Federal minimum wage as a share of the median wage and of the average wage of typical workers, 1967–2014 and 2015–2020 (projected under Raise the Wage Act)
| Average wage of nonsupervisory production workers | Projected Average hourly earnings of nonsupervisory production workers | Median wage of full-time workers | Projected Median wage of full-time workers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 49.1% | 49.0% | ||
| 1968 | 53.0% | 52.1% | ||
| 1969 | 49.8% | 47.9% | ||
| 1970 | 47.0% | 44.9% | ||
| 1971 | 44.2% | 43.4% | ||
| 1972 | 41.0% | 41.1% | ||
| 1973 | 38.7% | 38.1% | ||
| 1974 | 45.1% | 43.7% | ||
| 1975 | 44.4% | 42.8% | ||
| 1976 | 45.4% | 44.3% | ||
| 1977 | 42.3% | 41.6% | ||
| 1978 | 45.1% | 45.0% | ||
| 1979 | 45.7% | 45.9% | ||
| 1980 | 45.3% | 45.0% | ||
| 1981 | 45.0% | 45.0% | ||
| 1982 | 42.6% | 42.1% | ||
| 1983 | 40.9% | 40.4% | ||
| 1984 | 39.5% | 38.5% | ||
| 1985 | 38.3% | 36.6% | ||
| 1986 | 37.5% | 35.5% | ||
| 1987 | 36.6% | 34.7% | ||
| 1988 | 35.5% | 33.3% | ||
| 1989 | 34.2% | 32.0% | ||
| 1990 | 37.3% | 35.1% | ||
| 1991 | 40.4% | 37.9% | ||
| 1992 | 39.4% | 36.3% | ||
| 1993 | 38.5% | 36.1% | ||
| 1994 | 37.5% | 35.4% | ||
| 1995 | 36.5% | 34.9% | ||
| 1996 | 39.4% | 37.9% | ||
| 1997 | 41.2% | 39.1% | ||
| 1998 | 39.6% | 37.6% | ||
| 1999 | 38.2% | 36.1% | ||
| 2000 | 36.8% | 35.2% | ||
| 2001 | 35.4% | 33.8% | ||
| 2002 | 34.4% | 32.9% | ||
| 2003 | 33.5% | 32.1% | ||
| 2004 | 32.8% | 31.2% | ||
| 2005 | 32.0% | 30.6% | ||
| 2006 | 30.8% | 29.9% | ||
| 2007 | 33.6% | 32.9% | ||
| 2008 | 36.2% | 35.2% | ||
| 2009 | 39.0% | 38.4% | ||
| 2010 | 38.0% | 38.2% | ||
| 2011 | 37.3% | 38.1% | ||
| 2012 | 36.7% | 37.9% | ||
| 2013 | 36.0% | 37.7% | ||
| 2014 | 35.2% | 35.2% | 37.1% | 37.1% |
| 2015 | 34.8% | 36.7% | ||
| 2016 | 37.6% | 39.6% | ||
| 2017 | 41.4% | 43.5% | ||
| 2018 | 44.9% | 47.3% | ||
| 2019 | 48.3% | 50.8% | ||
| 2020 | 51.4% | 54.1% |
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata, Bureau of Labor Statistics data on average hourly earnings of production nonsupervisory workers, and the Raise the Wage Act