Figure C
The Raise the Wage Act would eliminate decades of growing wage inequality between the lowest-paid and the typical U.S. worker: Federal minimum wage as a share of the national full-time, full-year median wage, 1968–2018 (actual) and 2019–2024 (projected under the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 for two scenarios)
Year | Historical share | Projected share, no real wage growth | Projected share, 0.5% real wage growth |
---|---|---|---|
1968 | 52.8% | ||
1969 | 48.9% | ||
1970 | 46.1% | ||
1971 | 44.4% | ||
1972 | 42.1% | ||
1973 | 38.7% | ||
1974 | 44.6% | ||
1975 | 43.8% | ||
1976 | 44.8% | ||
1977 | 42.4% | ||
1978 | 45.8% | ||
1979 | 45.7% | ||
1980 | 44.5% | ||
1981 | 44.5% | ||
1982 | 41.9% | ||
1983 | 40.2% | ||
1984 | 38.2% | ||
1985 | 36.4% | ||
1986 | 35.5% | ||
1987 | 35.0% | ||
1988 | 33.5% | ||
1989 | 32.0% | ||
1990 | 35.2% | ||
1991 | 37.9% | ||
1992 | 36.6% | ||
1993 | 36.1% | ||
1994 | 35.4% | ||
1995 | 35.2% | ||
1996 | 38.0% | ||
1997 | 39.2% | ||
1998 | 37.7% | ||
1999 | 35.9% | ||
2000 | 35.4% | ||
2001 | 33.8% | ||
2002 | 33.1% | ||
2003 | 32.3% | ||
2004 | 31.5% | ||
2005 | 30.9% | ||
2006 | 30.4% | ||
2007 | 33.0% | ||
2008 | 35.2% | ||
2009 | 37.8% | ||
2010 | 37.7% | ||
2011 | 37.6% | ||
2012 | 37.5% | ||
2013 | 37.4% | ||
2014 | 36.4% | ||
2015 | 35.2% | ||
2016 | 33.9% | ||
2017 | 33.3% | 33.3% | 33.3% |
2018 | 32.4% | 32.4% | |
2019 | 37.4% | 37.2% | |
2020 | 42.0% | 41.6% | |
2021 | 46.4% | 45.7% | |
2022 | 50.5% | 49.6% | |
2023 | 54.5% | 53.2% | |
2024 | 58.0% | 56.4% |
Notes: Inflation measured using the CPI-U-RS and CBO CPI-U projections. Projected median real wage growth assumes either none or 0.5% annual.
Source: EPI analysis of the Fair Labor Standards Act and amendments, the Raise the Wage Act of 2019, and Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata
This chart appears in:
Next chart: Chart 3|Preliminary, not final. The Fed OT salary threshold and the minimum wage, 1949–2016 »