.0 6.9 21.8 12.5 9.3

 20 to 24 years.................. 5,024 437 176 261 6.9 10.0 9.7 10.3 8.7 3.5 5.2

 25 years and over............... 28,585 762 257 505 39.2 17.5 14.1 19.9 2.7 0.9 1.8

 25 to 34 years.................. 8,819 308 85 223 12.1 7.1 4.7 8.8 3.5 1.0 2.5

 25 to 29 years............... 4,736 195 56 139 6.5 4.5 3.1 5.5 4.1 1.2 2.9

 30 to 34 years............... 4,083 112 28 84 5.6 2.6 1.5 3.3 2.7 0.7 2.1

 35 to 44 years.................. 7,123 192 69 123 9.8 4.4 3.8 4.8 2.7 1.0 1.7

 35 to 39 years............... 3,554 97 25 72 4.9 2.2 1.4 2.8 2.7 0.7 2.0

 40 to 44 years............... 3,569 94 44 50 4.9 2.2 2.4 2.0 2.6 1.2 1.4

 45 to 54 years.................. 7,133 128 54 74 9.8 2.9 3.0 2.9 1.8 0.8 1.0

 45 to 49 years............... 3,645 65 30 35 5.0 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.8 0.8 1.0

 50 to 54 years............... 3,487 62 23 39 4.8 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.8 0.7 1.1

 55 to 64 years.................. 4,267 78 30 48 5.9 1.8 1.6 1.9 1.8 0.7 1.1

 55 to 59 years............... 2,650 40 14 26 3.6 0.9 0.8 1.0 1.5 0.5 1.0

 60 to 64 years............... 1,617 38 16 22 2.2 0.9 0.9 0.9 2.4 1.0 1.4

 65 years and over............ 1,243 56 19 37 1.7 1.3 1.0 1.5 4.5 1.5 3.0

 65 to 69 years............... 698 26 9 17 1.0 0.6 0.5 0.7 3.7 1.3 2.4

 70 years and over......... 545 30 10 20 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.8 5.5 1.8 3.7

WOMEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 37,404 2,749 1,151 1,598 51.3 63.0 63.2 62.9 7.3 3.1 4.3

 Under 25 years.................. 7,148 1,286 543 743 9.8 29.5 29.8 29.2 18.0 7.6 10.4

 16 to 19 years.................. 2,096 581 277 304 2.9 13.3 15.2 12.0 27.7 13.2 14.5

 20 to 24 years.................. 5,052 704 265 439 6.9 16.1 14.6 17.3 13.9 5.2 8.7

 25 years and over............... 30,256 1,463 608 855 41.5 33.5 33.4 33.6 4.8 2.0 2.8

 25 to 34 years.................. 8,008 535 186 349 11.0 12.3 10.2 13.7 6.7 2.3 4.4

 25 to 29 years............... 4,355 306 106 200 6.0 7.0 5.8 7.9 7.0 2.4 4.6

 30 to 34 years............... 3,652 229 80 149 5.0 5.3 4.4 5.9 6.3 2.2 4.1

 35 to 44 years.................. 7,239 338 147 191 9.9 7.8 8.1 7.5 4.7 2.0 2.6

 35 to 39 years............... 3,489 168 80 88 4.8 3.9 4.4 3.5 4.8 2.3 2.5

 40 to 44 years............... 3,750 171 67 104 5.1 3.9 3.7 4.1 4.6 1.8 2.8

 45 to 54 years.................. 8,183 329 146 183 11.2 7.5 8.0 7.2 4.0 1.8 2.2

 45 to 49 years............... 4,160 177 71 106 5.7 4.1 3.9 4.2 4.3 1.7 2.5

 50 to 54 years............... 4,024 152 75 77 5.5 3.5 4.1 3.0 3.8 1.9 1.9

 55 to 64 years.................. 5,317 149 73 76 7.3 3.4 4.0 3.0 2.8 1.4 1.4

 55 to 59 years............... 3,215 96 42 54 4.4 2.2 2.3 2.1 3.0 1.3 1.7

 60 to 64 years............... 2,102 53 31 22 2.9 1.2 1.7 0.9 2.5 1.5 1.0

 65 years and over............ 1,510 111 56 55 2.1 2.5 3.1 2.2 7.4 3.7 3.6

 65 to 69 years............... 837 51 27 24 1.1 1.2 1.5 0.9 6.1 3.2 2.9

 70 years and over......... 672 61 29 32 0.9 1.4 1.6 1.3 9.1 4.3 4.8

 NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are 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, 2010 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below minimum wage 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

BOTH SEXES

Total, 16 years and over...... 72,902 4,361 1,820 2,541 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6.0 2.5 3.5

 Never married............... 25,988 2,719 1,124 1,595 35.6 62.3 61.8 62.8 10.5 4.3 6.1

 16 to 24 years............... 12,517 1,980 886 1,094 17.2 45.4 48.7 43.1 15.8 7.1 8.7

 25 years and over......... 13,471 739 238 501 18.5 16.9 13.1 19.7 5.5 1.8 3.7

 25 to 54 years............ 12,507 698 224 474 17.2 16.0 12.3 18.7 5.6 1.8 3.8

 Married, spouse present... 34,519 1,053 436 617 47.3 24.1 24.0 24.3 3.1 1.3 1.8

 16 to 24 years............... 1,145 99 46 53 1.6 2.3 2.5 2.1 8.6 4.0 4.6

 25 years and over......... 33,374 955 390 565 45.8 21.9 21.4 22.2 2.9 1.2 1.7

 25 to 54 years............ 25,617 749 295 454 35.1 17.2 16.2 17.9 2.9 1.2 1.8

 Other marital status......... 12,395 589 260 329 17.0 13.5 14.3 12.9 4.8 2.1 2.7

 16 to 24 years............... 399 57 23 34 0.5 1.3 1.3 1.3 14.3 5.8 8.5

 25 years and over......... 11,997 532 237 295 16.5 12.2 13.0 11.6 4.4 2.0 2.5

 25 to 54 years............ 8,381 383 168 215 11.5 8.8 9.2 8.5 4.6 2.0 2.6

MEN

Total, 16 years and over.... 35,498 1,612 669 943 48.7 37.0 36.8 37.1 4.5 1.9 2.7

 Never married............... 18,177 1,119 478 641 24.9 25.7 26.3 25.2 6.2 2.6 3.5

 16 to 24 years............... 6,443 808 391 417 8.8 18.5 21.5 16.4 12.5 6.1 6.5

 25 years and over......... 11,733 311 87 224 16.1 7.1 4.8 8.8 2.7 0.7 1.9

 25 to 54 years............ 10,183 289 81 208 14.0 6.6 4.5 8.2 2.8 0.8 2.0

 Married, spouse present... 17,321 349 133 216 23.8 8.0 7.3 8.5 2.0 0.8 1.2

 16 to 24 years............... 469 23 11 12 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 4.9 2.3 2.6

 25 years and over......... 16,852 325 122 203 23.1 7.5 6.7 8.0 1.9 0.7 1.2

 25 to 54 years............ 12,892 243 87 156 17.7 5.6 4.8 6.1 1.9 0.7 1.2

 Other marital status......... 4,662 146 59 87 6.4 3.3 3.2 3.4 3.1 1.3 1.9

 16 to 24 years............... 158 20 11 9 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.4 12.7 7.0 5.7

 25 years and over......... 4,505 126 48 78 6.2 2.9 2.6 3.1 2.8 1.1 1.7

 25 to 54 years............ 3,414 96 40 56 4.7 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.8 1.2 1.6

WOMEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 37,404 2,749 1,151 1,598 51.3 63.0 63.2 62.9 7.3 3.1 4.3

 Never married............... 12,474 1,600 646 954 17.1 36.7 35.5 37.5 12.8 5.2 7.6

 16 to 24 years............... 6,231 1,172 495 677 8.5 26.9 27.2 26.6 18.8 7.9 10.9

 25 years and over......... 6,243 428 151 277 8.6 9.8 8.3 10.9 6.9 2.4 4.4

 25 to 54 years............ 5,738 410 144 266 7.9 9.4 7.9 10.5 7.1 2.5 4.6

 Married, spouse present... 17,198 705 303 402 23.6 16.2 16.6 15.8 4.1 1.8 2.3

 16 to 24 years............... 676 75 35 40 0.9 1.7 1.9 1.6 11.1 5.2 5.9

 25 years and over......... 16,522 630 268 362 22.7 14.4 14.7 14.2 3.8 1.6 2.2

 25 to 54 years............ 12,725 506 208 298 17.5 11.6 11.4 11.7 4.0 1.6 2.3

 Other marital status......... 7,733 443 201 242 10.6 10.2 11.0 9.5 5.7 2.6 3.1

 16 to 24 years............... 241 37 12 25 0.3 0.8 0.7 1.0 15.4 5.0 10.4

 25 years and over......... 7,492 406 189 217 10.3 9.3 10.4 8.5 5.4 2.5 2.9

 25 to 54 years............ 4,966 287 128 159 6.8 6.6 7.0 6.3 5.8 2.6 3.2

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

Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Marital status, age, 

and sex Total paid 

hourly 

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

usual hours worked per week on primary job, 2010 annual averages

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

hourly rates

At or below minimum wage 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 over...... 72,902 4,361 1,820 2,541 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6.0 2.5 3.5

 Hours vary..................... 4,877 544 230 314 6.7 12.5 12.6 12.4 11.2 4.7 6.4

 0 to 34 hours.................. 17,966 2,406 1,102 1,304 24.6 55.2 60.5 51.3 13.4 6.1 7.3

 0 to 4 hours.................. 391 56 25 31 0.5 1.3 1.4 1.2 14.3 6.4 7.9

 5 to 9 hours.................. 993 197 86 111 1.4 4.5 4.7 4.4 19.8 8.7 11.2

 10 to 14 hours............... 1,580 268 133 135 2.2 6.1 7.3 5.3 17.0 8.4 8.5

 15 to 19 hours............... 2,379 373 181 192 3.3 8.6 9.9 7.6 15.7 7.6 8.1

 20 to 24 hours............... 5,299 724 338 386 7.3 16.6 18.6 15.2 13.7 6.4 7.3

 25 to 29 hours............... 2,445 316 150 166 3.4 7.2 8.2 6.5 12.9 6.1 6.8

 30 to 34 hours............... 4,879 472 189 283 6.7 10.8 10.4 11.1 9.7 3.9 5.8

 35 hours or more............... 50,060 1,410 488 922 68.7 32.3 26.8 36.3 2.8 1.0 1.8

 35 to 39 hours............... 6,012 414 143 271 8.2 9.5 7.9 10.7 6.9 2.4 4.5

 40 hours or more............ 44,048 998 346 652 60.4 22.9 19.0 25.7 2.3 0.8 1.5

 40 hours..................... 38,857 884 312 572 53.3 20.3 17.1 22.5 2.3 0.8 1.5

 41 hours or more............ 5,190 113 33 80 7.1 2.6 1.8 3.1 2.2 0.6 1.5

 41 to 44 hours............ 619 12 5 7 0.8 0.3 0.3 0.3 1.9 0.8 1.1

 45 to 48 hours............ 1,831 37 14 23 2.5 0.8 0.8 0.9 2.0 0.8 1.3

 49 to 59 hours............ 1,862 39 7 32 2.6 0.9 0.4 1.3 2.1 0.4 1.7

 60 hours or more......... 878 25 8 17 1.2 0.6 0.4 0.7 2.8 0.9 1.9

 NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are 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, 1979-2010 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

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

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

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

2007........................ 129,767 75,873 58.5 21,462 2267 21,729 22.3

2008 1..................... 129,377 75,305 58.2 21,940 2286 22,226 23.0

2009 1.................... 124,490 72,611 58.3 22,592 2980 23,572 24.9

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

See footnotes at end of table.

Year and sex

Total

wage and

salary

workers Total

Percent of 

total wage 

and salary

workers

Below

prevailing

Federal

minimum 

wage

At 

prevailing

Federal

minimum 

wage

Number

Percent

of hourly

paid

workers

Total at or below prevailing 

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

minimum wage by sex, 1979-2010 annual averages -- Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Workers paid hourly rates

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

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

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

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

2007........................ 67,468 37,790 56.0 2460 286 2546 21.4

2008 1..................... 66,846 37,334 55.9 2638 290 2728 21.9

2009 1.................... 63,539 35,185 55.4 2990 2368 21,358 23.9

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

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

minimum wage by sex, 1979-2010 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

Below

prevailing

Federal

minimum 

wage

At 

prevailing

Federal

minimum 

wage

Total at or below prevailing 

Federal minimum wage

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

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

2007........................ 62,299 38,082 61.1 21,002 2181 21,183 23.1

2008 1..................... 62,532 37,972 60.7 21,302 2196 21,498 23.9

2009 1.................... 60,951 37,426 61.4 21,603 2612 22,215 25.9

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

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 Historical Comparability section of the

Household Data technical documentation provided at

www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_methods.pdf.

2 Data for 1990-91, 1996-97, and 2007-09 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 on April 1, 1990, to $4.25 on April 1, 1991, to $4.75

on October 1, 1996, to $5.15 on September 1, 1997, to $5.85 on

July 24, 2007, to $6.55 on July 24, 2008, and to $7.25

on July 24, 2009. Data exclude all self-employed

persons whether or not their businesses are

incorporated. 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. In addition,

the relatively large number of workers with reported

wages below the minimum in some years 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