Real value of the federal minimum wage, 1968–2014 and 2014–2017 under an increase to $10.10 by 2017, compared with its value had it grown at the rate of various benchmarks
| Year | Real minimum wage | Real minimum wage (projected) | Real average wages of production, non-supervisory workers | Real average wages of production, non-supervisory workers (projected) | U.S. total economy productivity | U.S. total economy productivity (projected) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 9.58 | 9.58 | 9.58 | |||
| 1969 | 9.17 | 9.78 | 9.62 | |||
| 1970 | 8.75 | 9.85 | 9.76 | |||
| 1971 | 8.38 | 10.07 | 10.12 | |||
| 1972 | 8.14 | 10.51 | 10.39 | |||
| 1973 | 7.65 | 10.49 | 10.64 | |||
| 1974 | 8.70 | 10.21 | 10.47 | |||
| 1975 | 8.44 | 10.07 | 10.70 | |||
| 1976 | 8.74 | 10.19 | 11.00 | |||
| 1977 | 8.22 | 10.30 | 11.13 | |||
| 1978 | 8.86 | 10.42 | 11.24 | |||
| 1979 | 8.85 | 10.25 | 11.26 | |||
| 1980 | 8.52 | 9.97 | 11.17 | |||
| 1981 | 8.40 | 9.89 | 11.41 | |||
| 1982 | 7.93 | 9.86 | 11.24 | |||
| 1983 | 7.60 | 9.86 | 11.58 | |||
| 1984 | 7.30 | 9.80 | 11.88 | |||
| 1985 | 7.06 | 9.76 | 12.08 | |||
| 1986 | 6.93 | 9.79 | 12.33 | |||
| 1987 | 6.71 | 9.70 | 12.39 | |||
| 1988 | 6.47 | 9.66 | 12.54 | |||
| 1989 | 6.20 | 9.61 | 12.64 | |||
| 1990 | 6.70 | 9.53 | 12.82 | |||
| 1991 | 7.24 | 9.48 | 12.92 | |||
| 1992 | 7.06 | 9.47 | 13.39 | |||
| 1993 | 6.89 | 9.49 | 13.43 | |||
| 1994 | 6.74 | 9.53 | 13.56 | |||
| 1995 | 6.58 | 9.56 | 13.57 | |||
| 1996 | 7.17 | 9.63 | 13.90 | |||
| 1997 | 7.61 | 9.79 | 14.09 | |||
| 1998 | 7.50 | 10.04 | 14.37 | |||
| 1999 | 7.35 | 10.20 | 14.72 | |||
| 2000 | 7.11 | 10.26 | 15.07 | |||
| 2001 | 6.92 | 10.35 | 15.30 | |||
| 2002 | 6.81 | 10.48 | 15.73 | |||
| 2003 | 6.66 | 10.53 | 16.24 | |||
| 2004 | 6.48 | 10.46 | 16.68 | |||
| 2005 | 6.27 | 10.40 | 16.97 | |||
| 2006 | 6.07 | 10.47 | 17.07 | |||
| 2007 | 6.71 | 10.58 | 17.19 | |||
| 2008 | 7.23 | 10.57 | 17.22 | |||
| 2009 | 8.04 | 10.93 | 17.58 | |||
| 2010 | 7.91 | 11.01 | 18.09 | |||
| 2011 | 7.66 | 10.89 | 18.12 | |||
| 2012 | 7.51 | 10.83 | 18.26 | |||
| 2013 | 7.40 | 10.89 | 18.43 | |||
| 2014 | 7.25 | 7.25 | 10.89 | 10.89 | 18.42 | 18.42 |
| 2015 | 8.03 | 10.91 | 18.75 | |||
| 2016 | 8.78 | 10.93 | 19.09 | |||
| 2017 | 9.48 | 10.95 | 19.43 |
* Real minimum-wage projection from 2014 to 2017 assumes a minimum-wage increase to $10.10 by 2017. Productivity and average wage projections from 2014 to 2017 do not include the effects of a minimum-wage increase.
Note: Dollars are deflated using CPI-U-RS and CBO inflation projections. 2014 values reflect average of the first half of 2014. Projected wage values are based on CBO inflation projections, average wage and productivity growth from 2002 to 2006 (the last full regular business cycle), and, in the case of the "real minimum wage" line, the Harkin-Miller proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 over three years.
Source: EPI analysis of Total Economy Productivity data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Labor Productivity and Costs program, Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics, Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group public-use microdata, and U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (2013)