Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2007

Tables 1 - 10

Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage, 2007 annual averages:

1. by selected characteristics
2. by census region and division
3. by State
4. by major occupation group
5. by major industry group
6. by educational attainment
7. by age and sex
8. by marital status, age, and sex
9. by usual hours worked per week
10. by sex (1979-2007 annual averages)

Table 1. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by selected characteristics, 2007 annual averages

Characteristic	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and over	75,873	1,729	267	1,462	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.3	0.4	1.9
16 to 24 years	16,275	814	145	669	21.5	47.1	54.3	45.8	5.0	0.9	4.1
16 to 19 years	5,434	373	93	280	7.2	21.6	34.8	19.2	6.9	1.7	5.2
25 years and over	59,597	915	122	793	78.5	52.9	45.7	54.2	1.5	0.2	1.3
Men, 16 years and over	37,790	546	86	460	49.8	31.6	32.2	31.5	1.4	0.2	1.2
16 to 24 years	8,314	242	52	190	11.0	14.0	19.5	13.0	2.9	0.6	2.3
16 to 19 years	2,652	136	37	99	3.5	7.9	13.9	6.8	5.1	1.4	3.7
25 years and over	29,476	304	34	270	38.8	17.6	12.7	18.5	1.0	0.1	0.9
Women, 16 years and over	38,082	1,183	181	1,002	50.2	68.4	67.8	68.5	3.1	0.5	2.6
16 to 24 years	7,961	572	93	479	10.5	33.1	34.8	32.8	7.2	1.2	6.0
16 to 19 years	2,782	238	56	182	3.7	13.8	21.0	12.4	8.6	2.0	6.5
25 years and over	30,121	611	88	523	39.7	35.3	33.0	35.8	2.0	0.3	1.7
RACE, SEX, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
White (1)	61,061	1,420	204	1,216	80.5	82.1	76.4	83.2	2.3	0.3	2.0
Men	30,944	471	73	398	40.8	27.2	27.3	27.2	1.5	0.2	1.3
Women	30,117	949	131	818	39.7	54.9	49.1	56.0	3.2	0.4	2.7
Black or African American (1)	9,965	205	55	150	13.1	11.9	20.6	10.3	2.1	0.6	1.5
Men	4,482	49	10	39	5.9	2.8	3.7	2.7	1.1	0.2	0.9
Women	5,483	156	45	111	7.2	9.0	16.9	7.6	2.8	0.8	2.0
Asian (1)	2,730	51	1	50	3.6	2.9	0.4	3.4	1.9	0.0	1.8
Men	1,260	14	-	14	1.7	0.8	-	1.0	1.1	-	1.1
Women	1,469	37	1	36	1.9	2.1	0.4	2.5	2.5	0.1	2.5
Hispanic or Latino (1)	13,168	246	41	205	17.4	14.2	15.4	14.0	1.9	0.3	1.6
Men	7,796	114	19	95	10.3	6.6	7.1	6.5	1.5	0.2	1.2
Women	5,372	132	22	110	7.1	7.6	8.2	7.5	2.5	0.4	2.0
FULL- AND PART-TIME STATUS AND SEX
Full-time workers (2)	57,745	752	94	658	76.1	43.5	35.2	45.0	1.3	0.2	1.1
Men	32,003	283	30	253	42.2	16.4	11.2	17.3	0.9	0.1	0.8
Women	25,743	469	64	405	33.9	27.1	24.0	27.7	1.8	0.2	1.6
Part-time workers (2)	17,997	971	172	799	23.7	56.2	64.4	54.7	5.4	1.0	4.4
Men	5,721	260	56	204	7.5	15.0	21.0	14.0	4.5	1.0	3.6
Women	12,276	711	117	594	16.2	41.1	43.8	40.6	5.8	1.0	4.8

1 Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

2 The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on hours usually worked. These data will not sum to totals because full- or part-time status on the principal job is not identifiable for a small number of multiple jobholders.

NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

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Table 2. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by census region and division, 2007 annual averages

Region and division	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and over	75,873	1,729	267	1,462	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.3	0.4	1.9
Northeast	12,903	292	20	272	17.0	16.9	7.5	18.6	2.3	0.2	2.1
New England	3,694	105	5	100	4.9	6.1	1.9	6.8	2.8	0.1	2.7
Middle Atlantic	9,209	187	15	172	12.1	10.8	5.6	11.8	2.0	0.2	1.9
Midwest	18,846	410	39	371	24.8	23.7	14.6	25.4	2.2	0.2	2.0
East North Central	12,989	280	21	259	17.1	16.2	7.9	17.7	2.2	0.2	2.0
West North Central	5,856	130	18	112	7.7	7.5	6.7	7.7	2.2	0.3	1.9
South	26,335	817	180	637	34.7	47.3	67.4	43.6	3.1	0.7	2.4
South Atlantic	13,710	374	57	317	18.1	21.6	21.3	21.7	2.7	0.4	2.3
East South Central	4,577	141	49	92	6.0	8.2	18.4	6.3	3.1	1.1	2.0
West South Central	8,048	302	74	228	10.6	17.5	27.7	15.6	3.8	0.9	2.8
West	17,789	209	28	181	23.4	12.1	10.5	12.4	1.2	0.2	1.0
Mountain	5,576	105	14	91	7.3	6.1	5.2	6.2	1.9	0.3	1.6
Pacific	12,214	105	14	91	16.1	6.1	5.2	6.2	0.9	0.1	0.7

NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

The four major regions and nine census divisions of the United States are as follows:

• Northeast:
  • New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
  • Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania
• Midwest:
  • East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin
  • West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota
• South:
  • South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia
  • East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee
  • West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
• West:
  • Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming
  • Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington

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Table 3. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by State, 2007 annual averages

State	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and over	75,873	1,729	267	1,462	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.3	0.4	1.9
Alabama	1,132	37	14	23	1.5	2.1	5.2	1.6	3.3	1.2	2.0
Alaska	197	2	-	2	0.3	0.1	-	0.1	1.0	-	1.0
Arizona	1,560	28	2	26	2.1	1.6	0.7	1.8	1.8	0.1	1.7
Arkansas	677	17	1	16	0.9	1.0	0.4	1.1	2.5	0.1	2.4
California	8,785	74	9	65	11.6	4.3	3.4	4.4	0.8	0.1	0.7
Colorado	1,164	25	1	24	1.5	1.4	0.4	1.6	2.1	0.1	2.1
Connecticut	923	14	-	14	1.2	0.8	-	1.0	1.5	-	1.5
Delaware	234	5	-	5	0.3	0.3	-	0.3	2.1	-	2.1
District of Columbia	109	3	1	2	0.1	0.2	0.4	0.1	2.8	0.9	1.8
Florida	4,261	114	15	99	5.6	6.6	5.6	6.8	2.7	0.4	2.3
Georgia	2,216	70	11	59	2.9	4.0	4.1	4.0	3.2	0.5	2.7
Hawaii	338	4	-	4	0.4	0.2	-	0.3	1.2	-	1.2
Idaho	424	12	4	8	0.6	0.7	1.5	0.5	2.8	0.9	1.9
Illinois	3,335	74	3	71	4.4	4.3	1.1	4.9	2.2	0.1	2.1
Indiana	1,826	36	7	29	2.4	2.1	2.6	2.0	2.0	0.4	1.6
Iowa	933	24	2	22	1.2	1.4	0.7	1.5	2.6	0.2	2.4
Kansas	796	25	5	20	1.0	1.4	1.9	1.4	3.1	0.6	2.5
Kentucky	1,152	35	9	26	1.5	2.0	3.4	1.8	3.0	0.8	2.3
Louisiana	937	40	17	23	1.2	2.3	6.4	1.6	4.3	1.8	2.5
Maine	399	9	-	9	0.5	0.5	-	0.6	2.3	-	2.3
Maryland	1,317	27	2	25	1.7	1.6	0.7	1.7	2.1	0.2	1.9
Massachusetts	1,505	60	2	58	2.0	3.5	0.7	4.0	4.0	0.1	3.9
Michigan	2,678	58	1	57	3.5	3.4	0.4	3.9	2.2	0.0	2.1
Minnesota	1,565	21	2	19	2.1	1.2	0.7	1.3	1.3	0.1	1.2
Mississippi	691	31	16	15	0.9	1.8	6.0	1.0	4.5	2.3	2.2
Missouri	1,577	33	3	30	2.1	1.9	1.1	2.1	2.1	0.2	1.9
Montana	289	1	-	1	0.4	0.1	-	0.1	0.3	-	0.3
Nebraska	553	17	3	14	0.7	1.0	1.1	1.0	3.1	0.5	2.5
Nevada	747	12	3	9	1.0	0.7	1.1	0.6	1.6	0.4	1.2
New Hampshire	372	9	1	8	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.5	2.4	0.3	2.2
New Jersey	1,697	29	4	25	2.2	1.7	1.5	1.7	1.7	0.2	1.5
New Mexico	479	11	2	9	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.6	2.3	0.4	1.9
New York	4,078	88	7	81	5.4	5.1	2.6	5.5	2.2	0.2	2.0
North Carolina	2,156	46	4	42	2.8	2.7	1.5	2.9	2.1	0.2	1.9
North Dakota	191	5	2	3	0.3	0.3	0.7	0.2	2.6	1.0	1.6
Ohio	3,422	79	5	74	4.5	4.6	1.9	5.1	2.3	0.1	2.2
Oklahoma	849	25	10	15	1.1	1.4	3.7	1.0	2.9	1.2	1.8
Oregon	1,050	9	2	7	1.4	0.5	0.7	0.5	0.9	0.2	0.7
Pennsylvania	3,434	69	3	66	4.5	4.0	1.1	4.5	2.0	0.1	1.9
Rhode Island	315	7	-	7	0.4	0.4	-	0.5	2.2	-	2.2
South Carolina	1,178	47	10	37	1.6	2.7	3.7	2.5	4.0	0.8	3.1
South Dakota	241	6	1	5	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.3	2.5	0.4	2.1
Tennesee	1,602	39	10	29	2.1	2.3	3.7	2.0	2.4	0.6	1.8
Texas	5,585	221	46	175	7.4	12.8	17.2	12.0	4.0	0.8	3.1
Utah	748	11	1	10	1.0	0.6	0.4	0.7	1.5	0.1	1.3
Vermont	181	4	-	4	0.2	0.2	-	0.3	2.2	-	2.2
Virginia	1,761	46	5	41	2.3	2.7	1.9	2.8	2.6	0.3	2.3
Washington	1,844	17	3	14	2.4	1.0	1.1	1.0	0.9	0.2	0.8
West Virginia	478	16	9	7	0.6	0.9	3.4	0.5	3.3	1.9	1.5
Wisconsin	1,730	32	4	28	2.3	1.9	1.5	1.9	1.8	0.2	1.6
Wyoming	164	4	1	3	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.2	2.4	0.6	1.8

NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Users are reminded that these data are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling error; the degree of error may be quite large for less populous States. It is not possible to clearly determine whether workers surveyed in the CPS are actually covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or by individual State minimum wage laws. Thus, some workers reported as earning an hourly wage of $5.15 may not in fact be covered by Federal or State minimum wage laws. At the same time, the presence of a sizable number of workers with wages below the prevailing Federal minimum wage does not necessarily indicate violations of the FLSA or applicable State laws, because there are numerous exclusions and exemptions to these minimum wage statutes. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

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Table 4. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by major occupation group, 2007 annual averages

Occupation	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and over	75,873	1,729	267	1,462	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.3	0.4	1.9
Management, professional, and related occupations	14,447	75	12	63	19.0	4.3	4.5	4.3	0.5	0.1	0.4
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	4,033	22	4	18	5.3	1.3	1.5	1.2	0.5	0.1	0.4
Professional and related occupations	10,413	53	8	45	13.7	3.1	3.0	3.1	0.5	0.1	0.4
Service occupations	16,882	1,248	130	1,118	22.3	72.2	48.7	76.5	7.4	0.8	6.6
Healthcare support occupations	2,514	37	10	27	3.3	2.1	3.7	1.8	1.5	0.4	1.1
Protective service occupations	1,823	29	7	22	2.4	1.7	2.6	1.5	1.6	0.4	1.2
Food preparation and serving related occupations	6,479	1,013	71	942	8.5	58.6	26.6	64.4	15.6	1.1	14.5
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	3,573	58	22	36	4.7	3.4	8.2	2.5	1.6	0.6	1.0
Personal care and service occupations	2,495	111	20	91	3.3	6.4	7.5	6.2	4.4	0.8	3.6
Sales and office occupations	20,951	240	85	155	27.6	13.9	31.8	10.6	1.1	0.4	0.7
Sales and related occupations	7,851	125	50	75	10.3	7.2	18.7	5.1	1.6	0.6	1.0
Office and administrative support occupats	13,099	115	35	80	17.3	6.7	13.1	5.5	0.9	0.3	0.6
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	10,116	44	4	40	13.3	2.5	1.5	2.7	0.4	0.0	0.4
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	628	12	4	8	0.8	0.7	1.5	0.5	1.9	0.6	1.3
Construction and extraction occupations	6,009	27	-	27	7.9	1.6	-	1.8	0.4	-	0.4
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3,480	5	-	5	4.6	0.3	-	0.3	0.1	-	0.1
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	13,477	121	35	86	17.8	7.0	13.1	5.9	0.9	0.3	0.6
Production occupations	7,373	42	13	29	9.7	2.4	4.9	2.0	0.6	0.2	0.4
Transportation and material moving occupations	6,104	79	22	57	8.0	4.6	8.2	3.9	1.3	0.4	0.9

NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

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Table 5. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by major industry group, 2007 annual averages

Industry	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and over	75,873	1,729	267	1,462	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.3	0.4	1.9
Private sector	66,432	1,618	232	1,386	87.6	93.6	86.9	94.8	2.4	0.3	2.1
Agriculture and related industries	688	9	-	9	0.9	0.5	-	0.6	1.3	-	1.3
Nonagricultural industries	65,744	1,609	232	1,377	86.7	93.1	86.9	94.2	2.4	0.4	2.1
Mining	436	-	-	-	0.6	-	-	-	-	-	-
Construction	6,041	34	3	31	8.0	2.0	1.1	2.1	0.6	0.0	0.5
Manufacturing	9,862	38	10	28	13.0	2.2	3.7	1.9	0.4	0.1	0.3
Durable goods	6,226	25	4	21	8.2	1.4	1.5	1.4	0.4	0.1	0.3
Nondurable goods	3,637	12	5	7	4.8	0.7	1.9	0.5	0.3	0.1	0.2
Wholesale and retail trade	12,658	151	52	99	16.7	8.7	19.5	6.8	1.2	0.4	0.8
Wholesale trade	1,986	9	2	7	2.6	0.5	0.7	0.5	0.5	0.1	0.4
Retail trade	10,671	142	50	92	14.1	8.2	18.7	6.3	1.3	0.5	0.9
Transportation and utilities	3,160	18	4	14	4.2	1.0	1.5	1.0	0.6	0.1	0.4
Information	1,505	19	6	13	2.0	1.1	2.2	0.9	1.3	0.4	0.9
Financial activities	3,409	24	7	17	4.5	1.4	2.6	1.2	0.7	0.2	0.5
Professional and business services	5,767	43	6	37	7.6	2.5	2.2	2.5	0.7	0.1	0.6
Education and health services	11,455	144	41	103	15.1	8.3	15.4	7.0	1.3	0.4	0.9
Leisure and hospitality	8,520	1,059	93	966	11.2	61.2	34.8	66.1	12.4	1.1	11.3
Other services	2,932	80	10	70	3.9	4.6	3.7	4.8	2.7	0.3	2.4
Public sector	9,441	111	35	76	12.4	6.4	13.1	5.2	1.2	0.4	0.8
Federal	1,729	15	4	11	2.3	0.9	1.5	0.8	0.9	0.2	0.6
State	2,596	43	16	27	3.4	2.5	6.0	1.8	1.7	0.6	1.0
Local	5,115	53	15	38	6.7	3.1	5.6	2.6	1.0	0.3	0.7

NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

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Table 6. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by educational attainment, 2007 annual averages

Educational attainment	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and over	75,873	1,729	267	1,462	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.3	0.4	1.9
Less than a high school diploma	12,202	419	100	319	16.1	24.2	37.5	21.8	3.4	0.8	2.6
Less than 1 year of high school	3,438	62	14	48	4.5	3.6	5.2	3.3	1.8	0.4	1.4
1 to 3 years of high school	7,442	319	79	240	9.8	18.4	29.6	16.4	4.3	1.1	3.2
4 years of high school, no diploma	1,323	38	7	31	1.7	2.2	2.6	2.1	2.9	0.5	2.3
High school graduates, no college	27,701	566	94	472	36.5	32.7	35.2	32.3	2.0	0.3	1.7
Some college or associate degree	24,707	602	73	529	32.6	34.8	27.3	36.2	2.4	0.3	2.1
Some college, no degree	16,983	506	59	447	22.4	29.3	22.1	30.6	3.0	0.3	2.6
Associate degree	7,724	97	14	83	10.2	5.6	5.2	5.7	1.3	0.2	1.1
Occupational program	3,970	40	9	31	5.2	2.3	3.4	2.1	1.0	0.2	0.8
Academic program	3,754	56	5	51	4.9	3.2	1.9	3.5	1.5	0.1	1.4
College graduates, total	11,262	142	-	142	14.8	8.2	-	9.7	1.3	-	1.3
Bachelor's degree	8,923	127	-	127	11.8	7.3	-	8.7	1.4	-	1.4
Master's degree	1,844	11	-	11	2.4	0.6	-	0.8	0.6	-	0.6
Professional degree	327	2	-	2	0.4	0.1	-	0.1	0.6	-	0.6
Doctoral degree	167	2	-	2	0.2	0.1	-	0.1	1.2	-	1.2
High school graduates or more	63,670	1,311	167	1,144	83.9	75.8	62.5	78.2	2.1	0.3	1.8

NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

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Table 7. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by age and sex, 2007 annual averages

Age and sex	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
BOTH SEXES
Total, 16 years and over	75,873	1,729	267	1,462	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.3	0.4	1.9
Under 25 years	16,275	814	145	669	21.5	47.1	54.3	45.8	5.0	0.9	4.1
16 to 19 years	5,434	373	93	280	7.2	21.6	34.8	19.2	6.9	1.7	5.2
20 to 24 years	10,841	441	52	389	14.3	25.5	19.5	26.6	4.1	0.5	3.6
25 years and over	59,597	915	122	793	78.5	52.9	45.7	54.2	1.5	0.2	1.3
25 to 34 years	16,912	401	35	366	22.3	23.2	13.1	25.0	2.4	0.2	2.2
25 to 29 years	9,238	233	20	213	12.2	13.5	7.5	14.6	2.5	0.2	2.3
30 to 34 years	7,674	168	16	152	10.1	9.7	6.0	10.4	2.2	0.2	2.0
35 to 44 years	16,026	226	39	187	21.1	13.1	14.6	12.8	1.4	0.2	1.2
35 to 39 years	7,800	118	20	98	10.3	6.8	7.5	6.7	1.5	0.3	1.3
40 to 44 years	8,226	109	20	89	10.8	6.3	7.5	6.1	1.3	0.2	1.1
45 to 54 years	15,551	148	20	128	20.5	8.6	7.5	8.8	1.0	0.1	0.8
45 to 49 years	8,366	90	14	76	11.0	5.2	5.2	5.2	1.1	0.2	0.9
50 to 54 years	7,186	56	5	51	9.5	3.2	1.9	3.5	0.8	0.1	0.7
55 to 64 years	8,613	92	17	75	11.4	5.3	6.4	5.1	1.1	0.2	0.9
55 to 59 years	5,416	49	6	43	7.1	2.8	2.2	2.9	0.9	0.1	0.8
60 to 64 years	3,197	43	11	32	4.2	2.5	4.1	2.2	1.3	0.3	1.0
65 years and over	2,495	49	11	38	3.3	2.8	4.1	2.6	2.0	0.4	1.5
65 to 69 years	1,378	24	6	18	1.8	1.4	2.2	1.2	1.7	0.4	1.3
70 years and over	1,118	25	5	20	1.5	1.4	1.9	1.4	2.2	0.4	1.8
MEN
Total, 16 years and over	37,790	546	86	460	49.8	31.6	32.2	31.5	1.4	0.2	1.2
Under 25 years	8,314	242	52	190	11.0	14.0	19.5	13.0	2.9	0.6	2.3
16 to 19 years	2,652	136	37	99	3.5	7.9	13.9	6.8	5.1	1.4	3.7
20 to 24 years	5,662	106	14	92	7.5	6.1	5.2	6.3	1.9	0.2	1.6
25 years and over	29,476	304	34	270	38.8	17.6	12.7	18.5	1.0	0.1	0.9
25 to 34 years	9,114	148	10	138	12.0	8.6	3.7	9.4	1.6	0.1	1.5
25 to 29 years	5,081	94	6	88	6.7	5.4	2.2	6.0	1.9	0.1	1.7
30 to 34 years	4,033	53	4	49	5.3	3.1	1.5	3.4	1.3	0.1	1.2
35 to 44 years	7,981	70	12	58	10.5	4.0	4.5	4.0	0.9	0.2	0.7
35 to 39 years	3,988	34	6	28	5.3	2.0	2.2	1.9	0.9	0.2	0.7
40 to 44 years	3,993	35	6	29	5.3	2.0	2.2	2.0	0.9	0.2	0.7
45 to 54 years	7,372	40	4	36	9.7	2.3	1.5	2.5	0.5	0.1	0.5
45 to 49 years	3,985	19	3	16	5.3	1.1	1.1	1.1	0.5	0.1	0.4
50 to 54 years	3,387	21	1	20	4.5	1.2	0.4	1.4	0.6	0.0	0.6
55 to 64 years	3,899	28	5	23	5.1	1.6	1.9	1.6	0.7	0.1	0.6
55 to 59 years	2,478	13	-	13	3.3	0.8	-	0.9	0.5	-	0.5
60 to 64 years	1,421	14	5	9	1.9	0.8	1.9	0.6	1.0	0.4	0.6
65 years and over	1,110	20	4	16	1.5	1.2	1.5	1.1	1.8	0.4	1.4
65 to 69 years	606	8	2	6	0.8	0.5	0.7	0.4	1.3	0.3	1.0
70 years and over	504	12	2	10	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	2.4	0.4	2.0
WOMEN
Total, 16 years and over	38,082	1,183	181	1,002	50.2	68.4	67.8	68.5	3.1	0.5	2.6
Under 25 years	7,961	572	93	479	10.5	33.1	34.8	32.8	7.2	1.2	6.0
16 to 19 years	2,782	238	56	182	3.7	13.8	21.0	12.4	8.6	2.0	6.5
20 to 24 years	5,179	334	37	297	6.8	19.3	13.9	20.3	6.4	0.7	5.7
25 years and over	30,121	611	88	523	39.7	35.3	33.0	35.8	2.0	0.3	1.7
25 to 34 years	7,798	254	26	228	10.3	14.7	9.7	15.6	3.3	0.3	2.9
25 to 29 years	4,157	139	14	125	5.5	8.0	5.2	8.5	3.3	0.3	3.0
30 to 34 years	3,641	115	12	103	4.8	6.7	4.5	7.0	3.2	0.3	2.8
35 to 44 years	8,045	156	27	129	10.6	9.0	10.1	8.8	1.9	0.3	1.6
35 to 39 years	3,812	83	14	69	5.0	4.8	5.2	4.7	2.2	0.4	1.8
40 to 44 years	4,233	73	13	60	5.6	4.2	4.9	4.1	1.7	0.3	1.4
45 to 54 years	8,179	107	16	91	10.8	6.2	6.0	6.2	1.3	0.2	1.1
45 to 49 years	4,381	72	12	60	5.8	4.2	4.5	4.1	1.6	0.3	1.4
50 to 54 years	3,799	36	4	32	5.0	2.1	1.5	2.2	0.9	0.1	0.8
55 to 64 years	4,714	65	12	53	6.2	3.8	4.5	3.6	1.4	0.3	1.1
55 to 59 years	2,938	36	6	30	3.9	2.1	2.2	2.1	1.2	0.2	1.0
60 to 64 years	1,776	29	6	23	2.3	1.7	2.2	1.6	1.6	0.3	1.3
65 years and over	1,386	29	7	22	1.8	1.7	2.6	1.5	2.1	0.5	1.6
65 to 69 years	771	16	4	12	1.0	0.9	1.5	0.8	2.1	0.5	1.6
70 years and over	614	13	3	10	0.8	0.8	1.1	0.7	2.1	0.5	1.6

NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

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Table 8. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by marital status, age, and sex, 2007 annual averages

Marital status, age and sex	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
BOTH SEXES
Total, 16 years and over	75,873	1,729	267	1,462	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.3	0.4	1.9
Never married	26,868	1,088	179	909	35.4	62.9	67.0	62.2	4.0	0.7	3.4
16 to 24 years	14,350	756	137	619	18.9	43.7	51.3	42.3	5.3	1.0	4.3
25 years and over	12,518	332	42	290	16.5	19.2	15.7	19.8	2.7	0.3	2.3
25 to 54 years	11,822	321	41	280	15.6	18.6	15.4	19.2	2.7	0.3	2.4
Married, spouse present	35,893	391	47	344	47.3	22.6	17.6	23.5	1.1	0.1	1.0
16 to 24 years	1,493	43	7	36	2.0	2.5	2.6	2.5	2.9	0.5	2.4
25 years and over	34,399	346	39	307	45.3	20.0	14.6	21.0	1.0	0.1	0.9
25 to 54 years	27,399	280	26	254	36.1	16.2	9.7	17.4	1.0	0.1	0.9
Other marital status	13,112	250	41	209	17.3	14.5	15.4	14.3	1.9	0.3	1.6
16 to 24 years	432	14	-	14	0.6	0.8	-	1.0	3.2	-	3.2
25 years and over	12,680	236	41	195	16.7	13.6	15.4	13.3	1.9	0.3	1.5
25 to 54 years	9,268	173	27	146	12.2	10.0	10.1	10.0	1.9	0.3	1.6
MEN
Total, 16 years and over	37,790	546	86	460	49.8	31.6	32.2	31.5	1.4	0.2	1.2
Never married	14,444	432	69	363	19.0	25.0	25.8	24.8	3.0	0.5	2.5
16 to 24 years	7,474	239	49	190	9.9	13.8	18.4	13.0	3.2	0.7	2.5
25 years and over	6,970	193	20	173	9.2	11.2	7.5	11.8	2.8	0.3	2.5
25 to 54 years	6,656	177	18	159	8.8	10.2	6.7	10.9	2.7	0.3	2.4
Married, spouse present	18,265	113	16	97	24.1	6.5	6.0	6.6	0.6	0.1	0.5
16 to 24 years	670	2	2	-	0.9	0.1	0.7	-	0.3	0.3	-
25 years and over	17,595	111	14	97	23.2	6.4	5.2	6.6	0.6	0.1	0.6
25 to 54 years	13,921	80	7	73	18.3	4.6	2.6	5.0	0.6	0.1	0.5
Other marital status	5,081	46	3	43	6.7	2.7	1.1	2.9	0.9	0.1	0.8
16 to 24 years	170	1	-	1	0.2	0.1	-	0.1	0.6	-	0.6
25 years and over	4,911	45	3	42	6.5	2.6	1.1	2.9	0.9	0.1	0.9
25 to 54 years	3,891	35	2	33	5.1	2.0	0.7	2.3	0.9	0.1	0.8
WOMEN
Total, 16 years and over .	38,082	1,183	181	1,002	50.2	68.4	67.8	68.5	3.1	0.5	2.6
Never married	12,424	702	113	589	16.4	40.6	42.3	40.3	5.7	0.9	4.7
16 to 24 years	6,875	518	88	430	9.1	30.0	33.0	29.4	7.5	1.3	6.3
25 years and over	5,548	184	25	159	7.3	10.6	9.4	10.9	3.3	0.5	2.9
25 to 54 years	5,166	180	25	155	6.8	10.4	9.4	10.6	3.5	0.5	3.0
Married, spouse present	17,628	277	30	247	23.2	16.0	11.2	16.9	1.6	0.2	1.4
16 to 24 years	823	41	5	36	1.1	2.4	1.9	2.5	5.0	0.6	4.4
25 years and over	16,804	237	26	211	22.1	13.7	9.7	14.4	1.4	0.2	1.3
25 to 54 years	13,479	200	19	181	17.8	11.6	7.1	12.4	1.5	0.1	1.3
Other marital status	8,031	204	38	166	10.6	11.8	14.2	11.4	2.5	0.5	2.1
16 to 24 years	262	13	-	13	0.3	0.8	-	0.9	5.0	-	5.0
25 years and over	7,769	190	37	153	10.2	11.0	13.9	10.5	2.4	0.5	2.0
25 to 54 years	5,377	138	25	113	7.1	8.0	9.4	7.7	2.6	0.5	2.1

NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

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Table 9. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by usual hours worked on primary job, 2007 annual averages

Usual hours worked per week on primary job	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage		Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years and over	75,873	1,729	267	1,462	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.3	0.4	1.9
Hours vary	4,866	219	38	181	6.4	12.7	14.2	12.4	4.5	0.8	3.7
0 to 34 hours	16,158	866	146	720	21.3	50.1	54.7	49.2	5.4	0.9	4.5
0 to 4 hours	294	16	2	14	0.4	0.9	0.7	1.0	5.4	0.7	4.8
5 to 9 hours	891	53	15	38	1.2	3.1	5.6	2.6	5.9	1.7	4.3
10 to 14 hours	1,461	82	13	69	1.9	4.7	4.9	4.7	5.6	0.9	4.7
15 to 19 hours	2,212	135	26	109	2.9	7.8	9.7	7.5	6.1	1.2	4.9
20 to 24 hours	4,969	261	57	204	6.5	15.1	21.3	14.0	5.3	1.1	4.1
25 to 29 hours	2,175	120	14	106	2.9	6.9	5.2	7.3	5.5	0.6	4.9
30 to 34 hours	4,156	198	19	179	5.5	11.5	7.1	12.2	4.8	0.5	4.3
35 hours or more	54,848	644	83	561	72.3	37.2	31.1	38.4	1.2	0.2	1.0
35 to 39 hours	5,338	166	27	139	7.0	9.6	10.1	9.5	3.1	0.5	2.6
40 hours or more	49,510	478	56	422	65.3	27.6	21.0	28.9	1.0	0.1	0.9
40 hours	42,656	410	48	362	56.2	23.7	18.0	24.8	1.0	0.1	0.8
41 hours or more	6,854	70	9	61	9.0	4.0	3.4	4.2	1.0	0.1	0.9
41 to 44 hours	760	6	2	4	1.0	0.3	0.7	0.3	0.8	0.3	0.5
45 to 48 hours	2,448	15	-	15	3.2	0.9	-	1.0	0.6	-	0.6
49 to 59 hours	2,536	37	6	31	3.3	2.1	2.2	2.1	1.5	0.2	1.2
60 hours or more	1,110	12	1	11	1.5	0.7	0.4	0.8	1.1	0.1	1.0

NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

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Table 10. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by sex, 1979-2007 annual averages (Numbers in thousands)

Year and sex	Total wage and salary workers	Workers paid hourly rates
		Total	Percent of total wage and salary workers	Below prevailing Federal minimum wage	At prevailing Federal minimum wage	Total at or below prevailing Federal minimum wage
						Number	Percent of hourly paid workers
BOTH SEXES
1979	87,529	51,721	59.1	2,916	3,997	6,912	13.4
1980	87,644	51,335	58.6	3,087	4,686	7,773	15.1
1981	88,516	51,869	58.6	3,513	4,311	7,824	15.1
1982	87,368	50,846	58.2	2,348	4,148	6,496	12.8
1983	88,290	51,820	58.7	2,077	4,261	6,338	12.2
1984	92,194	54,143	58.7	1,838	4,125	5,963	11.0
1985	94,521	55,762	59.0	1,639	3,899	5,538	9.9
1986 (1)	96,903	57,529	59.4	1,599	3,461	5,060	8.8
1987	99,303	59,552	60.0	1,468	3,229	4,698	7.9
1988	101,407	60,878	60.0	1,319	2,608	3,927	6.5
1989	103,480	62,389	60.3	1,372	1,790	3,162	5.1
1990 (1)	104,876	63,172	60.2	2,132(2)	1,096(2)	3,228(2)	5.1(2)
1991	103,723	62,627	60.4	2,377(2)	2,906(2)	5,283(2)	8.4(2)
1992	104,668	63,610	60.8	1,939	2,982	4,921	7.7
1993	106,101	64,274	60.6	1,707	2,625	4,332	6.7
1994 (1)	107,989	66,549	61.6	1,995	2,132	4,128	6.2
1995	110,038	68,354	62.1	1,699	1,956	3,656	5.3
1996	111,960	69,255	61.9	1,863(2)	1,861(2)	3,724(2)	5.4(2)
1997 (1)	114,533	70,735	61.8	2,990(2)	1,764(2)	4,754(2)	6.7(2)
1998 (1)	116,730	71,440	61.2	2,834	1,593	4,427	6.2
1999 (1)	118,963	72,306	60.8	2,194	1,146	3,340	4.6
2000 (1)	122,089	73,496	60.2	1,752	898	2,650	3.6
2001	122,229	73,392	60.0	1,518	656	2,174	3.0
2002	121,826	72,508	59.5	1,579	567	2,146	3.0
2003 (1)	122,358	72,946	59.6	1,555	545	2,100	2.9
2004 (1)	123,554	73,939	59.8	1,483	520	2,003	2.7
2005	125,889	75,609	60.1	1,403	479	1,882	2.5
2006	128,237	76,514	59.7	1,283	409	1,692	2.2
2007	129,767	75,873	58.5	1,462(2)	267(2)	1,729(2)	2.3(2)
MEN
1979	49,400	28,392	57.5	846	1,353	2,199	7.7
1980	48,700	27,709	56.9	983	1,696	2,678	9.7
1981	48,844	27,576	56.5	1,119	1,533	2,652	9.6
1982	47,591	26,481	55.6	697	1,587	2,284	8.6
1983	47,856	26,831	56.1	585	1,658	2,243	8.4
1984	50,022	28,140	56.3	490	1,626	2,116	7.5
1985	51,015	28,893	56.6	440	1,544	1,984	6.9
1986 (1)	51,942	29,666	57.1	408	1,336	1,743	5.9
1987	52,938	30,474	57.6	364	1,283	1,647	5.4
1988	53,912	31,058	57.6	311	1,066	1,377	4.4
1989	54,789	31,687	57.8	379	733	1,112	3.5
1990 (1)	55,553	32,104	57.8	712(2)	385(2)	1,097(2)	3.4(2)
1991	54,618	31,639	57.9	795(2)	1,114(2)	1,909(2)	6.0(2)
1992	54,826	32,155	58.6	653	1,231	1,885	5.9
1993	55,475	32,337	58.3	573	1,091	1,664	5.1
1994 (1)	56,570	33,528	59.3	674	891	1,565	4.7
1995	57,669	34,420	59.7	542	796	1,338	3.9
1996	58,473	34,838	59.6	619(2)	755(2)	1,374(2)	3.9(2)
1997 (1)	59,825	35,521	59.4	1,147(2)	673(2)	1,820(2)	5.1(2)
1998 (1)	60,973	35,761	58.7	1,039	628	1,667	4.7
1999 (1)	61,914	36,073	58.3	768	446	1,214	3.4
2000 (1)	63,662	36,720	57.7	582	319	901	2.5
2001	63,647	36,544	57.4	497	247	744	2.0
2002	63,272	36,000	56.9	582	217	799	2.2
2003 (1)	63,236	35,853	56.7	493	213	706	2.0
2004 (1)	64,145	36,806	57.4	470	210	680	1.8
2005	65,466	37,652	57.5	459	189	648	1.7
2006	66,811	38,193	57.2	422	146	c 568	1.5
2007	67,468	37,790	56.0	460(2)	86(2)	546(2)	1.4(2)
WOMEN
1979	38,129	23,329	61.2	2,070	2,644	4,714	20.2
1980	38,944	23,626	60.7	2,104	2,990	5,095	21.6
1981	39,672	24,294	61.2	2,394	2,778	5,172	21.3
1982	39,777	24,365	61.3	1,651	2,561	4,212	17.3
1983	40,433	24,989	61.8	1,492	2,603	4,095	16.4
1984	42,172	26,003	61.7	1,348	2,499	3,847	14.8
1985	43,506	26,869	61.8	1,198	2,356	3,554	13.2
1986 (1)	44,961	27,863	62.0	1,192	2,125	3,317	11.9
1987	46,365	29,078	62.7	1,105	1,946	3,051	10.5
1988	47,495	29,820	62.8	1,008	1,542	2,550	8.6
1989	48,691	30,702	63.1	994	1,056	2,050	6.7
1990 (1)	49,323	31,069	63.0	1,420(2)	711(2)	2,131(2)	6.9(2)
1991	49,105	30,988	63.1	1,582(2)	1,792(2)	3,374(2)	10.9(2)
1992	49,842	31,454	63.1	1,286	1,751	3,036	9.7
1993	50,626	31,937	63.1	1,133	1,534	2,667	8.4
1994 (1)	51,419	33,021	64.2	1,322	1,241	2,563	7.8
1995	52,369	33,934	64.8	1,157	1,161	2,318	6.8
1996	53,488	34,418	64.3	1,244(2)	1,106(2)	2,350(2)	6.8(2)
1997 (1)	54,708	35,214	64.4	1,843(2)	1,092(2)	2,935(2)	8.3(2)
1998 (1)	55,757	35,680	64.0	1,794	965	2,760	7.7
1999 (1)	57,050	36,233	63.5	1,426	700	2,126	5.9
2000 (1)	58,427	36,777	62.9	1,170	579	1,749	4.8
2001	58,582	36,848	62.9	1,021	409	1,430	3.9
2002	58,555	36,508	62.3	997	350	1,347	3.7
2003 (1)	59,122	37,093	62.7	1,062	332	1,394	3.8
2004 (1)	59,408	37,133	62.5	1,013	310	1,323	3.6
2005	60,423	37,957	62.8	944	290	1,234	3.3
2006	61,426	38,321	62.4	861	263	1,124	2.9
2007	62,299	38,082	61.1	1,002(2)	181(2)	1,183(2)	3.1(2)

1 The comparability of historical labor force data has been affected at various times by methodological and conceptual changes in the Current Population Survey (CPS). For an explanation, see the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" section of the February 2007 and subsequent issues of Employment and Earnings.

2 Data for 1990-91 and 1996-97 reflect changes in the minimum wage that took place in those years.

NOTE: The prevailing Federal minimum wage was $2.90 in 1979, $3.10 in 1980, and $3.35 in 1981-89. The minimum wage rose to $3.80 on April 1, 1990, to $4.25 on April 1, 1991, to $4.75 on October 1, 1996, to $5.15 on September 1, 1997, and to $5.85 on July 24, 2007. Data exclude all self-employed persons regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. The presence of a sizable number of workers with reported wages below the minimum does not necessarily indicate violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as there are numerous exemptions to the minimum wage provisions of the law. The relatively large number of workers with reported wages below the minimum in 1998-2006 includes some hourly-paid workers reported as earning exactly $5.00 per hour (about 1.4 million in 1998, about 900,000 in 1999, about 600,000 in 2000, about 500,000 in 2001 and in 2002, about 350,000 in 2003 and in 2004, 300,000 in 2005, and about 200,000 in 2006); to some extent, this may reflect rounding on the part of survey respondents.

 c = corrected.

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Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2007

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2008