Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2012 

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

U.S. Department of Labor 

February 26, 2013 
In 2012, 75.3 million workers in the United States age 16 and over were paid at hourly rates, representing 59.0 percent 

of all wage and salary workers.1 Among those paid by the hour, 1.6 million earned exactly the prevailing federal 

minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. About 2.0 million had wages below the federal minimum.2 Together, these 3.6 million 

workers with wages at or below the federal minimum made up 4.7 percent of all hourly paid workers. Tables 1 through 

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 2012 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 21 percent earned the minimum wage or less, compared with about 3 percent 

of workers age 25 and over. (See table 1 and table 7.) 

 In 2012, 6 percent of women paid hourly rates had wages at or below the prevailing federal minimum, compared 

with about 3 percent of men. (See table 1.) 

 About 5 percent of White, Black, and Hispanic or Latino hourly paid workers earned the federal minimum wage or 

less. Among Asian workers paid at hourly rates, about 3 percent earned the minimum wage or less. (See 

table 1.) 

 Among hourly paid workers age 16 and over, about 10 percent of those who had less than a high school diploma 

earned the federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 4 percent of those who had a high school 

diploma (with no college) and about 2 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 8 percent versus about 2 percent). (See table 8.) 

 About 11 percent of part-time workers (persons who usually work less than 35 hours per week) were paid the 

federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 2 percent of full-time workers. (See table 1 and table 9.) 

 By major occupational group, the highest proportion of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal 

minimum wage was in service occupations, at about 12 percent. About three-fifths of workers earning the 

minimum wage or less in 2012 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 (about 19 percent). About half of all workers paid at or below the federal minimum wage 

were employed in this industry, the vast majority 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 

were Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Idaho (all between 7 and 8 percent). The states with the lowest 

percentages of hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage were Alaska, Oregon, 

California, Montana, and Washington (all under 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 declined from 5.2 

percent in 2011 to 4.7 percent in 2012. This remains well below the figure of 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 2012 

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. Hourly 

earnings for hourly paid workers do not include overtime pay, commissions, or tips received. 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, 2012 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................... 75,276 3,550 1,566 1,984 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4.7 2.1 2.6

 16 to 24 years.............................. 14,909 1,797 862 935 19.8 50.6 55.0 47.1 12.1 5.8 6.3

 16 to 19 years.............................. 4,044 854 484 370 5.4 24.1 30.9 18.6 21.1 12.0 9.1

 25 years and over........................ 60,367 1,753 704 1,049 80.2 49.4 45.0 52.9 2.9 1.2 1.7

 

Men, 16 years and over.................. 37,113 1,263 567 696 49.3 35.6 36.2 35.1 3.4 1.5 1.9

 16 to 24 years.............................. 7,454 673 333 340 9.9 19.0 21.3 17.1 9.0 4.5 4.6

 16 to 19 years.............................. 1,922 366 207 159 2.6 10.3 13.2 8.0 19.0 10.8 8.3

 25 years and over........................ 29,659 591 235 356 39.4 16.6 15.0 17.9 2.0 0.8 1.2

 

Women, 16 years and over............... 38,163 2,287 999 1,288 50.7 64.4 63.8 64.9 6.0 2.6 3.4

 16 to 24 years.............................. 7,455 1,124 529 595 9.9 31.7 33.8 30.0 15.1 7.1 8.0

 16 to 19 years.............................. 2,122 489 278 211 2.8 13.8 17.8 10.6 23.0 13.1 9.9

 25 years and over........................ 30,708 1,163 470 693 40.8 32.8 30.0 34.9 3.8 1.5 2.3

 

RACE AND HISPANIC 

OR LATINO ETHNICITY 

White 1.......................................... 59,180 2,760 1,185 1,575 78.6 77.7 75.7 79.4 4.7 2.0 2.7

 Men........................................... 29,691 984 444 540 39.4 27.7 28.4 27.2 3.3 1.5 1.8

 Women....................................... 29,490 1,776 741 1,035 39.2 50.0 47.3 52.2 6.0 2.5 3.5

 

Black or African American 1............... 10,049 533 277 256 13.3 15.0 17.7 12.9 5.3 2.8 2.5

 Men........................................... 4,522 183 85 98 6.0 5.2 5.4 4.9 4.0 1.9 2.2

 Women....................................... 5,527 350 193 157 7.3 9.9 12.3 7.9 6.3 3.5 2.8

Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Characteristic Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Asian 1.......................................... 3,403 117 48 69 4.5 3.3 3.1 3.5 3.4 1.4 2.0

 Men........................................... 1,568 39 16 23 2.1 1.1 1.0 1.2 2.5 1.0 1.5

 Women....................................... 1,835 78 32 46 2.4 2.2 2.0 2.3 4.3 1.7 2.5

Hispanic or Latino 1........................ 14,404 718 337 381 19.1 20.2 21.5 19.2 5.0 2.3 2.6

 Men........................................... 8,114 295 127 168 10.8 8.3 8.1 8.5 3.6 1.6 2.1

 Women....................................... 6,290 423 210 213 8.4 11.9 13.4 10.7 6.7 3.3 3.4

 

FULL- AND PART-TIME 

STATUS 

 

Full-time workers 2........................... 54,745 1,261 501 760 72.7 35.5 32.0 38.3 2.3 0.9 1.4

 Men........................................... 30,052 491 197 294 39.9 13.8 12.6 14.8 1.6 0.7 1.0

 Women....................................... 24,693 770 304 466 32.8 21.7 19.4 23.5 3.1 1.2 1.9

 

Part-time workers 2........................... 20,411 2,286 1,063 1,223 27.1 64.4 67.9 61.6 11.2 5.2 6.0

 Men........................................... 6,998 772 370 402 9.3 21.7 23.6 20.3 11.0 5.3 5.7

 Women....................................... 13,413 1,513 693 820 17.8 42.6 44.3 41.3 11.3 5.2 6.1

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.
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, 2012 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...... 75,276 3,550 1,566 1,984 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4.7 2.1 2.6

 

 Northeast....................... 12,951 648 280 368 17.2 18.3 17.9 18.5 5.0 2.2 2.8

 New England.................. 3,649 125 30 95 4.8 3.5 1.9 4.8 3.4 0.8 2.6

 Middle Atlantic............... 9,302 523 250 273 12.4 14.7 16.0 13.8 5.6 2.7 2.9

 Midwest........................... 18,100 808 327 481 24.0 22.8 20.9 24.2 4.5 1.8 2.7

 East North Central............ 12,321 510 163 347 16.4 14.4 10.4 17.5 4.1 1.3 2.8

 West North Central......... 5,779 298 164 134 7.7 8.4 10.5 6.8 5.2 2.8 2.3

 South.............................. 26,675 1,674 809 865 35.4 47.2 51.7 43.6 6.3 3.0 3.2

 South Atlantic.................. 13,473 777 301 476 17.9 21.9 19.2 24.0 5.8 2.2 3.5

 East South Central......... 4,484 256 128 128 6.0 7.2 8.2 6.5 5.7 2.9 2.9

 West South Central......... 8,718 640 379 261 11.6 18.0 24.2 13.2 7.3 4.3 3.0

 West.............................. 17,551 420 150 270 23.3 11.8 9.6 13.6 2.4 0.9 1.5

 Mountain...................... 5,533 237 82 155 7.4 6.7 5.2 7.8 4.3 1.5 2.8

 Pacific........................... 12,017 183 68 115 16.0 5.2 4.3 5.8 1.5 0.6 1.0

 

 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:

Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Region and division Total paid 

hourly 

rates

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

state, 2012 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...... 75,276 3,550 1,566 1,984 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4.7 2.1 2.6

Alabama.......................... 1,083 65 31 34 1.4 1.8 2.0 1.7 6.0 2.9 3.1

Alaska............................. 194 2 1 1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.0 0.5 0.5

Arizona............................. 1,472 68 17 51 2.0 1.9 1.1 2.6 4.6 1.2 3.5

Arkansas.......................... 725 50 33 17 1.0 1.4 2.1 0.9 6.9 4.6 2.3

California.......................... 8,805 127 45 82 11.7 3.6 2.9 4.1 1.4 0.5 0.9

Colorado.......................... 1,234 42 7 35 1.6 1.2 0.4 1.8 3.4 0.6 2.8

Connecticut....................... 853 23 2 21 1.1 0.6 0.1 1.1 2.7 0.2 2.5

Delaware.......................... 219 11 4 7 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 5.0 1.8 3.2

District of Columbia............ 103 5 1 4 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 4.9 1.0 3.9

Florida............................. 4,164 214 49 165 5.5 6.0 3.1 8.3 5.1 1.2 4.0

Georgia............................. 2,114 136 60 76 2.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 6.4 2.8 3.6

Hawaii............................. 331 14 7 7 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 4.2 2.1 2.1

Idaho................................ 404 31 16 15 0.5 0.9 1.0 0.8 7.7 4.0 3.7

Illinois............................. 3,065 85 21 64 4.1 2.4 1.3 3.2 2.8 0.7 2.1

Indiana............................. 1,785 93 50 43 2.4 2.6 3.2 2.2 5.2 2.8 2.4

Iowa................................ 920 46 25 21 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.1 5.0 2.7 2.3

Kansas............................. 780 44 29 15 1.0 1.2 1.9 0.8 5.6 3.7 1.9

Kentucky.......................... 1,147 60 30 30 1.5 1.7 1.9 1.5 5.2 2.6 2.6

Louisiana.......................... 1,043 74 35 39 1.4 2.1 2.2 2.0 7.1 3.4 3.7

Maine............................. 378 11 3 8 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.4 2.9 0.8 2.1

Maryland.......................... 1,327 67 25 42 1.8 1.9 1.6 2.1 5.0 1.9 3.2

Massachusetts.................... 1,567 62 17 45 2.1 1.7 1.1 2.3 4.0 1.1 2.9

Michigan.......................... 2,449 90 19 71 3.3 2.5 1.2 3.6 3.7 0.8 2.9

Minnesota.......................... 1,522 60 35 25 2.0 1.7 2.2 1.3 3.9 2.3 1.6

Mississippi....................... 700 45 21 24 0.9 1.3 1.3 1.2 6.4 3.0 3.4

Missouri.......................... 1,538 97 49 48 2.0 2.7 3.1 2.4 6.3 3.2 3.1

State Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Montana.......................... 274 4 1 3 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.2 1.5 0.4 1.1

Nebraska.......................... 561 32 17 15 0.7 0.9 1.1 0.8 5.7 3.0 2.7

Nevada............................. 730 23 9 14 1.0 0.6 0.6 0.7 3.2 1.2 1.9

New Hampshire................ 370 13 5 8 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.4 3.5 1.4 2.2

New Jersey....................... 1,777 103 49 54 2.4 2.9 3.1 2.7 5.8 2.8 3.0

New Mexico....................... 488 23 6 17 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.9 4.7 1.2 3.5

New York.......................... 4,075 224 113 111 5.4 6.3 7.2 5.6 5.5 2.8 2.7

North Carolina.................... 2,206 137 74 63 2.9 3.9 4.7 3.2 6.2 3.4 2.9

North Dakota.................... 205 7 3 4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 3.4 1.5 2.0

Ohio................................ 3,277 147 31 116 4.4 4.1 2.0 5.8 4.5 0.9 3.5

Oklahoma.......................... 890 64 29 35 1.2 1.8 1.9 1.8 7.2 3.3 3.9

Oregon............................. 982 11 3 8 1.3 0.3 0.2 0.4 1.1 0.3 0.8

Pennsylvania.................... 3,450 195 87 108 4.6 5.5 5.6 5.4 5.7 2.5 3.1

Rhode Island.................... 298 10 2 8 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.4 3.4 0.7 2.7

South Carolina.................... 1,084 59 28 31 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.6 5.4 2.6 2.9

South Dakota.................... 253 12 6 6 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 4.7 2.4 2.4

Tennessee....................... 1,554 86 46 40 2.1 2.4 2.9 2.0 5.5 3.0 2.6

Texas............................. 6,060 452 282 170 8.1 12.7 18.0 8.6 7.5 4.7 2.8

Utah................................ 758 37 21 16 1.0 1.0 1.3 0.8 4.9 2.8 2.1

Vermont.......................... 184 5 1 4 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 2.7 0.5 2.2

Virginia............................. 1,803 123 48 75 2.4 3.5 3.1 3.8 6.8 2.7 4.2

Washington....................... 1,705 29 11 18 2.3 0.8 0.7 0.9 1.7 0.6 1.1

West Virginia.................... 453 26 13 13 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.7 5.7 2.9 2.9

Wisconsin.......................... 1,745 94 41 53 2.3 2.6 2.6 2.7 5.4 2.3 3.0

Wyoming.......................... 173 9 4 5 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 5.2 2.3 2.9

 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

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. Hourly earnings do not include overtime pay, commissions, or tips.
Table 4. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage by 

occupation, 2012 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......................... 75,276 3,550 1,566 1,984 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4.7 2.1 2.6

Management, professional, and related 

 occupations..................................... 15,962 145 69 76 21.2 4.1 4.4 3.8 0.9 0.4 0.5

 Management, business, and financial

 operations occupations...................... 4,609 33 11 22 6.1 0.9 0.7 1.1 0.7 0.2 0.5

 Professional and related occupations...... 11,353 112 58 54 15.1 3.2 3.7 2.7 1.0 0.5 0.5

Service occupations............................... 18,277 2,204 713 1,491 24.3 62.1 45.5 75.2 12.1 3.9 8.2

 Healthcare support occupations.............. 2,835 100 55 45 3.8 2.8 3.5 2.3 3.5 1.9 1.6

 Protective service occupations.............. 1,935 49 17 32 2.6 1.4 1.1 1.6 2.5 0.9 1.7

 Food preparation and serving related

 occupations.................................... 6,971 1,555 408 1,147 9.3 43.8 26.1 57.8 22.3 5.9 16.5

 Building and grounds cleaning and 

 maintenance occupations.................. 3,772 231 112 119 5.0 6.5 7.2 6.0 6.1 3.0 3.2

 Personal care and service occupations.. 2,764 268 120 148 3.7 7.5 7.7 7.5 9.7 4.3 5.4

Sales and office occupations................... 20,123 772 549 223 26.7 21.7 35.1 11.2 3.8 2.7 1.1

 Sales and related occupations................ 7,956 546 400 146 10.6 15.4 25.5 7.4 6.9 5.0 1.8

 Office and administrative support 

 occupations.................................... 12,167 227 150 77 16.2 6.4 9.6 3.9 1.9 1.2 0.6

Natural resources, construction, and 

 maintenance occupations................. 8,217 79 39 40 10.9 2.2 2.5 2.0 1.0 0.5 0.5

 Farming, fishing, and forestry

 occupations.................................... 683 40 19 21 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.1 5.9 2.8 3.1

 Construction and extraction

 occupations.................................... 4,330 23 13 10 5.8 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.2

 Installation, maintenance, and 

 repair occupations.............................. 3,204 16 6 10 4.3 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.3

Production, transportation, and 

 material moving occupations.............. 12,697 349 196 153 16.9 9.8 12.5 7.7 2.7 1.5 1.2

 Production occupations....................... 6,740 109 60 49 9.0 3.1 3.8 2.5 1.6 0.9 0.7

 Transportation and material moving

 occupations.................................... 5,957 240 136 104 7.9 6.8 8.7 5.2 4.0 2.3 1.7

 

 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 

industry, 2012 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.......................... 75,276 3,550 1,566 1,984 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4.7 2.1 2.6

 Private sector....................................... 65,927 3,377 1,484 1,893 87.6 95.1 94.8 95.4 5.1 2.3 2.9

 Agriculture and related industries............ 775 35 17 18 1.0 1.0 1.1 0.9 4.5 2.2 2.3

 Nonagricultural industries.................... 65,152 3,342 1,467 1,875 86.6 94.1 93.7 94.5 5.1 2.3 2.9

 Mining............................................. 538 4 2 2 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.7 0.4 0.4

 Construction................................... 4,277 29 15 14 5.7 0.8 1.0 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.3

 Manufacturing................................. 8,757 116 62 54 11.6 3.3 4.0 2.7 1.3 0.7 0.6

 Durable goods .............................. 5,399 57 27 30 7.2 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.1 0.5 0.6

 Nondurable goods ........................ 3,358 58 34 24 4.5 1.6 2.2 1.2 1.7 1.0 0.7

 Wholesale and retail trade................. 12,430 583 410 173 16.5 16.4 26.2 8.7 4.7 3.3 1.4

 Wholesale trade............................ 1,653 22 8 14 2.2 0.6 0.5 0.7 1.3 0.5 0.8

 Retail trade.................................. 10,776 561 402 159 14.3 15.8 25.7 8.0 5.2 3.7 1.5

 Transportation and utilities................. 3,187 48 23 25 4.2 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.5 0.7 0.8

 Information..................................... 1,190 35 21 14 1.6 1.0 1.3 0.7 2.9 1.8 1.2

 Financial activities........................... 3,309 36 17 19 4.4 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.1 0.5 0.6

 Professional and business services...... 6,130 150 67 83 8.1 4.2 4.3 4.2 2.4 1.1 1.4

 Education and health services............ 12,908 330 190 140 17.1 9.3 12.1 7.1 2.6 1.5 1.1

 Leisure and hospitality........................ 9,821 1,819 585 1,234 13.0 51.2 37.4 62.2 18.5 6.0 12.6

 Other services................................. 3,145 193 76 117 4.2 5.4 4.9 5.9 6.1 2.4 3.7

 Public sector....................................... 9,349 173 82 91 12.4 4.9 5.2 4.6 1.9 0.9 1.0

 Federal........................................... 1,767 16 7 9 2.3 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.9 0.4 0.5

 State................................................ 2,576 60 35 25 3.4 1.7 2.2 1.3 2.3 1.4 1.0

 Local................................................ 5,006 98 41 57 6.7 2.8 2.6 2.9 2.0 0.8 1.1

 

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

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, 2012 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.......................... 75,276 3,550 1,566 1,984 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4.7 2.1 2.6

 Less than a high school diploma............... 9,601 989 568 421 12.8 27.9 36.3 21.2 10.3 5.9 4.4

 Less than 1 year of high school............. 2,979 169 93 76 4.0 4.8 5.9 3.8 5.7 3.1 2.6

 1 to 3 years of high school..................... 5,464 714 412 302 7.3 20.1 26.3 15.2 13.1 7.5 5.5

 4 years of high school, no diploma......... 1,157 106 63 43 1.5 3.0 4.0 2.2 9.2 5.4 3.7

 High school graduates or more................ 65,675 2,562 999 1,563 87.2 72.2 63.8 78.8 3.9 1.5 2.4

 High school graduates, no college......... 25,732 1,047 474 573 34.2 29.5 30.3 28.9 4.1 1.8 2.2

 Some college or associate degree........ 26,544 1,230 465 765 35.3 34.6 29.7 38.6 4.6 1.8 2.9

 Some college, no degree.................. 17,553 1,007 392 615 23.3 28.4 25.0 31.0 5.7 2.2 3.5

 Associate degree.............................. 8,991 223 74 149 11.9 6.3 4.7 7.5 2.5 0.8 1.7

 Occupational program..................... 4,073 96 35 61 5.4 2.7 2.2 3.1 2.4 0.9 1.5

 Academic program........................ 4,918 127 39 88 6.5 3.6 2.5 4.4 2.6 0.8 1.8

 Bachelor's degree and higher............... 13,400 284 59 225 17.8 8.0 3.8 11.3 2.1 0.4 1.7

 Bachelor's degree........................... 10,425 242 51 191 13.8 6.8 3.3 9.6 2.3 0.5 1.8

 Master's degree.............................. 2,370 30 7 23 3.1 0.8 0.4 1.2 1.3 0.3 1.0

 Professional degree........................ 288 6 – 5 0.4 0.2 – 0.3 2.1 – 1.7

 Doctoral degree.............................. 316 1 1 6 0.4 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.3 1.9

 

 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

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, 2012 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......... 75,276 3,550 1,566 1,984 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4.7 2.1 2.6

 16 to 24 years...................... 14,909 1,797 862 935 19.8 50.6 55.0 47.1 12.1 5.8 6.3

 16 to 19 years................... 4,044 854 484 370 5.4 24.1 30.9 18.6 21.1 12.0 9.1

 20 to 24 years................... 10,865 942 377 565 14.4 26.5 24.1 28.5 8.7 3.5 5.2

 25 years and over................ 60,367 1,753 704 1,049 80.2 49.4 45.0 52.9 2.9 1.2 1.7

 25 to 34 years................... 17,167 720 243 477 22.8 20.3 15.5 24.0 4.2 1.4 2.8

 25 to 29 years................... 9,133 415 125 290 12.1 11.7 8.0 14.6 4.5 1.4 3.2

 30 to 34 years................... 8,034 305 118 187 10.7 8.6 7.5 9.4 3.8 1.5 2.3

 35 to 44 years................... 14,383 388 154 234 19.1 10.9 9.8 11.8 2.7 1.1 1.6

 35 to 39 years................... 7,051 204 82 122 9.4 5.7 5.2 6.1 2.9 1.2 1.7

 40 to 44 years................... 7,333 185 73 112 9.7 5.2 4.7 5.6 2.5 1.0 1.5

 45 to 54 years................... 15,169 368 164 204 20.2 10.4 10.5 10.3 2.4 1.1 1.3

 45 to 49 years................... 7,552 194 87 107 10.0 5.5 5.6 5.4 2.6 1.2 1.4

 50 to 54 years................... 7,616 173 77 96 10.1 4.9 4.9 4.8 2.3 1.0 1.3

 55 to 64 years................... 10,642 190 100 90 14.1 5.4 6.4 4.5 1.8 0.9 0.8

 55 to 59 years................... 6,495 104 50 54 8.6 2.9 3.2 2.7 1.6 0.8 0.8

 60 to 64 years................... 4,147 87 50 37 5.5 2.5 3.2 1.9 2.1 1.2 0.9

 65 years and over................ 3,006 88 44 44 4.0 2.5 2.8 2.2 2.9 1.5 1.5

 65 to 69 years................... 1,749 50 25 25 2.3 1.4 1.6 1.3 2.9 1.4 1.4

 70 years and over............. 1,257 38 19 19 1.7 1.1 1.2 1.0 3.0 1.5 1.5

MEN

Total, 16 years and over......... 37,113 1,263 567 696 49.3 35.6 36.2 35.1 3.4 1.5 1.9

 16 to 24 years...................... 7,454 673 333 340 9.9 19.0 21.3 17.1 9.0 4.5 4.6

 16 to 19 years................... 1,922 366 207 159 2.6 10.3 13.2 8.0 19.0 10.8 8.3

 20 to 24 years................... 5,532 307 126 181 7.3 8.6 8.0 9.1 5.5 2.3 3.3

 25 years and over................ 29,659 591 235 356 39.4 16.6 15.0 17.9 2.0 0.8 1.2

 25 to 34 years................... 9,078 252 86 166 12.1 7.1 5.5 8.4 2.8 0.9 1.8

25 t 29 4 838 143 38 105 6 4 4 0 2 4 5 3 3 0 0 8 2 2

Total paid 

hourly 

rates

Age and sex Total paid 

hourly 

rates

 25 to 29 years................... 4,838 143 38 105 6.4 4.0 2.4 5.3 3.0 0.8 2.2

 30 to 34 years................... 4,240 109 48 61 5.6 3.1 3.1 3.1 2.6 1.1 1.4

 35 to 44 years................... 7,140 120 45 75 9.5 3.4 2.9 3.8 1.7 0.6 1.1

 35 to 39 years................... 3,568 66 22 44 4.7 1.9 1.4 2.2 1.8 0.6 1.2

 40 to 44 years................... 3,572 55 23 32 4.7 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.5 0.6 0.9

 45 to 54 years................... 7,135 114 50 64 9.5 3.2 3.2 3.2 1.6 0.7 0.9

 45 to 49 years................... 3,559 66 30 36 4.7 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.9 0.8 1.0

 50 to 54 years................... 3,576 48 20 28 4.8 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.3 0.6 0.8

 55 to 64 years................... 4,897 67 34 33 6.5 1.9 2.2 1.7 1.4 0.7 0.7

 55 to 59 years................... 3,012 36 15 21 4.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.2 0.5 0.7

 60 to 64 years................... 1,885 30 18 12 2.5 0.8 1.1 0.6 1.6 1.0 0.6

 65 years and over................ 1,409 37 20 17 1.9 1.0 1.3 0.9 2.6 1.4 1.2

 65 to 69 years................... 798 23 12 11 1.1 0.6 0.8 0.6 2.9 1.5 1.4

 70 years and over............. 611 14 8 6 0.8 0.4 0.5 0.3 2.3 1.3 1.0

WOMEN

Total, 16 years and over......... 38,163 2,287 999 1,288 50.7 64.4 63.8 64.9 6.0 2.6 3.4

 16 to 24 years...................... 7,455 1,124 529 595 9.9 31.7 33.8 30.0 15.1 7.1 8.0

 16 to 19 years................... 2,122 489 278 211 2.8 13.8 17.8 10.6 23.0 13.1 9.9

 20 to 24 years................... 5,333 635 251 384 7.1 17.9 16.0 19.4 11.9 4.7 7.2

 25 years and over................ 30,708 1,163 470 693 40.8 32.8 30.0 34.9 3.8 1.5 2.3

 25 to 34 years................... 8,090 467 156 311 10.7 13.2 10.0 15.7 5.8 1.9 3.8

 25 to 29 years................... 4,295 272 87 185 5.7 7.7 5.6 9.3 6.3 2.0 4.3

 30 to 34 years................... 3,794 194 69 125 5.0 5.5 4.4 6.3 5.1 1.8 3.3

 35 to 44 years................... 7,243 268 109 159 9.6 7.5 7.0 8.0 3.7 1.5 2.2

 35 to 39 years................... 3,483 139 60 79 4.6 3.9 3.8 4.0 4.0 1.7 2.3

 40 to 44 years................... 3,760 131 50 81 5.0 3.7 3.2 4.1 3.5 1.3 2.2

 45 to 54 years................... 8,034 254 114 140 10.7 7.2 7.3 7.1 3.2 1.4 1.7

 45 to 49 years................... 3,993 128 57 71 5.3 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.2 1.4 1.8

 50 to 54 years................... 4,041 126 57 69 5.4 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.1 1.4 1.7

 55 to 64 years................... 5,745 124 67 57 7.6 3.5 4.3 2.9 2.2 1.2 1.0

 55 to 59 years................... 3,483 67 35 32 4.6 1.9 2.2 1.6 1.9 1.0 0.9

 60 to 64 years................... 2,262 57 32 25 3.0 1.6 2.0 1.3 2.5 1.4 1.1

 65 years and over................ 1,597 50 24 26 2.1 1.4 1.5 1.3 3.1 1.5 1.6

 65 to 69 years................... 951 26 13 13 1.3 0.7 0.8 0.7 2.7 1.4 1.4

 70 years and over............. 646 24 11 13 0.9 0.7 0.7 0.7 3.7 1.7 2.0

 NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated.
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, 2012 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...... 75,276 3,550 1,566 1,984 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4.7 2.1 2.6

 Never married............... 27,453 2,314 1,033 1,281 36.5 65.2 66.0 64.6 8.4 3.8 4.7

 16 to 24 years............... 13,213 1,670 802 868 17.6 47.0 51.2 43.8 12.6 6.1 6.6

 25 years and over......... 14,240 644 232 412 18.9 18.1 14.8 20.8 4.5 1.6 2.9

 25 to 54 years............ 13,123 612 213 399 17.4 17.2 13.6 20.1 4.7 1.6 3.0

 Married, spouse present... 34,926 779 323 456 46.4 21.9 20.6 23.0 2.2 0.9 1.3

 16 to 24 years............... 1,216 75 37 38 1.6 2.1 2.4 1.9 6.2 3.0 3.1

 25 years and over......... 33,710 704 286 418 44.8 19.8 18.3 21.1 2.1 0.8 1.2

 25 to 54 years............ 25,135 569 219 350 33.4 16.0 14.0 17.6 2.3 0.9 1.4

 Other marital status......... 12,896 457 210 247 17.1 12.9 13.4 12.4 3.5 1.6 1.9

 16 to 24 years............... 479 51 23 28 0.6 1.4 1.5 1.4 10.6 4.8 5.8

 25 years and over......... 12,417 406 187 219 16.5 11.4 11.9 11.0 3.3 1.5 1.8

 25 to 54 years............ 8,461 294 128 166 11.2 8.3 8.2 8.4 3.5 1.5 2.0

MEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 37,113 1,263 567 696 49.3 35.6 36.2 35.1 3.4 1.5 1.9

 Never married............... 14,394 920 422 498 19.1 25.9 26.9 25.1 6.4 2.9 3.5

 16 to 24 years............... 6,694 648 321 327 8.9 18.3 20.5 16.5 9.7 4.8 4.9

 25 years and over......... 7,700 271 100 171 10.2 7.6 6.4 8.6 3.5 1.3 2.2

 25 to 54 years............ 7,162 256 92 164 9.5 7.2 5.9 8.3 3.6 1.3 2.3

 Married, spouse present... 17,620 241 100 141 23.4 6.8 6.4 7.1 1.4 0.6 0.8

 16 to 24 years............... 560 16 7 9 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.5 2.9 1.3 1.6

 25 years and over......... 17,060 225 93 132 22.7 6.3 5.9 6.7 1.3 0.5 0.8

 25 to 54 years............ 12,594 165 62 103 16.7 4.6 4.0 5.2 1.3 0.5 0.8

 Other marital status......... 5,100 103 46 57 6.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.0 0.9 1.1

 16 to 24 years............... 200 8 4 4 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 4.0 2.0 2.0

 25 years and over......... 4,900 95 42 53 6.5 2.7 2.7 2.7 1.9 0.9 1.1

 25 to 54 years............ 3,598 65 27 38 4.8 1.8 1.7 1.9 1.8 0.8 1.1

WOMEN

Total, 16 years and over...... 38,163 2,287 999 1,288 50.7 64.4 63.8 64.9 6.0 2.6 3.4

 Never married............... 13,060 1,395 612 783 17.3 39.3 39.1 39.5 10.7 4.7 6.0

 16 to 24 years............... 6,519 1,022 480 542 8.7 28.8 30.7 27.3 15.7 7.4 8.3

 25 years and over......... 6,541 372 131 241 8.7 10.5 8.4 12.1 5.7 2.0 3.7

 25 to 54 years............ 5,961 356 121 235 7.9 10.0 7.7 11.8 6.0 2.0 3.9

 Married, spouse present... 17,307 536 222 314 23.0 15.1 14.2 15.8 3.1 1.3 1.8

 16 to 24 years............... 656 59 30 29 0.9 1.7 1.9 1.5 9.0 4.6 4.4

 25 years and over......... 16,650 479 193 286 22.1 13.5 12.3 14.4 2.9 1.2 1.7

 25 to 54 years............ 12,541 404 157 247 16.7 11.4 10.0 12.4 3.2 1.3 2.0

 Other marital status......... 7,796 354 164 190 10.4 10.0 10.5 9.6 4.5 2.1 2.4

 16 to 24 years............... 279 43 19 24 0.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 15.4 6.8 8.6

 25 years and over......... 7,517 312 146 166 10.0 8.8 9.3 8.4 4.2 1.9 2.2

 25 to 54 years............ 4,863 229 101 128 6.5 6.5 6.4 6.5 4.7 2.1 2.6

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

married, spouse absent; divorced; separated; and widowed persons.

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, 2012 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......... 75,276 3,550 1,566 1,984 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4.7 2.1 2.6

 Hours vary........................ 5,329 429 185 244 7.1 12.1 11.8 12.3 8.1 3.5 4.6

 0 to 34 hours..................... 18,393 2,037 977 1,060 24.4 57.4 62.4 53.4 11.1 5.3 5.8

 0 to 4 hours..................... 381 39 20 19 0.5 1.1 1.3 1.0 10.2 5.2 5.0

 5 to 9 hours..................... 994 147 71 76 1.3 4.1 4.5 3.8 14.8 7.1 7.6

 10 to 14 hours.................. 1,620 225 112 113 2.2 6.3 7.2 5.7 13.9 6.9 7.0

 15 to 19 hours.................. 2,351 273 155 118 3.1 7.7 9.9 5.9 11.6 6.6 5.0

 20 to 24 hours.................. 5,369 583 303 280 7.1 16.4 19.3 14.1 10.9 5.6 5.2

 25 to 29 hours.................. 2,649 334 147 187 3.5 9.4 9.4 9.4 12.6 5.5 7.1

 30 to 34 hours.................. 5,030 436 169 267 6.7 12.3 10.8 13.5 8.7 3.4 5.3

 35 hours or more............... 51,554 1,085 405 680 68.5 30.6 25.9 34.3 2.1 0.8 1.3

 35 to 39 hours.................. 6,122 315 126 189 8.1 8.9 8.0 9.5 5.1 2.1 3.1

 40 hours or more............... 45,433 768 278 490 60.4 21.6 17.8 24.7 1.7 0.6 1.1

 40 hours........................ 39,456 677 256 421 52.4 19.1 16.3 21.2 1.7 0.6 1.1

 41 hours or more............ 5,977 92 22 70 7.9 2.6 1.4 3.5 1.5 0.4 1.2

 41 to 44 hours............... 672 14 4 10 0.9 0.4 0.3 0.5 2.1 0.6 1.5

 45 to 48 hours............... 2,013 24 9 15 2.7 0.7 0.6 0.8 1.2 0.4 0.7

 49 to 59 hours............... 2,256 38 9 29 3.0 1.1 0.6 1.5 1.7 0.4 1.3

 60 hours or more............ 1,036 16 1 15 1.4 0.5 0.1 0.8 1.5 0.1 1.4

 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.

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, 1979-2012 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Workers paid hourly rates

Total at or below prevailing 

federal minimum wage

BOTH SEXES

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 11,096 12,132 13,228 15.1

1991........................ 103,723 62,627 60.4 12,906 12,377 15,283 18.4

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 11,861 11,863 13,724 15.4

Year and sex

Total wage

and salary 

workers Total

Percent of

total wage

and salary 

workers

At

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage

Percent of 

hourly paid 

workers

Number

, , , , ,

1997........................ 114,533 70,735 61.8 11,764 12,990 14,754 16.7

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 1267 11,462 11,729 12.3

2008........................ 129,377 75,305 58.2 1286 11,940 12,226 13.0

2009........................ 124,490 72,611 58.3 1980 12,592 13,572 14.9

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

See footnote at end of table.
Table 10. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal

minimum wage by sex, 1979-2012 annual averages -- Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Workers paid hourly rates

Total at or below prevailing 

federal minimum wage

MEN

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 1385 1712 11,097 13.4

1991........................ 54,618 31,639 57.9 11,114 1795 11,909 16.0

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 1755 1619 11,374 13.9

Year and sex

Total wage

and salary 

workers Total

Percent of

total wage

and salary 

workers

At

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage

Number

Percent of 

hourly paid 

workers

, , ,

1997........................ 59,825 35,521 59.4 1673 11,147 11,820 15.1

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

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 56.0 186 1460 1546 11.4

2008........................ 66,846 37,334 55.9 190 1638 1728 11.9

2009........................ 63,539 35,185 55.4 1368 1990 11,358 13.9

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

See footnote at end of table.
Table 10. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal

minimum wage by sex, 1979-2012 annual averages -- Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Workers paid hourly rates

Total at or below prevailing 

federal minimum wage

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

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 1711 11,420 12,131 16.9

1991........................ 49,105 30,988 63.1 11,792 11,582 13,374 110.9

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 11,106 11,244 12,350 16.8

Number

Percent of 

hourly paid 

workers

Year and sex

Total wage

and salary 

workers Total

Percent of

total wage

and salary 

workers

At

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage

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

1997........................ 54,708 35,214 64.4 11,092 11,843 12,935 18.3

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 1181 11,002 11,183 13.1

2008........................ 62,532 37,972 60.7 1196 11,302 11,498 13.9

2009........................ 60,951 37,426 61.4 1612 11,603 12,215 15.9

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

1 Data for 1990-91, 1996-97, and 2007-09 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 online at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#comp.

 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.