What can be done?
The federal minimum wage would be much higher if it had kept up with a growing economy
| Actual minimum wage (2017$) | Minimum wage if it had grown with average wages | Minimum wage if it had grown with productivity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | $ 3.80 | ||
| 1939 | $ 4.63 | ||
| 1940 | $ 4.60 | ||
| 1941 | $ 4.38 | ||
| 1942 | $ 3.95 | ||
| 1943 | $ 3.72 | ||
| 1944 | $ 3.66 | ||
| 1945 | $ 4.77 | ||
| 1946 | $ 4.40 | ||
| 1947 | $ 3.85 | ||
| 1948 | $ 3.56 | $5.67 | |
| 1949 | $ 3.61 | $5.75 | |
| 1950 | $ 6.68 | $5.84 | |
| 1951 | $ 6.19 | $6.29 | |
| 1952 | $ 6.07 | $6.46 | |
| 1953 | $ 6.03 | $6.65 | |
| 1954 | $ 5.98 | $6.88 | |
| 1955 | $ 6.00 | $6.99 | |
| 1956 | $ 7.89 | $7.28 | |
| 1957 | $ 7.63 | $7.29 | |
| 1958 | $ 7.42 | $7.49 | |
| 1959 | $ 7.37 | $7.64 | |
| 1960 | $ 7.25 | $7.92 | |
| 1961 | $ 8.25 | $8.06 | |
| 1962 | $ 8.17 | $8.31 | |
| 1963 | $ 8.76 | $8.62 | |
| 1964 | $ 8.65 | $8.92 | |
| 1965 | $ 8.51 | $9.21 | |
| 1966 | $ 8.28 | $9.49 | |
| 1967 | $ 8.99 | $9.78 | |
| 1968 | $ 9.90 | $ 9.90 | $9.90 |
| 1969 | $ 9.47 | $ 10.08 | $9.94 |
| 1970 | $ 9.03 | $ 10.18 | $10.08 |
| 1971 | $ 8.66 | $ 10.39 | $10.46 |
| 1972 | $ 8.40 | $ 10.85 | $10.73 |
| 1973 | $ 7.90 | $ 10.83 | $10.99 |
| 1974 | $ 8.99 | $ 10.56 | $10.82 |
| 1975 | $ 8.71 | $ 10.41 | $11.06 |
| 1976 | $ 9.03 | $ 10.54 | $11.37 |
| 1977 | $ 8.49 | $ 10.64 | $11.50 |
| 1978 | $ 9.15 | $ 10.76 | $11.59 |
| 1979 | $ 9.15 | $ 10.60 | $11.61 |
| 1980 | $ 8.80 | $ 10.30 | $11.52 |
| 1981 | $ 8.68 | $ 10.22 | $11.77 |
| 1982 | $ 8.19 | $ 10.19 | $11.59 |
| 1983 | $ 7.85 | $ 10.19 | $11.94 |
| 1984 | $ 7.54 | $ 10.13 | $12.25 |
| 1985 | $ 7.29 | $ 10.08 | $12.46 |
| 1986 | $ 7.16 | $ 10.11 | $12.72 |
| 1987 | $ 6.93 | $ 10.02 | $12.78 |
| 1988 | $ 6.68 | $ 9.98 | $12.93 |
| 1989 | $ 6.41 | $ 9.93 | $13.03 |
| 1990 | $ 6.92 | $ 9.85 | $13.22 |
| 1991 | $ 7.47 | $ 9.80 | $13.30 |
| 1992 | $ 7.29 | $ 9.79 | $13.80 |
| 1993 | $ 7.11 | $ 9.80 | $13.85 |
| 1994 | $ 6.97 | $ 9.85 | $13.96 |
| 1995 | $ 6.80 | $ 9.88 | $14.02 |
| 1996 | $ 7.40 | $ 9.95 | $14.29 |
| 1997 | $ 7.86 | $ 10.11 | $14.53 |
| 1998 | $ 7.75 | $ 10.38 | $14.83 |
| 1999 | $ 7.59 | $ 10.53 | $15.22 |
| 2000 | $ 7.34 | $ 10.59 | $15.55 |
| 2001 | $ 7.14 | $ 10.68 | $15.79 |
| 2002 | $ 7.03 | $ 10.82 | $16.24 |
| 2003 | $ 6.87 | $ 10.87 | $16.77 |
| 2004 | $ 6.69 | $ 10.80 | $17.22 |
| 2005 | $ 6.47 | $ 10.74 | $17.52 |
| 2006 | $ 6.27 | $ 10.80 | $17.62 |
| 2007 | $ 6.92 | $ 10.92 | $17.74 |
| 2008 | $ 7.47 | $ 10.92 | $17.78 |
| 2009 | $ 8.29 | $ 11.29 | $18.15 |
| 2010 | $ 8.16 | $ 11.37 | $18.68 |
| 2011 | $ 7.91 | $ 11.24 | $18.71 |
| 2012 | $ 7.75 | $ 11.18 | $18.81 |
| 2013 | $ 7.64 | $ 11.24 | $18.87 |
| 2014 | $ 7.52 | $ 11.32 | $18.97 |
| 2015 | $ 7.51 | $ 11.54 | $19.07 |
| 2016 | $ 7.41 | $ 11.68 | $19.10 |
| 2017 | $ 7.25 | $ 11.62 | $19.33 |
Note: Growth in average wages measures anverage wages of production workers. Inflation measured using the CPI-U-RS and the CPI projection for 2017 from CBO (2017). Productivity is measured as total economy productivity net depreciation.
Source: EPI analysis of the Fair Labor Standards Act and amendments. Total economy productivity data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Labor Productivity and Costs program. Average hourly wages of production nonsupervisory workers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics.
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