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.

This statistic presents the results of a phone survey conducted by Gallup among American adults who were 18 years and older in November 2013. Survey respondents were asked how they would vote on a proposal to raise the minimum wage from 7.25 to 9 U.S. dollars an hour with automatic increases tied to inflation. Some 23 percent of Independent respondents said they would vote against such a proposal.

Context

In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act established a federal minimum wage of $0.25. Over the years, amendments to that act have raised the rate. Today, that rate is $7.25, having remained so since 2009. In this dataset, I map the journey this metric has taken, adding other economic indicators for each year.

4/26/2022 Update In addition, I have added a dataset which compares min wage increases to the political party which controlled the white house, senate, and house of representatives.

Content

The dataset contains the minimum wage, inflation, unemployment rate, and GDP growth for each year.

Sources for data

Minimum wage: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/history/chart

Inflation: https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/historical-inflation-rates/

Unemployment rate & GDP growth: https://www.thebalance.com/unemployment-rate-by-year-3305506

Banner image: https://unsplash.com/photos/8lnbXtxFGZw

Wages in Italy increased 4 percent in March of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Italy Hourly Wage Index - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Replication Data for: The minimum wage in formal and informal sectors: Evidence from an inflation shock

In France, in the fourth quarter of 2023 the hourly gross minimum wage has been multiplied by around 2.5, since March 1990. For the same period of time, the consumer price index indicated that inflation has been multiplied by around 1.8 since March 1990.

I was looking for data to add to a visualization about minimum wage in the U.S. over the years and found this inflation rate data useful.

Investopedia summary: The inflation rate is the percentage change in the price of products and services from one year to the next. Two of the most common ways to measure inflation are the Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The CPI measures the change in prices paid by U.S. consumers over time, and it is the most popular way to gauge inflation.

Minimum Wages in Japan increased to 1054 JPY/Hour in 2024 from 1002 JPY/Hour in 2023. This dataset provides - Japan Minimum Wages- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2023, the usual median hourly rate of a worker's wage in the United States was 19.24 U.S. dollars, a decrease from the previous year. Dollar value is based on 2023 U.S. dollars. In 1979, the median hourly earnings in the U.S. was 17.48 dollars.

Brazil National Consumer Confidence Index: Expectation: Inflation: More Than 5 Minimum Wages data was reported at 54.375 Point in Jun 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 55.675 Point for Mar 2019. Brazil National Consumer Confidence Index: Expectation: Inflation: More Than 5 Minimum Wages data is updated quarterly, averaging 65.850 Point from Mar 2009 (Median) to Jun 2019, with 42 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 83.200 Point in Mar 2015 and a record low of 48.425 Point in Dec 2018. Brazil National Consumer Confidence Index: Expectation: Inflation: More Than 5 Minimum Wages data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Confederation of Industry. The data is categorized under Brazil Premium Database’s Business and Economic Survey – Table BR.SJ004: National Consumer Confidence Index: by Family Income. Diffusion Index On expectation indicators the values above 50 points indicate growth expectancy, while values below 50 points indicate expectancy of fall. Exceptionally the first result of 2019 refers to the month of April/2019 instead of March/2019.

Minimum Wages in Ireland increased to 13.50 EUR/Hour in 2025 from 12.70 EUR/Hour in 2024. This dataset provides - Ireland Minimum Wages - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In January 2025, the minimum monthly wage in Romania was 22.7 percent higher than in the corresponding month of the previous year. The national minimum wage stood at 4,050 Romanian lei. A year prior, it was 3,300 Romanian lei.

Brazil Market Expectation: Inflation: Accumulated Over Next 12 Months: Consumer Price Index (IPC-FIPE): Smoothed: Median data was reported at 3.910 % in 28 Jun 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.830 % for 27 Jun 2019. Brazil Market Expectation: Inflation: Accumulated Over Next 12 Months: Consumer Price Index (IPC-FIPE): Smoothed: Median data is updated daily, averaging 4.850 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to 28 Jun 2019, with 4406 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.020 % in 13 Dec 2002 and a record low of 3.360 % in 06 Aug 2007. Brazil Market Expectation: Inflation: Accumulated Over Next 12 Months: Consumer Price Index (IPC-FIPE): Smoothed: Median data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of Brazil. The data is categorized under Brazil Premium Database’s Business and Economic Survey – Table BR.SA036: Market Expectation: Inflation: Accumulated Over Next 12 Months: Consumer Price Index (IPC-FIPE): Smoothed. Market Expectations System was implemented in November 2001, previous projections were collected from incipient through telephone contacts, transcribed into spreadsheets and consolidated manually. Some empty time points occurred because the Market didn´t have the expectation for those days. Researched in the city of São Paulo, reflects the cost of living of families with income from 1 to 20 minimum wages.

From April 2025 onwards, the UK's main national minimum wage category, the national living wage, will rise to 12.21 pounds per hour, up from 11.44 pounds per hour in the previous financial year. This amount will apply to workers aged 21 and over, compared with 2022 and 2023 when it was only for workers aged 23 and over, and for those aged 25 and over between 2016 and 2021. The main minimum wage from 2010 to 2015 was the 21+ rate, and 22+ rate between 1999 and 2009. Evolution of the minimum wage Since its introduction in 1999, the minimum wage has had various rate categories, usually based on age. For the first five years, there were two categories, one for workers 18 to 21, and another for workers aged 22 and over. In 2004, a minimum wage for under 18s was introduced, and between 2010 and 2015 there were three rates based on age, and one for apprenticeships. Another age based-rate was added in 2016, but from 2024 onwards, the model will revert to four rate categories overall. In addition to the legal minimum wage, there is also a voluntary real living wage, which for 2024/25 is 12.6 pounds per hour, rising to 13.85 pounds per hour for workers in London. Wages continue to outpace inflation in 2024 Since July 2023, wages have grown faster than inflation in the UK with December 2024 seeing regular weekly earnings grow by 5.9 percent, compared with the CPI inflation rate of 2.5 percent that month. For almost two years between November 2021 and June 2023, wage growth struggled to keep up with inflation, with the biggest gap occurring in October 2022 when inflation peaked at 11.1 percent. The fall in real earnings in one of the most important factors in the UK's ongoing cost of living crisis. At the height of the crisis, around 91 percent of UK households were reporting a monthly increase in their cost of living, with this falling to 46 percent by March 2024.

Prior research has found that places and people that are more economically disadvantaged have higher rates and risks, respectively, of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Economic disadvantages at the level of places and people, however, are themselves influenced by economic policies. To enhance the policy relevance of STI research, we explore, for the first time, the relationship between state-level minimum wage policies and STI rates among women in a cohort of 66 large metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the US spanning 2003–2015. Our annual state-level minimum wage measure was adjusted for inflation and cost of living. STI outcomes (rates of primary and secondary syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia per 100,000 women) were obtained from the CDC. We used multivariable hierarchical linear models to test the hypothesis that higher minimum wages would be associated with lower STI rates. We preliminarily explored possible socioeconomic mediators of the minimum wage/STI relationship (e.g., MSA-level rates of poverty, employment, and incarceration). We found that a $1 increase in the price-adjusted minimum wage over time was associated with a 19.7% decrease in syphilis rates among women and with an 8.5% drop in gonorrhea rates among women. The association between minimum wage and chlamydia rates did not meet our cutpoint for substantive significance. Preliminary mediation analyses suggest that MSA-level employment among women may mediate the relationship between minimum wage and gonorrhea. Consistent with an emerging body of research on minimum wage and health, our findings suggest that increasing the minimum wage may have a protective effect on STI rates among women. If other studies support this finding, public health strategies to reduce STIs among women should include advocating for a higher minimum wage.

Minimum Wages in Germany increased to 12.82 EUR/Hour in 2025 from 12.41 EUR/Hour in 2024. This dataset provides - Germany Minimum Wages- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In April 2025, the UK minimum wage for adults over the age of 21 in will be 12.21 pounds per hour. For the 2025/26 financial year, there will be four minimum wage categories, three of which are based on age and one for apprentice workers. Apprentices, and workers under the age of 18 will have a minimum wage of 7.55 pounds an hour, increasing to ten pounds for those aged 18 to 20. When the minimum wage was first introduced in 1999, there were just two age categories; 18 to 21, and 22 and over. This increased to three categories in 2004, four in 2010, and five between 2016 and 2023, before being reduced down to four in the most recent year. The living wage The living wage is an alternative minimum wage amount that employers in the UK can voluntarily pay their employees. It is calculated independently of the legal minimum wage and results in a higher value figure. In 2023/24, for example, the living wage was twelve pounds an hour for the UK as a whole and 13.15 for workers in London, where the cost of living is typically higher. This living wage is different from what the UK government has named the national living wage, which was 10.42 in the same financial year. Between 2011/12 and 2023/24, the living wage has increased by 4.80 pounds, while the London living wage has grown by 4.85 pounds. Wage growth cancelled-out by high inflation 2021-2023 For a long period between the middle of 2021 and late 2023, average wage growth in the UK was unable to keep up with record inflation levels, resulting in the biggest fall in disposable income since 1956. Although the UK government attempted to mitigate the impact of falling living standards through a series of cost of living payments, the situation has still been very difficult for households. After peaking at 11.1 percent in October 2022, the UK's inflation rate remained in double figures until March 2023, and did not fall to the preferred rate of two percent until May 2024. As of November 2024, regular weekly pay in the UK was growing by 5.6 percent in nominal terms, and 2.5 percent when adjusted for inflation.

Brazil Market Expectation: Inflation: Accumulated Over Next 12 Months: National Consumer Price Index (INPC): Smoothed: Average data was reported at 3.810 % in Jun 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.700 % for May 2019. Brazil Market Expectation: Inflation: Accumulated Over Next 12 Months: National Consumer Price Index (INPC): Smoothed: Average data is updated monthly, averaging 5.160 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to Jun 2019, with 211 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.230 % in Dec 2002 and a record low of 3.420 % in Jun 2007. Brazil Market Expectation: Inflation: Accumulated Over Next 12 Months: National Consumer Price Index (INPC): Smoothed: Average data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of Brazil. The data is categorized under Brazil Premium Database’s Business and Economic Survey – Table BR.SB026: Market Expectation: Inflation: Accumulated Over Next 12 Months: National Consumer Price Index (INPC): Smoothed. Market Expectations System was implemented in November 2001, previous projections were collected from incipient through telephone contacts, transcribed into spreadsheets and consolidated manually. Some empty time points occurred because the Market didn´t have the expectation for those days. Is calculated by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Consider the price variation in 11 regions: Rio, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Belém, Fortaleza, Salvador, Recife and Goiânia. It is based on the budget of families with monthly income between one and eight minimum wages.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Wages and Salaries by Quintiles of Income Before Taxes: Lowest 20 Percent (1st to 20th Percentile) (CXU900000LB0102M) from 1984 to 2023 about percentile, salaries, tax, wages, income, and USA.

Average hourly and weekly wage rate, and median hourly and weekly wage rate by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), type of work, gender, and age group.