Black and Hispanic poverty rates would be almost 20% lower had the minimum wage remained at its 1968 inflation-adjusted level: Black and Hispanic nonelderly poverty rates in 2016, under actual and 1968-level minimum wages
| black and hispanic poverty | |
|---|---|
| Actual 2016 poverty rate | %20.678743 |
| 2016 poverty rate with <br> 1968 minimum wage | 16.911592 |
Source: Author’s calculations from the 2017 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement, historical federal minimum wage values, and the poverty rate elasticity reported for Black and Latino individuals in Arindrajit Dube, “Minimum Wages and the Distribution of Family Incomes,” IZA Discussion Paper no. 10572, February 2017.