U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 1

Characteristics of minimum wage workers, 2020

In 2020, 73.3 million workers age 16 and older in the United States were 

paid at hourly rates, representing 55.5 percent of all wage and salary 

workers. Among those paid by the hour, 247,000 workers earned exactly 

the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. About 865,000 

workers had wages below the federal minimum. Together, these 1.1 million 

workers with wages at or below the federal minimum made up 1.5 percent 

of all hourly paid workers.

Data on minimum wage workers for 2020 reflect the impact of the 

coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the labor market. Comparisons with 

data on minimum wage workers for earlier years should be interpreted with 

caution. Large declines in employment in 2020, particularly among low-wage workers, resulted in changes in the hourly 

earnings distribution. More information on labor market developments in 2020 is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/

effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-and-response-on-the-employment-situation-news-release.htm.

The percentage of hourly paid workers earning the prevailing federal minimum wage or less declined from 1.9 percent in 

2019 to 1.5 percent in 2020. This remains well below the percentage of 13.4 recorded in 1979, when data were first 

collected on a regular basis. (See table 10.)

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

wage in 2020. The data are obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a national monthly survey of 

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

Information on earnings is collected from one-fourth of the CPS sample each month.

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

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

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

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

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

Highlights

The following are highlights from the 2020 data:

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

hourly paid workers, they made up 48 percent of those paid the federal minimum wage or less. Among employed 

teenagers (ages 16 to 19) paid by the hour, about 5 percent earned the minimum wage or less, compared with 1 percent 

of workers age 25 and older. (See tables 1 and 7.)

Gender. Among workers who were paid hourly rates in 2020, 2 percent of women and 1 percent of men had wages at or 

below the prevailing federal minimum. (See table 1.)

February 2021 | Report 1091
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 2

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

minimum differed little among the major race and ethnicity groups. About 2 percent of Black workers earned the federal 

minimum wage or less. Among White, Asian, and Hispanic workers, the percentage was about 1 percent. (See table 1.)

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

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

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

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

workers to earn the federal minimum wage or less (about 3 percent versus about 1 percent). (See table 8.)

Full- and part-time status. About 4 percent of part-time workers (people who usually work fewer than 35 hours per 

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

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

earning at or below the federal minimum wage, at about 5 percent. Seven out of ten workers earning the minimum wage 

or less in 2020 were employed in service occupations, mostly in food preparation and serving related jobs. (See table 4.)

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

or below the federal minimum wage in 2020 was leisure and hospitality (about 8 percent). Three-fifths of all workers paid 

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

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

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

minimum wage were in the South: about 4 percent for South Carolina and about 3 percent for Alabama, Louisiana, 

Mississippi, and Virginia. Compared with recent years, a relatively large number of states had less than 1 percent of 

hourly paid workers earning at or below the federal minimum wage: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, 

Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. It should be noted that more than half of all states have 

minimum wages that exceed the federal minimum. (See tables 2 and 3.)
 U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Statistical Tables

Characteristic

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Age and gender

Total, 16 years and older 73,305 1,112 247 865 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.5 0.3 1.2

16 to 24 years 14,051 529 153 376 19.2 47.6 62.0 43.4 3.8 1.1 2.7

16 to 19 years 4,352 222 93 129 5.9 19.9 37.5 14.9 5.1 2.1 3.0

25 years and older 59,254 583 94 489 80.8 52.4 38.0 56.6 1.0 0.2 0.8

Men, 16 years and older 36,792 369 111 258 50.2 33.2 45.0 29.9 1.0 0.3 0.7

16 to 24 years 7,059 159 65 94 9.6 14.3 26.3 10.9 2.3 0.9 1.3

16 to 19 years 2,125 81 41 40 2.9 7.3 16.8 4.6 3.8 1.9 1.9

25 years and older 29,734 210 46 164 40.6 18.9 18.7 19.0 0.7 0.2 0.6

Women, 16 years and older 36,513 742 136 607 49.8 66.8 55.0 70.1 2.0 0.4 1.7

16 to 24 years 6,992 369 88 281 9.5 33.2 35.7 32.5 5.3 1.3 4.0

16 to 19 years 2,226 141 51 89 3.0 12.7 20.8 10.3 6.3 2.3 4.0

25 years and older 29,521 373 48 325 40.3 33.5 19.3 37.6 1.3 0.2 1.1

Race and Hispanic

or Latino ethnicity

White(1) 55,889 810 178 631 76.2 72.8 72.2 73.0 1.4 0.3 1.1

Men 28,632 266 86 180 39.1 23.9 34.7 20.8 0.9 0.3 0.6

Women 27,257 544 92 451 37.2 48.9 37.5 52.2 2.0 0.3 1.7

Black or African American(1) 10,738 196 50 146 14.6 17.7 20.4 16.9 1.8 0.5 1.4

Men 4,892 57 15 42 6.7 5.1 6.2 4.8 1.2 0.3 0.8

Women 5,846 139 35 104 8.0 12.5 14.1 12.1 2.4 0.6 1.8

Asian(1) 3,533 43 3 39 4.8 3.8 1.3 4.5 1.2 0.1 1.1

Men 1,676 23 1 22 2.3 2.1 0.4 2.5 1.4 0.1 1.3

Women 1,857 20 2 18 2.5 1.8 0.9 2.0 1.1 0.1 0.9

Table 1. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by selected characteristics, 2020 

annual averages

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

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Footnotes

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

race.

(2) The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on hours usually worked. These data will not sum to totals because full- or part-time status on the principal job is not identifiable for a small number of multiple 

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

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Characteristic

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Hispanic or Latino(1) 16,220 205 46 160 22.1 18.5 18.5 18.5 1.3 0.3 1.0

Men 8,963 82 24 58 12.2 7.3 9.6 6.7 0.9 0.3 0.6

Women 7,257 124 22 102 9.9 11.1 8.8 11.8 1.7 0.3 1.4

Full- and part-time status

Full-time workers(2) 55,669 468 72 397 75.9 42.1 29.0 45.8 0.8 0.1 0.7

Men 30,514 150 34 116 41.6 13.5 13.7 13.4 0.5 0.1 0.4

Women 25,156 318 38 281 34.3 28.6 15.3 32.4 1.3 0.2 1.1

Part-time workers(2) 17,531 637 175 462 23.9 57.3 71.0 53.4 3.6 1.0 2.6

Men 6,226 216 77 139 8.5 19.5 31.3 16.1 3.5 1.2 2.2

Women 11,305 421 98 323 15.4 37.9 39.7 37.3 3.7 0.9 2.9

Table 1. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by selected characteristics, 2020 

annual averages

Region and division

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Table 2. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by census region and division, 2020 

annual averages

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

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Region and division

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 73,305 1,112 247 865 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.5 0.3 1.2

Northeast 11,728 178 39 139 16.0 16.0 15.9 16.1 1.5 0.3 1.2

New England 3,392 43 9 33 4.6 3.8 3.8 3.8 1.3 0.3 1.0

Middle Atlantic 8,336 136 30 106 11.4 12.2 12.1 12.2 1.6 0.4 1.3

Midwest 17,212 232 44 187 23.5 20.8 18.0 21.6 1.3 0.3 1.1

East North Central 11,488 162 30 132 15.7 14.6 12.3 15.2 1.4 0.3 1.1

West North Central 5,724 70 14 56 7.8 6.3 5.7 6.4 1.2 0.2 1.0

South 26,576 580 138 442 36.3 52.1 56.0 51.0 2.2 0.5 1.7

South Atlantic 13,490 288 56 232 18.4 25.9 22.5 26.8 2.1 0.4 1.7

East South Central 4,314 87 31 57 5.9 7.9 12.6 6.5 2.0 0.7 1.3

West South Central 8,771 204 52 153 12.0 18.4 20.9 17.7 2.3 0.6 1.7

West 17,789 122 25 97 24.3 11.0 10.1 11.3 0.7 0.1 0.5

Mountain 6,055 56 16 40 8.3 5.1 6.5 4.6 0.9 0.3 0.7

Pacific 11,734 66 9 57 16.0 5.9 3.6 6.6 0.6 0.1 0.5

Table 2. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by census region and division, 2020 

annual averages

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

Page 6

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

The four major regions and nine census divisions of the United States are as follows:

Northeast:

New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont

Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania

Midwest:

East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin

West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota

South:

South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia

East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee

West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas

West:

Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming

Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

State

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 73,305 1,112 247 865 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.5 0.3 1.2

Alabama 1,137 28 14 14 1.6 2.5 5.8 1.6 2.5 1.3 1.2

Alaska 170 3 0 3 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.3 1.6 0.2 1.5

Arizona 1,789 18 4 14 2.4 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.0 0.2 0.8

Arkansas 673 10 2 8 0.9 0.9 0.6 0.9 1.4 0.2 1.2

California 8,548 48 7 41 11.7 4.3 3.0 4.7 0.6 0.1 0.5

Colorado 1,305 8 2 6 1.8 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.1 0.5

Connecticut 862 11 4 7 1.2 1.0 1.6 0.8 1.2 0.4 0.8

Delaware 245 6 0 6 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.7 2.4 0.1 2.4

Table 3. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by state, 2020 annual averages

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

Page 7

State

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

District of Columbia 79 1 0 1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.8 0.2 1.6

Florida 4,279 75 7 68 5.8 6.8 2.9 7.9 1.8 0.2 1.6

Georgia 2,196 46 23 23 3.0 4.1 9.4 2.6 2.1 1.1 1.0

Hawaii 303 2 0 2 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.7 0.0 0.7

Idaho 479 7 2 4 0.7 0.6 1.0 0.5 1.4 0.5 0.9

Illinois 2,813 31 6 25 3.8 2.8 2.6 2.8 1.1 0.2 0.9

Indiana 1,659 24 7 16 2.3 2.1 2.9 1.9 1.4 0.4 1.0

Iowa 861 12 4 8 1.2 1.1 1.6 0.9 1.4 0.4 0.9

Kansas 805 18 5 13 1.1 1.6 2.1 1.5 2.2 0.6 1.6

Kentucky 1,011 17 6 10 1.4 1.5 2.6 1.2 1.7 0.6 1.0

Louisiana 990 34 11 23 1.4 3.0 4.3 2.6 3.4 1.1 2.3

Maine 352 4 1 2 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.3 1.0 0.3 0.6

Maryland 1,249 18 0 18 1.7 1.6 0.0 2.1 1.4 0.0 1.4

Massachusetts 1,397 19 3 16 1.9 1.7 1.2 1.9 1.4 0.2 1.2

Michigan 2,416 35 3 32 3.3 3.2 1.2 3.7 1.5 0.1 1.3

Minnesota 1,524 12 0 12 2.1 1.1 0.0 1.4 0.8 0.0 0.8

Mississippi 652 18 6 13 0.9 1.7 2.3 1.5 2.8 0.9 1.9

Missouri 1,534 17 4 12 2.1 1.5 1.8 1.4 1.1 0.3 0.8

Montana 282 1 0 1 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.4

Nebraska 540 5 0 4 0.7 0.4 0.1 0.5 0.9 0.1 0.8

Nevada 759 5 3 1 1.0 0.4 1.4 0.1 0.6 0.5 0.2

New Hampshire 375 5 0 5 0.5 0.4 0.1 0.5 1.3 0.1 1.2

New Jersey 1,581 22 2 20 2.2 2.0 0.8 2.4 1.4 0.1 1.3

New Mexico 449 6 0 6 0.6 0.5 0.0 0.7 1.3 0.0 1.3

New York 3,634 38 3 35 5.0 3.4 1.0 4.1 1.0 0.1 1.0

North Carolina 2,284 40 10 31 3.1 3.6 3.9 3.5 1.8 0.4 1.3

North Dakota 211 3 0 3 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.3 1.3 0.1 1.2

Table 3. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by state, 2020 annual averages

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

Page 8

State

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Ohio 2,931 43 2 41 4.0 3.9 0.9 4.7 1.5 0.1 1.4

Oklahoma 859 18 4 14 1.2 1.6 1.8 1.6 2.1 0.5 1.6

Oregon 943 3 0 3 1.3 0.3 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.4

Pennsylvania 3,121 75 25 50 4.3 6.8 10.3 5.8 2.4 0.8 1.6

Rhode Island 264 4 1 3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 1.4 0.3 1.1

South Carolina 1,079 48 3 44 1.5 4.3 1.4 5.1 4.4 0.3 4.1

South Dakota 249 4 0 4 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.4 1.5 0.0 1.5

Tennessee 1,515 25 5 20 2.1 2.2 1.9 2.3 1.6 0.3 1.3

Texas 6,249 143 35 108 8.5 12.9 14.2 12.5 2.3 0.6 1.7

Utah 835 9 4 5 1.1 0.8 1.5 0.6 1.1 0.4 0.6

Vermont 142 1 0 0 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.4

Virginia 1,653 45 11 33 2.3 4.0 4.6 3.8 2.7 0.7 2.0

Washington 1,770 10 1 9 2.4 0.9 0.5 1.0 0.5 0.1 0.5

West Virginia 428 9 0 8 0.6 0.8 0.2 1.0 2.0 0.1 1.9

Wisconsin 1,668 29 12 18 2.3 2.6 4.7 2.0 1.8 0.7 1.1

Wyoming 158 3 0 3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 1.9 0.3 1.6

Table 3. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by state, 2020 annual averages

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

Page 9

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

populous states.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Occupation

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution

Percentage of workers 

paid

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum 

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 73,305 1,112 247 865 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.5 0.3 1.2

Management, professional, and related occupations 17,769 83 20 63 24.2 7.4 8.1 7.2 0.5 0.1 0.4

Management, business, and financial operations occupations 5,354 16 0 16 7.3 1.4 0.2 1.8 0.3 0.0 0.3

Professional and related occupations 12,415 66 20 47 16.9 6.0 7.9 5.4 0.5 0.2 0.4

Service occupations 16,295 774 114 660 22.2 69.6 46.2 76.3 4.8 0.7 4.1

Healthcare support occupations 3,906 60 9 51 5.3 5.4 3.8 5.9 1.5 0.2 1.3

Protective service occupations 1,972 19 0 18 2.7 1.7 0.1 2.1 0.9 0.0 0.9

Food preparation and serving related occupations 5,675 605 73 533 7.7 54.5 29.5 61.6 10.7 1.3 9.4

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations 3,243 29 14 15 4.4 2.6 5.8 1.7 0.9 0.4 0.5

Personal care and service occupations 1,499 61 17 44 2.0 5.5 6.9 5.0 4.1 1.1 2.9

Sales and office occupations 16,929 139 70 69 23.1 12.5 28.4 8.0 0.8 0.4 0.4

Sales and related occupations 6,849 90 49 41 9.3 8.1 19.8 4.7 1.3 0.7 0.6

Office and administrative support occupations 10,080 50 21 28 13.8 4.5 8.6 3.3 0.5 0.2 0.3

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 8,438 31 4 28 11.5 2.8 1.4 3.2 0.4 0.0 0.3

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 676 11 4 8 0.9 1.0 1.4 0.9 1.6 0.5 1.1

Construction and extraction occupations 4,681 14 0 14 6.4 1.3 0.0 1.7 0.3 0.0 0.3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations 3,081 6 0 6 4.2 0.5 0.0 0.7 0.2 0.0 0.2

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 13,874 85 39 45 18.9 7.6 15.9 5.2 0.6 0.3 0.3

Production occupations 6,100 34 16 18 8.3 3.1 6.6 2.1 0.6 0.3 0.3

Table 4. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by occupation, 2020 annual 

averages

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

Page 10

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

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Occupation

Number of workers (in thousands) Percent distribution

Percentage of workers 

paid

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum 

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Transportation and material moving occupations 7,773 50 23 28 10.6 4.5 9.3 3.2 0.6 0.3 0.4

Table 4. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by occupation, 2020 annual 

averages

Industry

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 73,305 1,112 247 865 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.5 0.3 1.2

Private sector 64,248 1,058 231 827 87.6 95.2 93.7 95.6 1.6 0.4 1.3

Agriculture and related industries 847 11 2 9 1.2 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.3 0.3 1.1

Nonagricultural industries 63,401 1,047 229 818 86.5 94.2 92.9 94.5 1.7 0.4 1.3

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction 350 3 0 3 0.5 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.8 0.0 0.8

Construction 5,059 15 3 12 6.9 1.4 1.2 1.4 0.3 0.1 0.2

Manufacturing 8,288 37 16 22 11.3 3.4 6.4 2.5 0.5 0.2 0.3

Durable goods 5,070 24 11 14 6.9 2.2 4.4 1.6 0.5 0.2 0.3

Nondurable goods 3,218 13 5 8 4.4 1.2 2.0 0.9 0.4 0.2 0.2

Wholesale and retail trade 11,846 97 47 50 16.2 8.7 19.0 5.8 0.8 0.4 0.4

Table 5. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by industry, 2020 annual averages

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

Page 11

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Industry

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Wholesale trade 1,522 5 3 2 2.1 0.4 1.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1

Retail trade 10,324 92 44 48 14.1 8.3 17.7 5.6 0.9 0.4 0.5

Transportation and utilities 3,826 15 3 12 5.2 1.3 1.1 1.4 0.4 0.1 0.3

Information 877 5 3 2 1.2 0.5 1.2 0.2 0.6 0.3 0.2

Financial activities 3,217 10 2 8 4.4 0.9 0.8 1.0 0.3 0.1 0.3

Professional and business services 6,103 27 9 18 8.3 2.4 3.5 2.1 0.4 0.1 0.3

Education and health services 13,146 129 34 95 17.9 11.6 13.7 11.0 1.0 0.3 0.7

Leisure and hospitality 7,933 667 103 564 10.8 59.9 41.7 65.2 8.4 1.3 7.1

Other services 2,753 42 10 32 3.8 3.8 4.2 3.7 1.5 0.4 1.2

Public sector 9,057 54 15 38 12.4 4.8 6.3 4.4 0.6 0.2 0.4

Federal 1,862 8 1 7 2.5 0.7 0.5 0.8 0.4 0.1 0.4

State 2,782 17 6 11 3.8 1.5 2.5 1.2 0.6 0.2 0.4

Local 4,413 29 8 21 6.0 2.6 3.3 2.4 0.7 0.2 0.5

Table 5. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by industry, 2020 annual averages

Educational attainment

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 73,305 1,112 247 865 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.5 0.3 1.2

Table 6. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by educational attainment, 2020 

annual averages

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

Page 12

Educational attainment

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Less than a high school diploma 7,860 170 76 94 10.7 15.3 30.7 10.9 2.2 1.0 1.2

Less than 1 year of high school 2,217 18 4 14 3.0 1.6 1.4 1.7 0.8 0.2 0.7

1 to 3 years of high school 4,485 127 62 64 6.1 11.4 25.3 7.4 2.8 1.4 1.4

4 years of high school, no diploma 1,158 25 10 15 1.6 2.2 4.0 1.7 2.1 0.8 1.3

High school graduates or more 65,445 942 171 771 89.3 84.7 69.3 89.1 1.4 0.3 1.2

High school graduates, no college 24,685 390 85 304 33.7 35.1 34.6 35.2 1.6 0.3 1.2

Some college or associate degree 24,578 390 78 312 33.5 35.1 31.5 36.1 1.6 0.3 1.3

Some college, no degree 15,310 308 59 249 20.9 27.7 24.0 28.7 2.0 0.4 1.6

Associate degree 9,268 82 19 64 12.6 7.4 7.5 7.4 0.9 0.2 0.7

Occupational program 3,990 28 8 20 5.4 2.5 3.1 2.4 0.7 0.2 0.5

Academic program 5,277 54 11 43 7.2 4.9 4.4 5.0 1.0 0.2 0.8

Bachelor's degree and higher 16,183 162 8 155 22.1 14.6 3.2 17.9 1.0 0.0 1.0

Bachelor's degree 12,279 123 7 115 16.8 11.0 3.0 13.3 1.0 0.1 0.9

Master's degree 3,122 28 1 27 4.3 2.5 0.2 3.2 0.9 0.0 0.9

Professional degree 341 6 0 6 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.7 1.8 0.0 1.8

Doctoral degree 441 6 0 6 0.6 0.5 0.0 0.7 1.3 0.0 1.3

Table 6. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by educational attainment, 2020 

annual averages

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

Page 13

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Age and gender

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

Total, 16 years and older 73,305 1,112 247 865 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.5 0.3 1.2

16 to 24 years 14,051 529 153 376 19.2 47.6 62.0 43.4 3.8 1.1 2.7

16 to 19 years 4,352 222 93 129 5.9 19.9 37.5 14.9 5.1 2.1 3.0

20 to 24 years 9,699 307 60 247 13.2 27.6 24.5 28.5 3.2 0.6 2.5

25 years and older 59,254 583 94 489 80.8 52.4 38.0 56.6 1.0 0.2 0.8

25 to 34 years 17,872 250 34 216 24.4 22.5 13.7 25.0 1.4 0.2 1.2

25 to 29 years 9,571 143 15 128 13.1 12.9 6.0 14.8 1.5 0.2 1.3

30 to 34 years 8,302 107 19 88 11.3 9.6 7.7 10.1 1.3 0.2 1.1

35 to 44 years 13,691 130 17 113 18.7 11.7 6.9 13.1 1.0 0.1 0.8

35 to 39 years 7,111 75 6 69 9.7 6.7 2.6 7.9 1.1 0.1 1.0

40 to 44 years 6,581 55 11 45 9.0 5.0 4.3 5.2 0.8 0.2 0.7

45 to 54 years 12,672 93 13 80 17.3 8.4 5.4 9.2 0.7 0.1 0.6

45 to 49 years 6,379 49 9 40 8.7 4.4 3.8 4.6 0.8 0.1 0.6

50 to 54 years 6,292 44 4 40 8.6 4.0 1.6 4.6 0.7 0.1 0.6

55 to 64 years 11,179 75 14 60 15.3 6.7 5.8 7.0 0.7 0.1 0.5

55 to 59 years 6,304 36 6 30 8.6 3.2 2.6 3.4 0.6 0.1 0.5

60 to 64 years 4,876 39 8 31 6.7 3.5 3.2 3.5 0.8 0.2 0.6

65 years and older 3,840 35 15 20 5.2 3.2 6.3 2.3 0.9 0.4 0.5

65 to 69 years 2,228 19 7 12 3.0 1.7 2.8 1.4 0.9 0.3 0.6

70 years and older 1,612 16 9 8 2.2 1.4 3.4 0.9 1.0 0.5 0.5

Men

Table 7. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by age and gender, 2020 annual 

averages

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

Page 14

Age and gender

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 36,792 369 111 258 50.2 33.2 45.0 29.9 1.0 0.3 0.7

16 to 24 years 7,059 159 65 94 9.6 14.3 26.3 10.9 2.3 0.9 1.3

16 to 19 years 2,125 81 41 40 2.9 7.3 16.8 4.6 3.8 1.9 1.9

20 to 24 years 4,933 78 24 55 6.7 7.0 9.6 6.3 1.6 0.5 1.1

25 years and older 29,734 210 46 164 40.6 18.9 18.7 19.0 0.7 0.2 0.6

25 to 34 years 9,412 90 14 76 12.8 8.1 5.6 8.8 1.0 0.1 0.8

25 to 29 years 5,002 53 6 46 6.8 4.7 2.6 5.3 1.0 0.1 0.9

30 to 34 years 4,410 38 7 30 6.0 3.4 3.0 3.5 0.9 0.2 0.7

35 to 44 years 7,004 41 9 32 9.6 3.7 3.8 3.7 0.6 0.1 0.5

35 to 39 years 3,712 19 3 17 5.1 1.7 1.1 1.9 0.5 0.1 0.4

40 to 44 years 3,292 22 7 15 4.5 2.0 2.6 1.8 0.7 0.2 0.5

45 to 54 years 6,218 33 11 22 8.5 3.0 4.5 2.5 0.5 0.2 0.4

45 to 49 years 3,136 20 7 12 4.3 1.8 2.9 1.4 0.6 0.2 0.4

50 to 54 years 3,082 13 4 10 4.2 1.2 1.6 1.1 0.4 0.1 0.3

55 to 64 years 5,253 34 8 26 7.2 3.1 3.3 3.0 0.7 0.2 0.5

55 to 59 years 2,965 14 4 10 4.0 1.3 1.6 1.1 0.5 0.1 0.3

60 to 64 years 2,288 20 4 16 3.1 1.8 1.7 1.9 0.9 0.2 0.7

65 years and older 1,847 11 4 8 2.5 1.0 1.5 0.9 0.6 0.2 0.4

65 to 69 years 1,082 7 0 7 1.5 0.7 0.0 0.8 0.7 0.0 0.7

70 years and older 765 4 4 0 1.0 0.4 1.5 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.0

Women

Total, 16 years and older 36,513 742 136 607 49.8 66.8 55.0 70.1 2.0 0.4 1.7

16 to 24 years 6,992 369 88 281 9.5 33.2 35.7 32.5 5.3 1.3 4.0

16 to 19 years 2,226 141 51 89 3.0 12.7 20.8 10.3 6.3 2.3 4.0

20 to 24 years 4,766 229 37 192 6.5 20.6 14.9 22.2 4.8 0.8 4.0

25 years and older 29,521 373 48 325 40.3 33.5 19.3 37.6 1.3 0.2 1.1

Table 7. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by age and gender, 2020 annual 

averages

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

Page 15

Age and gender

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

25 to 34 years 8,460 160 20 140 11.5 14.4 8.1 16.2 1.9 0.2 1.7

25 to 29 years 4,569 90 8 82 6.2 8.1 3.4 9.5 2.0 0.2 1.8

30 to 34 years 3,892 69 12 58 5.3 6.2 4.7 6.7 1.8 0.3 1.5

35 to 44 years 6,687 89 8 81 9.1 8.0 3.1 9.4 1.3 0.1 1.2

35 to 39 years 3,398 55 4 52 4.6 5.0 1.4 6.0 1.6 0.1 1.5

40 to 44 years 3,289 34 4 29 4.5 3.0 1.7 3.4 1.0 0.1 0.9

45 to 54 years 6,454 60 2 58 8.8 5.4 0.8 6.7 0.9 0.0 0.9

45 to 49 years 3,243 29 2 27 4.4 2.6 0.8 3.2 0.9 0.1 0.8

50 to 54 years 3,211 31 0 31 4.4 2.7 0.0 3.5 1.0 0.0 1.0

55 to 64 years 5,926 40 6 34 8.1 3.6 2.5 3.9 0.7 0.1 0.6

55 to 59 years 3,338 22 2 20 4.6 2.0 0.9 2.3 0.7 0.1 0.6

60 to 64 years 2,588 18 4 14 3.5 1.6 1.6 1.7 0.7 0.2 0.6

65 years and older 1,993 24 12 12 2.7 2.2 4.7 1.4 1.2 0.6 0.6

65 to 69 years 1,147 12 7 5 1.6 1.1 2.8 0.6 1.0 0.6 0.4

70 years and older 846 12 5 7 1.2 1.1 1.9 0.8 1.4 0.6 0.9

Table 7. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, by age and gender, 2020 annual 

averages

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

Page 16

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Marital status, age,

and gender

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

Total, 16 years and older 73,305 1,112 247 865 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.5 0.3 1.2

Never married 30,236 772 184 589 41.2 69.5 74.4 68.0 2.6 0.6 1.9

16 to 24 years 12,983 504 144 360 17.7 45.4 58.4 41.6 3.9 1.1 2.8

25 years and older 17,253 268 40 228 23.5 24.1 16.0 26.4 1.6 0.2 1.3

25 to 54 years 15,619 258 38 220 21.3 23.2 15.3 25.5 1.7 0.2 1.4

Married, spouse present(1) 31,844 218 38 180 43.4 19.6 15.4 20.8 0.7 0.1 0.6

16 to 24 years 752 11 4 6 1.0 1.0 1.8 0.7 1.4 0.6 0.8

25 years and older 31,093 207 34 174 42.4 18.7 13.7 20.1 0.7 0.1 0.6

25 to 54 years 22,003 152 19 134 30.0 13.7 7.6 15.4 0.7 0.1 0.6

Widowed, divorced, or separated(2) 11,225 121 25 96 15.3 10.9 10.2 11.1 1.1 0.2 0.9

16 to 24 years 316 14 5 9 0.4 1.2 1.9 1.1 4.4 1.5 2.9

25 years and older 10,909 108 20 87 14.9 9.7 8.3 10.1 1.0 0.2 0.8

25 to 54 years 6,613 63 8 55 9.0 5.6 3.1 6.4 0.9 0.1 0.8

Men

Total, 16 years and older 36,792 369 111 258 50.2 33.2 45.0 29.9 1.0 0.3 0.7

Never married 15,921 259 86 173 21.7 23.3 34.9 20.0 1.6 0.5 1.1

16 to 24 years 6,584 150 63 87 9.0 13.5 25.5 10.1 2.3 1.0 1.3

25 years and older 9,336 109 23 86 12.7 9.8 9.3 9.9 1.2 0.2 0.9

25 to 54 years 8,540 106 23 83 11.7 9.6 9.3 9.6 1.2 0.3 1.0

Married, spouse present(1) 16,462 77 18 60 22.5 6.9 7.1 6.9 0.5 0.1 0.4

16 to 24 years 328 3 0 3 0.4 0.3 0.0 0.4 1.0 0.0 1.0

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

2020 annual averages

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

Page 17

Footnotes

(1) Beginning with data for 2020, refers to people in both opposite-sex and same-sex married couples. Prior to 2020, referred to people in opposite-sex married couples only.

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

Marital status, age,

and gender

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

25 years and older 16,134 74 18 56 22.0 6.6 7.1 6.5 0.5 0.1 0.3

25 to 54 years 11,361 43 9 34 15.5 3.9 3.6 4.0 0.4 0.1 0.3

Widowed, divorced, or separated(2) 4,409 33 8 26 6.0 3.0 3.1 3.0 0.8 0.2 0.6

16 to 24 years 146 6 2 4 0.2 0.5 0.8 0.4 4.0 1.3 2.6

25 years and older 4,263 27 6 22 5.8 2.5 2.3 2.5 0.6 0.1 0.5

25 to 54 years 2,732 15 2 13 3.7 1.3 0.9 1.5 0.5 0.1 0.5

Women

Total, 16 years and older 36,513 742 136 607 49.8 66.8 55.0 70.1 2.0 0.4 1.7

Never married 14,315 513 98 416 19.5 46.2 39.6 48.1 3.6 0.7 2.9

16 to 24 years 6,398 354 81 273 8.7 31.9 32.8 31.6 5.5 1.3 4.3

25 years and older 7,917 159 17 143 10.8 14.3 6.7 16.5 2.0 0.2 1.8

25 to 54 years 7,078 152 15 137 9.7 13.6 5.9 15.8 2.1 0.2 1.9

Married, spouse present(1) 15,382 141 21 120 21.0 12.7 8.3 13.9 0.9 0.1 0.8

16 to 24 years 424 7 4 3 0.6 0.7 1.8 0.3 1.7 1.0 0.7

25 years and older 14,959 134 16 117 20.4 12.0 6.6 13.6 0.9 0.1 0.8

25 to 54 years 10,642 109 10 99 14.5 9.8 4.0 11.5 1.0 0.1 0.9

Widowed, divorced, or separated(2) 6,816 88 17 71 9.3 7.9 7.1 8.2 1.3 0.3 1.0

16 to 24 years 170 8 3 5 0.2 0.7 1.1 0.6 4.7 1.6 3.1

25 years and older 6,645 80 15 65 9.1 7.2 6.0 7.6 1.2 0.2 1.0

25 to 54 years 3,881 48 5 42 5.3 4.3 2.1 4.9 1.2 0.1 1.1

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

2020 annual averages

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

Page 18

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Usual hours worked per week on primary job

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

hourly rates

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage

Total paid

hourly

rates

At or below minimum wage At or below minimum wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total

At

minimum

wage

Below

minimum

wage

Total, 16 years and older 73,305 1,112 247 865 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.5 0.3 1.2

Hours vary 3,868 130 20 109 5.3 11.7 8.3 12.6 3.3 0.5 2.8

0 to 34 hours 16,160 590 165 425 22.0 53.0 66.8 49.1 3.6 1.0 2.6

0 to 4 hours 276 6 1 6 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.6 2.3 0.3 2.0

5 to 9 hours 770 33 17 16 1.1 3.0 7.0 1.8 4.3 2.2 2.0

10 to 14 hours 1,526 57 28 29 2.1 5.1 11.4 3.3 3.7 1.8 1.9

15 to 19 hours 2,042 86 26 61 2.8 7.7 10.3 7.0 4.2 1.3 3.0

20 to 24 hours 4,657 158 51 108 6.4 14.2 20.5 12.4 3.4 1.1 2.3

25 to 29 hours 2,391 91 21 70 3.3 8.2 8.5 8.1 3.8 0.9 2.9

30 to 34 hours 4,497 158 22 136 6.1 14.2 8.8 15.7 3.5 0.5 3.0

35 hours or more 53,277 393 62 331 72.7 35.3 24.9 38.3 0.7 0.1 0.6

35 to 39 hours 5,302 103 14 89 7.2 9.3 5.8 10.3 1.9 0.3 1.7

40 hours or more 47,975 290 47 242 65.4 26.0 19.2 28.0 0.6 0.1 0.5

40 hours 41,652 248 46 202 56.8 22.3 18.8 23.3 0.6 0.1 0.5

41 hours or more 6,323 41 1 40 8.6 3.7 0.3 4.6 0.6 0.0 0.6

41 to 44 hours 618 0 0 0 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

45 to 48 hours 2,130 12 1 11 2.9 1.1 0.3 1.3 0.6 0.0 0.5

49 to 59 hours 2,479 23 0 23 3.4 2.1 0.0 2.7 0.9 0.0 0.9

60 hours or more 1,096 5 0 5 1.5 0.5 0.0 0.6 0.5 0.0 0.5

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

primary job, 2020 annual averages

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

Page 19

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

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

Total

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2020 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]

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

Page 20

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Men

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

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2020 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]

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

Page 21

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2020 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]

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

Page 22

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2020 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]

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

Page 23

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2020 annual averages 

[Numbers in thousands]

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

Page 24

Footnotes

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

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

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Year and gender

Total

wage

and

salary

workers

Workers paid hourly rates

Total

Percentage

of total

wage

and

salary

workers

At 

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Below

prevailing

federal

minimum

wage(1)

Total at or below

prevailing federal

minimum wage

Number

Percentage

of hourly

paid

workers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Table 10. Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below prevailing federal minimum wage, by gender, 1979–2020 annual averages 

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

Page 25

Technical Notes

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

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

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

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

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

businesses are incorporated, are excluded from these earnings estimates.

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

This information is available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice telephone: (202) 691-5200; Federal 

Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Concepts and definitions

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

described briefly below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

workers and other nonhourly paid workers are excluded.

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

later years is listed in the following table.

Federal minimum wage Effective date

$2.90 January 1, 1979

$3.10 January 1, 1980

$3.35 January 1, 1981

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

Page 26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

household.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Interpreting minimum wage data

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

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

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

$4.25 April 1, 1991

$4.75 October 1, 1996

$5.15 September 1, 1997

$5.85 July 24, 2007

$6.55 July 24, 2008

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

Page 27

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

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

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

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

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

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

state statutes in cases where such standards apply.

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

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

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

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

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

associated with constructing such an estimate.

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

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

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

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

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

some state estimates.

Reliability

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

documentation.htm#reliability.