U.S. Demographics
Characteristics of U.S. workers who would be affected by increasing the federal minimum wage to $12 per hour by July 2020, total
| Category | Estimated workforce | Directly affected | Indirectly affected | Total affected | Percentage of the total affected | Share of this category that is affected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 137,367,000 | 31,047,000 | 6,694,000 | 37,741.000 | 100.0% | 27.5% |
| Sex | ||||||
| Female | 66,234,000 | 17,412,000 | 3,733,000 | 21,145,000 | 56.0% | 31.9% |
| Male | 71,133,000 | 13,634,000 | 2,961,000 | 16,595,000 | 44.0% | 23.3% |
| Age | ||||||
| Under 20 | 4,650,000 | 3,766,000 | 274,000 | 4,040,000 | 10.7% | 86.9% |
| 20 or older | 132,718,000 | 27,281,000 | 6,419,000 | 33,700,000 | 89.3% | 25.4% |
| Less than 25 | 18,827,000 | 10,955,000 | 1,505,000 | 12,460,000 | 33.0% | 66.2% |
| 25 to 39 | 46,012,000 | 8,965,000 | 2,277,000 | 11,242,000 | 29.8% | 24.4% |
| 40 to 54 | 44,583,000 | 6,497,000 | 1,657,000 | 8,154,000 | 21.6% | 18.3% |
| 55+ | 27,945,000 | 4,630,000 | 1,254,000 | 5,884,000 | 15.6% | 21.1% |
| Race or ethnicity | ||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 88,590,000 | 16,513,000 | 3,697,000 | 20,210,000 | 53.5% | 22.8% |
| Black or African American | 15,543,000 | 4,876,000 | 886,000 | 5,762,000 | 15.3% | 37.1% |
| Hispanic of any race | 22,534,000 | 7,482,000 | 1,570,000 | 9,052,000 | 24.0% | 40.2% |
| Asian or other race/ethnicity | 10,700,000 | 2,177,000 | 541,000 | 2,718,000 | 7.2% | 25.4% |
| Family status | ||||||
| Married parent | 36,334,000 | 5,039,000 | 1,313,000 | 6,352,000 | 16.8% | 17.5% |
| Single parent | 10,548,000 | 3,344,000 | 739,000 | 4,083,000 | 10.8% | 38.7% |
| Married, no kids | 37,457,000 | 5,578,000 | 1,543,000 | 7,121,000 | 18.9% | 19.0% |
| Unmarried, no kids | 53,028,000 | 17,086,000 | 3,098,000 | 20,184,000 | 53.5% | 38.1% |
| Working moms | 23,222,000 | 5,554,000 | 1,254,000 | 6,808,000 | 18.0% | 29.3% |
| Single moms | 7,705,000 | 2,675,000 | 575,000 | 3,250,000 | 8.6% | 42.2% |
| Working dads | 23,660,000 | 2,828,000 | 799,000 | 3,627,000 | 9.6% | 15.3% |
| Single dads | 2,843,000 | 669,000 | 164,000 | 833,000 | 2.2% | 29.3% |
| Family annual income level | ||||||
| Less than $20,000 | 13,708,000 | 6,981,000 | 1,099,000 | 8,080,000 | 21.4% | 58.9% |
| $20,000–$39,999 | 26,523,000 | 8,597,000 | 2,042,000 | 10,639,000 | 28.2% | 40.1% |
| $40,000–$59,999 | 24,076,000 | 5,250,000 | 1,245,000 | 6,495,000 | 17.2% | 27.0% |
| $60,000–$74,999 | 16,411,000 | 2,973,000 | 680,000 | 3,653,000 | 9.7% | 22.3% |
| $75,000–$99,999 | 19,852,000 | 2,982,000 | 690,000 | 3,672,000 | 9.7% | 18.5% |
| $100,000–$149,999 | 21,162,000 | 2,607,000 | 583,000 | 3,190,000 | 8.5% | 15.1% |
| $150,000 or more | 15,636,000 | 1,657,000 | 354,000 | 2,011,000 | 5.3% | 12.9% |
| Work hours | ||||||
| Part time (< 19 hours per week) | 7,463,000 | 4,241,000 | 493,000 | 4,734,000 | 12.5% | 63.4% |
| Mid time (20–34 hours per week) | 19,436,000 | 10,023,000 | 1,395,000 | 11,418,000 | 30.3% | 58.7% |
| Full time (35+ hours per week) | 110,469,000 | 16,782,000 | 4,806,000 | 21,588,000 | 57.2% | 19.5% |
| Education level | ||||||
| Less than high school | 11,954,000 | 6,462,000 | 909,000 | 7,371,000 | 19.5% | 61.7% |
| High school | 37,167,000 | 10,757,000 | 2,373,000 | 13,130,000 | 34.8% | 35.3% |
| Some college, no degree | 26,069,000 | 7,819,000 | 1,679,000 | 9,498,000 | 25.2% | 36.4% |
| Associate degree | 14,622,000 | 2,666,000 | 702,000 | 3,368,000 | 8.9% | 23.0% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 47,555,000 | 3,343,000 | 1,031,000 | 4,374,000 | 11.6% | 9.2% |
| Total est. # of children | Child has directly affected parent |
Child has indirectly affected parent |
Total children with affected parents | % of all children | ||
| Children with at least one affected parent | 77,411,000 | 15,299,000 | 3,435,000 | 18,734,000 | 24.2% | |
| Average share of family income earned by affected worker |
Share of affected workers who are sole providers of their family’s income | |||||
| All affected | 54.0% | 23.7% | ||||
| Parents affected | 62.6% | 31.3% | ||||
Source: EPI analysis using Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata, 2014
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