Demographic characteristics of women of color workers affected by an increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025
| Group | Total estimated workforce (thousands) | Directly affected (thousands) | Share of group directly affected | Indirectly affected (thousands) | Share of group indirectly affected | Total affected (thousands) | Share of group who are affected | Group’s share of total affected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All women of color workers | 29,989 | 6,431 | 21.4% | 2,309 | 7.7% | 8,740 | 29.1% | 100.0% |
| Age | ||||||||
| Age 19 or younger | 1,193 | 580 | 48.6% | 56 | 4.7% | 636 | 53.4% | 7.3% |
| Age 20 or older | 28,797 | 5,851 | 20.3% | 2,253 | 7.8% | 8,104 | 28.1% | 92.7% |
| Ages 16–24 | 4,724 | 2,054 | 43.5% | 346 | 7.3% | 2,400 | 50.8% | 27.5% |
| Ages 25–39 | 11,127 | 2,210 | 19.9% | 917 | 8.2% | 3,128 | 28.1% | 35.8% |
| Ages 40–54 | 9,427 | 1,369 | 14.5% | 702 | 7.4% | 2,071 | 22.0% | 23.7% |
| Age 55 or older | 4,712 | 798 | 16.9% | 343 | 7.3% | 1,142 | 24.2% | 13.1% |
| Family status | ||||||||
| Married parent | 6,554 | 996 | 15.2% | 469 | 7.1% | 1,464 | 22.3% | 16.8% |
| Single parent | 5,635 | 1,564 | 27.8% | 527 | 9.4% | 2,091 | 37.1% | 23.9% |
| Married, no children | 5,589 | 811 | 14.5% | 407 | 7.3% | 1,218 | 21.8% | 13.9% |
| Unmarried, no children | 12,212 | 3,060 | 25.1% | 906 | 7.4% | 3,966 | 32.5% | 45.4% |
| Education | ||||||||
| Less than high school | 3,954 | 1,570 | 39.7% | 300 | 7.6% | 1,870 | 47.3% | 21.4% |
| High school | 7,136 | 2,276 | 31.9% | 782 | 11.0% | 3,059 | 42.9% | 35.0% |
| Some college, no degree | 7,511 | 1,906 | 25.4% | 725 | 9.6% | 2,631 | 35.0% | 30.1% |
| Associate degree | 2,747 | 419 | 15.2% | 244 | 8.9% | 663 | 24.1% | 7.6% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 8,642 | 260 | 3.0% | 257 | 3.0% | 518 | 6.0% | 5.9% |
| Family income | ||||||||
| Less than $25,000 | 4,893 | 2,378 | 48.6% | 428 | 8.7% | 2,806 | 57.3% | 32.1% |
| $25,000–$49,999 | 6,986 | 1,725 | 24.7% | 807 | 11.5% | 2,532 | 36.2% | 29.0% |
| $50,000–$74,999 | 5,475 | 1,011 | 18.5% | 466 | 8.5% | 1,477 | 27.0% | 16.9% |
| $75,000–$99,999 | 3,915 | 536 | 13.7% | 268 | 6.8% | 804 | 20.5% | 9.2% |
| $100,000–$149,999 | 4,545 | 457 | 10.0% | 220 | 4.8% | 677 | 14.9% | 7.7% |
| $150,000 or more | 3,908 | 216 | 5.5% | 108 | 2.8% | 323 | 8.3% | 3.7% |
| Family income-to-poverty ratio | ||||||||
| At or below the poverty line | 3,437 | 1,758 | 51.2% | 226 | 6.6% | 1,985 | 57.7% | 22.7% |
| 100–199% poverty | 6,114 | 2,214 | 36.2% | 741 | 12.1% | 2,955 | 48.3% | 33.8% |
| 200–399% poverty | 10,069 | 1,786 | 17.7% | 953 | 9.5% | 2,739 | 27.2% | 31.3% |
| 400% or above | 10,369 | 673 | 6.5% | 388 | 3.7% | 1,061 | 10.2% | 12.1% |
| Work hours | ||||||||
| Part-time (< 20 hours) | 1,963 | 571 | 29.1% | 129 | 6.6% | 700 | 35.6% | 8.0% |
| Mid-time (20–34 hours) | 5,765 | 2,051 | 35.6% | 466 | 8.1% | 2,517 | 43.7% | 28.8% |
| Full-time (35+ hours) | 22,262 | 3,810 | 17.1% | 1,714 | 7.7% | 5,524 | 24.8% | 63.2% |
| Industry | ||||||||
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting | 263 | 58 | 21.9% | 20 | 7.7% | 78 | 29.6% | 0.9% |
| Construction | 267 | 41 | 15.3% | 18 | 6.7% | 59 | 22.0% | 0.7% |
| Manufacturing | 2,138 | 432 | 20.2% | 189 | 8.9% | 621 | 29.0% | 7.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 483 | 83 | 17.2% | 34 | 6.9% | 116 | 24.1% | 1.3% |
| Retail trade | 3,595 | 1,232 | 34.3% | 284 | 7.9% | 1,517 | 42.2% | 17.4% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 988 | 127 | 12.9% | 71 | 7.2% | 198 | 20.1% | 2.3% |
| Information | 476 | 52 | 11.0% | 23 | 4.8% | 75 | 15.8% | 0.9% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 1,949 | 158 | 8.1% | 101 | 5.2% | 260 | 13.3% | 3.0% |
| Professional, scientific, management, technical services | 1,420 | 79 | 5.5% | 46 | 3.3% | 125 | 8.8% | 1.4% |
| Administrative, support, and waste management | 1,346 | 410 | 30.4% | 116 | 8.7% | 526 | 39.1% | 6.0% |
| Education | 3,270 | 444 | 13.6% | 169 | 5.2% | 613 | 18.8% | 7.0% |
| Health care | 7,227 | 1,337 | 18.5% | 491 | 6.8% | 1,829 | 25.3% | 20.9% |
| Arts, entertainment, recreational services | 530 | 149 | 28.2% | 63 | 11.8% | 212 | 40.0% | 2.4% |
| Accommodation | 644 | 246 | 38.2% | 76 | 11.8% | 322 | 50.0% | 3.7% |
| Restaurants and food service | 2,621 | 1,144 | 43.7% | 335 | 12.8% | 1,479 | 56.4% | 16.9% |
| Other services | 1,272 | 360 | 28.3% | 213 | 16.7% | 573 | 45.0% | 6.6% |
| Public administration | 1,501 | 79 | 5.3% | 59 | 4.0% | 138 | 9.2% | 1.6% |
| Tipped status | ||||||||
| Nontipped workers | 28,779 | 5,946 | 20.7% | 1,848 | 6.4% | 7,794 | 27.1% | 89.2% |
| Tipped worker | 1,210 | 485 | 40.1% | 461 | 38.1% | 946 | 78.2% | 10.8% |
| Sector | ||||||||
| For-profit | 22,232 | 5,519 | 24.8% | 1,908 | 8.6% | 7,427 | 33.4% | 85.0% |
| Nonprofit | 2,779 | 374 | 13.4% | 154 | 5.6% | 528 | 19.0% | 6.0% |
| Government | 4,978 | 539 | 10.8% | 247 | 5.0% | 785 | 15.8% | 9.0% |
Notes: Values reflect the population likely to be affected by the proposed change in the federal minimum wage. Wage changes resulting from scheduled state and local minimum wage laws are accounted for by EPI’s Minimum Wage Simulation Model. Totals may not sum due to rounding. Shares calculated from unrounded values. Directly affected workers will see their wages rise as the new minimum wage rate will exceed their current hourly pay. Indirectly affected workers have a wage rate just above the new minimum wage (between the new minimum wage and 115% of the new minimum). They will receive a raise as employer pay scales are adjusted upward to reflect the new minimum wage.
Source: Economic Policy Institute Wage Simulation Model; see Technical Methodology by Cooper, Mokhiber, and Zipperer (2019).
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