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.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Minimum Hourly Wage for Nonfarm Workers for the United States (FEDMINNFRWG) from Oct 1938 to Feb 2025 about per hour, minimum wage, nonfarm, workers, hours, federal, wages, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Wage and Salary Workers Paid at Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: Less than a High School Diploma (LHSDC3) from 2002 to 2023 about paid, secondary schooling, secondary, minimum wage, salaries, workers, 16 years +, education, federal, wages, and USA.

Costa Rica is the country with the highest minimum monthly wage in Latin America. According to the minimum salary established by law as of January 2024, workers in the Central American country enjoy a basic monthly wage of over 687 U.S. dollars, an increase of 1.83 percent compared to the previous year and over 100 U.S. dollars more than the second place, Uruguay. On the other side of the spectrum is Venezuela, where employees are only guaranteed by law a minimum salary of 130 bolívares or little more than three dollars per month. Can Latin Americans survive on a minimum wage? Even if most countries in Latin America have instated laws to guarantee citizens a basic income, these minimum standards are often not enough to meet household needs. For instance, it was estimated that almost 25 million people in Mexico lacked basic housing services. Salary levels also vary greatly among Latin American economies. In 2020, the average net monthly salary in Mexico was barely higher than Chile's minimum wage in 2021. What can a minimum wage afford in Latin America? Latin American real wages have generally risen in the past decade. However, consumers in this region still struggle to afford non-basic goods, such as tech products. Recent estimates reveal that, in order to buy an iPhone, Brazilian residents would have to work at least two months to be able to pay for it. A gaming console, on the other hand, could easily cost a Latin American worker several minimum wages.

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.

Wages in Manufacturing in the United States increased to 28.64 USD/Hour in February from 28.54 USD/Hour in January of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Average Hourly Wages in Manufacturing - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid Below Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: 4 Years of High School, no Diploma was 2.40000 % of Total Paid Below Minimum Wage in January of 2021, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid Below Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: 4 Years of High School, no Diploma reached a record high of 2.70000 in January of 2009 and a record low of 1.40000 in January of 2008. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid Below Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: 4 Years of High School, no Diploma - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at or Below Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: Less than 1 Year of High School was 21.00000 Thous. of Persons in January of 2021, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at or Below Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: Less than 1 Year of High School reached a record high of 245.00000 in January of 2010 and a record low of 18.00000 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at or Below Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: Less than 1 Year of High School - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at or Below Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: 1 to 3 Years of High School was 2.30000 % of Total Paid Hourly Rate in January of 2021, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at or Below Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: 1 to 3 Years of High School reached a record high of 16.20000 in January of 2010 and a record low of 2.30000 in January of 2021. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at or Below Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: 1 to 3 Years of High School - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: High School Graduates, no College was 35.30000 % of Total Paid at Minimum Wage in January of 2021, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: High School Graduates, no College reached a record high of 35.90000 in January of 2014 and a record low of 24.00000 in January of 2003. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: High School Graduates, no College - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

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

In 2024, households in California needed an hourly wage of over 47 U.S. dollars to afford the rent of a two-bedroom apartment. Massachusetts had the second-least affordable two-bedroom apartments, as a household would have to earn at least around 45 U.S. dollars per hour in order to afford rent payments. These figures are considerably higher than the average minimum wage in place in many states. There was no state in which a minimum wage worker could afford rent for the average two-bedroom apartment, if they only worked 40 hours a week. Where are the least affordable counties and metros? The least affordable rents were predominately in Californian counties and metropolitan areas in 2024. District of Columbia has one of the highest minimum wages in the country, which stood at 17 U.S. dollars per hour as of January 2024. Thus, the affordability of two-bedroom apartments highlights how disproportionately high housing costs are in the state.

Worldwide, minimum net monthly wages vary from almost 2,500 U.S. dollars in Luxembourg to 68 dollars in Nigeria as of January 2024. Minimum wages must be seen in relation with price levels in a country. One popular way to measure purchasing power is the Big Mac Index.

Graph and download economic data for State Minimum Wage Rate for Virginia (STTMINWGVA) from 1976 to 2025 about minimum wage, VA, wages, rate, and USA.

In 2025, the minimum hourly wage in Beijing was the highest in China at 26.4 yuan per hour. In the past decade, China has been shifting from a cheap labor driven economy to more matured, service-oriented markets and industries. While the economy continues to grow, prices and wages keep on increasing as well. How do wages differ across the country? China’s provinces and municipalities are divided into districts of different levels. Most provinces set different minimum wages for different districts depending on the cost of living and level of development. Usually, provincial capitals and major cities enjoy higher hourly wages than smaller towns and rural areas of the same province. In 2025, the highest minimum hourly wages in China were to be found in Beijing and Tianjin municipalities with 26.4 and 24.4 yuan respectively, whereas employees in Hainan province who received a minimum wage were paid the least – between 16.3 and 17.9 yuan per hour. Minimum monthly wages that year were the highest in Shanghai and the lowest in Qinghai province. The average annual salary in urban China was around 120,700 yuan in 2023. What are the prospects? Regional governments in China are required to update their minimum wages at least every few years. Hebei, Fujian, and Guangdong – provinces that have not adjusted minimum wages in the past two years – are likely to do so in 2025. Along with economic development, increasing living standards, increasing prices and a shrinking labor force, overall minimum wages will likely continue growing in China.

This statistic shows the percentage distribution of full and part-time workers, who were paid hourly rates at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage, in the United States in 2023, by gender. In 2023, around 35.4 percent of workers paid hourly rates at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage were part-time female workers.

The minimum wage per day guaranteed by law in Mexico was decreed to increase by approximately 12 percent between 2024 and 2025, reaching 278.8 Mexican pesos in 2025. The Northern Free Zone located near the northern border was the exception, where the minimum daily wage increased to 419.88 Mexican pesos. Education and income disparity The income distribution is entirely a new story than minimum wages, in fact, there are many factors that influence the level of salaries for Mexican workers. One of the main differences is by the number of schooling years, someone with more than 18 years of study earns on average double than employees with seven to nine years. Moreover, the area of study, while statistics and finance mean salaries, the highest wages by degree, are above 30,000 Mexican pesos per month, others such as performing arts and theology rank as the lowest paying degrees in Mexico.
Poverty still among the main problems
Despite one of the main reasons for minimum wage increases being moving people out from poverty conditions, poverty continues to be one of the main problems Mexican society faces. The number of people living under poverty conditions has decreased by 8.54 million inhabitants from 2014 to 2022, nonetheless, the figure is still higher than 46.5 million. The poverty rate varies among states, with Chiapas leading the ranking with 67.4 percent of the population under such conditions, while both Baja California and Baja California Sur recorded less than 14 percent.

Graph and download economic data for State Minimum Wage Rate for Ohio (STTMINWGOH) from 1968 to 2025 about minimum wage, OH, wages, rate, and USA.

The country with the highest minimum wage rate in Europe during the first half of 2025 was Luxembourg, with a minimum wage of 2638 euros. Ireland, the Netherlands, and Germany were the countries with the next highest minimum wages, all above 2000 euros a month, while Albania, Bulgaria, and Montenegro had the lowest minimum wages in the same period.

This dataset provides values for MINIMUM WAGES reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.