Living and Minimum Wage

Among full-time, year-round workers, poverty has doubled since the late 1970s. The U.S. Census Bureau found that in 2019, the official poverty rate was 10.5 percent (34 million people). This figure includes the 10.5 million children (1 in 7) who are in poverty The current federal minimum wage is no longer a fair wage because its value has fallen sharply over the past 40 years.

The minimum wage is the absolute minimum amount a person can earn. Yet, at $7.25 per hour, an employee who is working 40 hours per week, 52 weeks a year, earns only $15,080. This is below the federal poverty limit of $17,240 for a family of two and many individuals who are paid the federal minimum wage are often supporting far more than just one other person.