Minimum Wage

The minimum wage is a critical labor standard meant to ensure a fair wage for this country’s lowest paid workers. EPI researchers have examined how the minimum wage affects workers and the economy, who benefits from the minimum wage, and how the declining value of the federal minimum wage over time has contributed to the growth in U.S. income inequality.

On the Blog

May 10, 2013 | The best thing for mom this Mother’s Day: a raise
March 7, 2013 | In support of the Fair Minimum Wage Act
March 5, 2013 | A $10.10 minimum wage would give economy (and more low-wage workers) a bigger boost
Feb. 20, 2013 | American job seekers think increasing the minimum wage would be good for them, and the country
Feb. 19, 2013 | What we read today
Feb. 15, 2013 | Putting a $9 minimum wage in context
Feb. 14, 2013 | Who would be affected by President Obama’s proposed minimum wage increase?
Feb. 13, 2013 | Immigration reform and the minimum wage
Feb. 13, 2013 | President Obama throws his support behind increasing the minimum wage
Jan. 31, 2013 | How raising Maryland’s minimum wage will benefit workers and boost the state’s economy
Jan. 7, 2013 | Strengthening the EITC and raising the minimum wage should go hand-in-hand
Dec. 26, 2012 | Minimum wage indexing protects nearly a million low-wage workers this New Year
Aug. 28, 2012 | Key goals of 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom are still unmet
July 19, 2012 | Nearly 3 years, and counting: Minimum wage increase helps working families and the economy
May 25, 2012 | Increasing New Jersey’s minimum wage helps the economy and the state’s lower-income earners

Recent work on Minimum Wage

The Case for Raising the Minimum Wage: If we’re going to live in one unified America, we need an economy that works for all Americans
May 15, 2013 | By David Cooper | Commentary
Even at $10.10, minimum wage would be lower than it could be, given economy’s growth
March 14, 2013 | By David Cooper | Economic snapshot
Raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 would give working families, and the overall economy, a much-needed boost
March 13, 2013 | By David Cooper and Doug Hall | Report
Testimony in support of HB 1204: “Labor and Employment – Maryland Wage and Hour Law – Payment of Wages”
February 27, 2013 | By David Cooper | Testimony
Declining value of the federal minimum wage is a major factor driving inequality
February 21, 2013 | By Lawrence Mishel | Report
Statement by EPI President Lawrence Mishel on President Obama’s support for a higher minimum wage
February 13, 2013 | By Lawrence Mishel | Quick Takes
A Massachusetts minimum-wage increase would help working families and generate jobs
August 21, 2012 | By Mary Gable | Report
How raising the federal minimum wage would help working families and give the economy a boost
August 14, 2012 | By Doug Hall and David Cooper | Report
Workers 20 years of age and older benefit most from proposed hike to federal minimum wage
July 25, 2012 | By Doug Hall | Economic snapshot
Economic research supports raising the minimum wage
July 13, 2012 | By Ross Eisenbrey | Commentary
The benefits of raising Illinois’ minimum wage: An increase would help working families and the state economy
January 30, 2012 | By Doug Hall and Mary Gable | Report
Most minimum-wage workers are not teenagers
January 4, 2012 | By David Cooper | Economic snapshot
More than a million workers helped by inflation-linked state minimum wage increases
December 20, 2011 | By David Cooper
Increasing the minimum wage is smart for families and the economy
May 19, 2011 | By Doug Hall | Commentary
Waiting for Change: The $2.13 Federal Subminimum Wage
February 23, 2011 | By Sylvia A. Allegretto and Kai Filion | Report
Minimum wage anniversary: Still helping millions of workers get by, but just barely
July 23, 2010 | By Kai Filion | Commentary
Monetary Policy and the State of the Economy
July 22, 2010 | By Lawrence Mishel | Testimony
An Assessment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
July 14, 2010 | Testimony
An Assessment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
July 14, 2010 | By Josh Bivens | Other
Job Creation at a Glacial Pace
July 2, 2010 | By Heidi Shierholz | Economic Indicators
Millions of unemployed could lose benefits under current law
May 25, 2010 | By Kai Filion | Commentary
The real deficit crisis: Jobs
May 13, 2010 | By Ross Eisenbrey | Commentary
Trading test anxiety for job market jitters
May 12, 2010 | By Andrea Orr | Economic snapshot
CIS Analysis of Immigration’s Impact on Youth Employment Omits Key Facts
May 12, 2010 | By Heidi Shierholz | Report
The Class of 2010
May 11, 2010 | By Josh Bivens, Kathryn Anne Edwards, and Alexander Hertel-Fernandez | Report
Large jump in private-sector jobs, but unemployment increases to 9.9%
May 7, 2010 | By Heidi Shierholz | Economic Indicators
EPI responds to university presidents on internship regulations
May 5, 2010 | By Ross Eisenbrey | Commentary
Not-So-Equal Protection—Reforming the Regulation of Student Internships
April 9, 2010 | By Kathryn Anne Edwards and Alexander Hertel-Fernandez | Report
EPI applauds Local Jobs for America Act
March 10, 2010 | By Ross Eisenbrey | Commentary
Jobs Crisis Fact Sheet
March 8, 2010 | By Anna Turner | Fact Sheet

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Lawrence Mishel

Lawrence Mishel, President

Douglas Hall, Director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN)

David Cooper, Economic Analyst

Five myths about the minimum wage

Think only teenagers earn the minimum wage? Analysis of minimum-wage workersshows that, at most, 20 percent are teenagers, about 50 percent are full-time employees and about 60 percent are women. The vast majority have household earnings below the median, which was$50,054 in 2011.

The Washington Post | April 11, 2013
Many Left Behind As Silicon Valley Rebounds

“The fact is that we have an economy now that’s working well only for those at the very top,” said Lawrence Mishel at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington D.C. “Unless we adopt a new approach to economic policy, we’re going to continue going down this path, which means growth that does not really benefit the great majority of people in this country.”

Nationally, Mishel says the declining value of the federal minimum wage is a major factor driving inequality.

Associated Press | March 13, 2013
Why we need to raise the minimum wage

Some argue that raising the minimum wage offers benefits to those who may not need them. This argument is also flawed. The Economic Policy Institute’s latest analysis shows that most low-wage workers live in low-wage households, and 84% of the workers in low-wage jobs are at least 20 years old. But, regardless of age or need, anyone who shows up to work and puts in hard hours deserves a wage that keeps him or her out of poverty.

Los Angeles Times | March 13, 2013
Life at the Bottom

About 17 percent of the women who would be affected by a minimum-wage increase have children and almost a quarter of them are their family’s sole breadwinner, according to David Cooper of the Economic Policy Institute. Female minimum-wage earners also overwhelmingly live in the South, where every state except Florida has a state wage at or below the federal minimum.

The American Prospect | March 8, 2013
Obama’s minimum wage increase would reduce record income inequality

And the need is real. The federal government classified 10.5 million Americans as “working poor,” including 4.1 million full-time workers. Their ranks have been swollen by an economy that’s funneled 98 percent of all income gains to the top 10 percent of earners since 1980, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

San Jose Mercury News | March 7, 2013