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