This statistic shows the hourly wage needed to earn a living wage in the United States in 2014, by state. In 2014, a living wage in Alabama was 15.13 U.S. dollars per hour.

The federally mandated minimum wage in the United States is 7.25 U.S. dollars per hour, although the minimum wage varies from state to state. As of January 1, 2024, the District of Columbia had the highest minimum wage in the U.S., at 17 U.S. dollars per hour. This was followed by Washington, which had 16.28 U.S. dollars per hour as the state minimum wage.

Minimum wage workers

Minimum wage jobs are traditionally seen as “starter jobs” in the U.S., or first jobs for teenagers and young adults, and the number of people working minimum wage jobs has decreased from almost four million in 1979 to about 247,000 in 2020. However, the number of workers earning less than minimum wage in 2020 was significantly higher, at about 865,000.

Minimum wage jobs

Minimum wage jobs are primarily found in food preparation and serving occupations, as well as sales jobs (primarily in retail). Because the minimum wage has not kept up with inflation, nor has it been increased since 2009, it is becoming harder and harder live off of a minimum wage wage job, and for those workers to afford essential things like rent.

This statistic shows the real hourly minimum wage in the United States from 2001 to 2022 (in PPP U.S. dollars). In the United States in 2022, the real minimum wage was 7.3 U.S. dollars per hour.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Lake County, FL (MWACL12069) from 2009 to 2023 about Lake County, FL; Orlando; adjusted; average; FL; wages; real; and USA.

Key information about United States Monthly Earnings

• United States Monthly Earnings stood at 4,901 USD in Feb 2025, compared with the previous figure of 4,887 USD in Jan 2025
• US Monthly Earnings data is updated monthly, available from Mar 2006 to Feb 2025, with an average number of 3,469 USD
• The data reached the an all-time high of 4,901 USD in Feb 2025 and a record low of 2,743 USD in Mar 2006

• In the latest reports, US Population reached 341 million people in Dec 2024
• Unemployment Rate of US increased to 4 % in Feb 2025
• The country's Labour Force Participation Rate remained the same rate at 62 % in Feb 2025

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Harris County, TX (MWACL48201) from 2009 to 2023 about Harris County, TX; Houston; adjusted; average; wages; TX; real; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Lancaster County, NE (MWACL31109) from 2009 to 2023 about Lancaster County, NE; Lincoln; adjusted; NE; average; wages; real; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for St. Louis County, MO (MWACL29189) from 2009 to 2023 about St. Louis County, MO; St. Louis; adjusted; MO; average; wages; real; and USA.

Total number and percent of jobs in Pierce County with an annual average wage at or above 80% of the median household income for the corresponding year for Pierce County.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Minimum Hourly Wage for Farm Workers for the United States (FEDMINFRMWG) from Jan 1967 to Feb 2025 about per hour, minimum wage, agriculture, workers, hours, federal, wages, and USA.

In 2023, the median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers in the United States was 19.24 U.S. dollars. This is an increase from 1979, when median hourly earnings were at 4.44 U.S. dollars. Hourly Workers The United States national minimum wage is 7.25 U.S. dollars per hour, which has been the minimum wage since 2009. However, each state has the agency to set their state minimum wage. Furthermore, some cities are able to create their minimum wage. Many argue that the minimum wage is too low and should be raised, because it is not considered a living wage. There has been a movement to raise the minimum wage to 15 U.S. dollars per hour, called “Fight for 15” which began in the early 2010s. While there has been no movement at the federal level, some states have moved to increase their minimum wages, with at least three states and the District of Columbia setting minimum wage rates at or above 15 dollars per hour. More recently, some proponents of increasing the minimum wage say that 15 dollars is too low, and lawmakers should strive toward a higher goal, especially given that a 2021 analysis found that the minimum wage in the U.S. should be 22.88 U.S. dollars if it grew at the same rate as economic productivity. Salary Workers On the other hand, salary workers in the United States do not get paid on an hourly basis. The median weekly earnings of salary workers have significantly increased since 1979. Asian salary workers had the highest hourly earnings in the U.S. in 2021. Among female salary workers, those ages 45 to 54 years old had the highest median hourly earnings in 2021, likewise for male salary workers.

Graph and download economic data for Employed: Percent of hourly paid workers: Paid total at or below prevailing federal minimum wage: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over (LEU0203127200A) from 1979 to 2024 about paid, minimum wage, salaries, workers, hours, 16 years +, federal, wages, percent, employment, and USA.

In 2023, about 134.06 million people were employed in the United States on a full-time basis, returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Employment in the U.S.

The number of full-time employees in the United States has increased by more than 30 million people since 1991. In 1990, there were 98.67 million full-time employees which had increased to 134.06 million employees in 2023. After the recession, the number of full-time employees dropped and part-time employment increased significantly. There were about 28.1 million part-time employees in the country as of January 2024. Full-time employment usually is associated with certain benefits that are otherwise not offered to part-time employees, such as health insurance and annual leave. In the United States, a full time worker us usually regard as an individual who works more than 30 hours a week.

Salaries nationwide

Salary in the United States can vary greatly between ethnicities and gender. The median weekly earnings of a full-time salary worker, was 1,310 U.S. dollars for the Asian population, but only 794 U.S. dollars for the Black or African American population in 2020. In the same year, the median hourly wage for female salary workers 15.22 U.S. dollars, while males earned an hourly wage of 17.75 U.S. dollars. Based on a constant value, the wage among salary workers has fluctuated since 1979, where employees earned a median of 14.80 U.S. dollars, compared to 16.36 U.S. dollars in 2020. The minimum wage in the United States was established at 7.25 U.S. dollars per hour as of 2009.

This statistic shows the median household income in the United States from 1990 to 2023 in 2023 U.S. dollars. The median household income was 80,610 U.S. dollars in 2023, an increase from the previous year. Household incomeThe median household income depicts the income of households, including the income of the householder and all other individuals aged 15 years or over living in the household. Income includes wages and salaries, unemployment insurance, disability payments, child support payments received, regular rental receipts, as well as any personal business, investment, or other kinds of income received routinely. The median household income in the United States varies from state to state. In 2020, the median household income was 86,725 U.S. dollars in Massachusetts, while the median household income in Mississippi was approximately 44,966 U.S. dollars at that time. Household income is also used to determine the poverty line in the United States. In 2021, about 11.6 percent of the U.S. population was living in poverty. The child poverty rate, which represents people under the age of 18 living in poverty, has been growing steadily over the first decade since the turn of the century, from 16.2 percent of the children living below the poverty line in year 2000 to 22 percent in 2010. In 2021, it had lowered to 15.3 percent. The state with the widest gap between the rich and the poor was New York, with a Gini coefficient score of 0.51 in 2019. The Gini coefficient is calculated by looking at average income rates. A score of zero would reflect perfect income equality and a score of one indicates a society where one person would have all the money and all other people have nothing.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Erie County, NY (MWACL36029) from 2009 to 2023 about Erie County, NY; Buffalo; adjusted; average; NY; wages; real; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Hancock County, OH (MWACL39063) from 2016 to 2023 about Hancock County, OH; adjusted; OH; average; wages; real; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Johnson County, IA (MWACL19103) from 2009 to 2023 about Johnson County, IA; Iowa City; adjusted; IA; average; wages; real; and USA.

United States - Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: Life, physical, and social science occupations: 16 years and over: Women was 1518.00000 $ in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: Life, physical, and social science occupations: 16 years and over: Women reached a record high of 1518.00000 in January of 2024 and a record low of 667.00000 in January of 2000. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: Life, physical, and social science occupations: 16 years and over: Women - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Rockingham County, NC (MWACL37157) from 2009 to 2023 about Rockingham County, NC; Greensboro; adjusted; average; NC; wages; real; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Houston County, AL (MWACL01069) from 2009 to 2023 about Houston County, AL; Dothan; adjusted; AL; average; wages; real; and USA.