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

Minimum Wages in the United States remained unchanged at 7.25 USD/Hour in 2025 from 7.25 USD/Hour in 2024. This dataset provides - United States Minimum Wages- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

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, 2025, the District of Columbia had the highest minimum wage in the U.S., at 17.5 U.S. dollars per hour. This was followed by Washington, which had 16.66 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 Wage Rate under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (STTMINWGFG) from 1968 to 2025 about minimum wage, federal, labor, wages, rate, and USA.

When adjusted for inflation, the 2024 federal minimum wage in the United States is over 40 percent lower than the minimum wage in 1970. Although the real dollar minimum wage in 1970 was only 1.60 U.S. dollars, when expressed in nominal 2024 dollars this increases to 13.05 U.S. dollars. This is a significant difference from the federal minimum wage in 2024 of 7.25 U.S. dollars.

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.

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

Wages in the United States increased to 31.34 USD/Hour in July from 31.26 USD/Hour in June of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Average Hourly Wages - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This web map, used in The Ever-Changing Minimum Wage Story Map Journal, comprises a selection of feature layers that provide an overview of minimum wages and policies for the 50 U.S. states, District of Columbia, and 36 other localities (counties, cities). Essential data points include minimum wages effective in 2018, historical state minimum wages from 1968 through 2017 (adjusted for inflation to 2017 dollars), comparative data with state living wages (2016 update), and benchmarks for future minimum wages where available. This data was digitized and compiled from the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Conference on State Legislatures, the U.C. Berkeley Labor Center, and MIT's Living Wage Calculator.The styling for this web map uses the composite geographies layout with a dark gray background. Composite geographies are a customized solution created by Esri's David Asbury in order to position Alaska and Hawaii adjacent to the contiguous United States within a Web Mercator projection web map. The dark theme is achieved with a dark gray feature layer that serves as a background to mask out the default background. For more information about using composite geographies, read this blog.

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

This statistic shows the number of workers paid hourly rates at or below prevailing federal minimum wage in the United States in 2023, by race or ethnicity. In 2023, about 666,000 white people were paid at or below the federal minimum wage.

United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: Occupational Program was 2.60000 % of Total Paid at Minimum Wage in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Wage and Salary Workers Paid at Prevailing Federal Minimum Wage: 16 Years and Over: Occupational Program reached a record high of 3.40000 in January of 2007 and a record low of 1.00000 in January of 2022. 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: Occupational Program - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

United States - Federal Minimum Wage Rate under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act was 7.25000 $ per Hour in January of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Federal Minimum Wage Rate under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act reached a record high of 7.25000 in January of 2010 and a record low of 1.60000 in January of 1969. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Federal Minimum Wage Rate under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

United States - Employed: Paid total at or below prevailing federal minimum wage: Private wage and salary workers: Food services and drinking places industries: 16 years and over was 508.00000 Thous. of Persons in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Employed: Paid total at or below prevailing federal minimum wage: Private wage and salary workers: Food services and drinking places industries: 16 years and over reached a record high of 1771.00000 in January of 2010 and a record low of 508.00000 in January of 2024. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Employed: Paid total at or below prevailing federal minimum wage: Private wage and salary workers: Food services and drinking places industries: 16 years and over - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

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: Personal care and service occupations: 16 years and over (LEU0204863600A) from 2000 to 2024 about hygiene, paid, occupation, minimum wage, salaries, workers, hours, percent, 16 years +, federal, wages, services, employment, and USA.

United States - Employed: Paid at prevailing federal minimum wage: Wage and salary workers: Professional and related occupations: 16 years and over was 5.00000 Thous. of Persons in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Employed: Paid at prevailing federal minimum wage: Wage and salary workers: Professional and related occupations: 16 years and over reached a record high of 87.00000 in January of 2013 and a record low of 3.00000 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Employed: Paid at prevailing federal minimum wage: Wage and salary workers: Professional and related occupations: 16 years and over - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on August of 2025.

The average national minimum wage represents a weighted average of local, state and federal statutory minimum hourly wages, as of January 1 of the calendar year. It is presented in chained 2017 dollars and projected based on current legislation.

In 1979, about 3.99 million workers were paid hourly rates at the official minimum wage. In 2023, about 81,000 workers were paid hourly rates at the prevailing minimum wage. The prevailing Federal minimum wage was 7.25 U.S. dollars per hour in 2023.

This statistic shows the percent of workers paid hourly rates at or below prevailing federal minimum wage in the United States from 1980 to 2023, by gender. In 2023, only 1.5 percent of the female wage and salary workers were paid hourly rates at or below the federal minimum wage, compared to 21.6 percent in 1980.

United States - Employed: Paid below prevailing federal minimum wage: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over: White was 603.00000 Thous. of Persons in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Employed: Paid below prevailing federal minimum wage: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over: White reached a record high of 2094.00000 in January of 2009 and a record low of 603.00000 in January of 2024. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Employed: Paid below prevailing federal minimum wage: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over: White - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on August of 2025.