Who Are Minimum Wage Workers?
By What’s the breakdown of those being paid the minimum wage by age? In particular, how many are teenagers or in their early 20s?
Of the 3.3 million minimum-wage workers in 2013, about one-quarter were between the ages of 16-19, another one-quarter were between the ages of 20-24, and half were over the age of 25.
What’s the breakdown of those being paid the minimum wage by full-time and part-time work status?
Of the 3.3 million minimum-wage workers in 2013, 1.2 million were full-time, and 2.1 million were part-time–that is, roughly two-thirds of minimum-wage workers are part-time.
What’s the breakdown of those being paid the minimum wage across regions?
For the country as a whole, remember, 4.3% of those being paid hourly wages get the minimum wage or less. If the states are divided into nine regions the share of hourly-paid workers getting the minimum wage in each region varies like this: New England, 3.3%; Middle Atlantic, 4.8%; East North Central, 4.3%, West North Central, 4.6%; South Atlantic, 5.1%; East South Central, 6.3%; West South Central, 6.3%; Mountain, 3.9%; Pacific, 1.5%.
The BLS has state-by-state figures, too. There are two main reasons for the variation. Average wages can vary considerably across states, and in areas with lower wages, more workers end up with the minimum wage. In addition, 23 states have their own minimum wage that is set above the federal level. In those state, fewer workers (with exceptions often made in certain categories like food service workers who get tips) are paid below the federal minimum wage. It’s an interesting political dynamic that many of those who favor a higher federal minimum wage are living in states where the minimum wage is above the federal level; in effect, they are advocating that states who have not adopted the minimum wage policy preferred in their own state be required to do so.
The reality is that just as fast food workers are saying, their struggle is not just for a few more cents or dollars, but is in fact a civil rights struggle, as so many of these workers are people of color denied access to higher level jobs. As they begin to use the more in your face tactics of the civil rights movement like civil disobedience, which the more activist workers are pushing for, this will become an increasing part of the fast food workers movement, such a central group in the larger minimum wage struggle.