Child care workers are more likely to be impacted by the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 (RTWA): Numbers and shares of workers affected by the RTWA, projected for 2025
| Group | Total workforce (thousands) | Total affected (thousands) | Share of group affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| All occupations | 151,743 | 32,204 | 21.2% |
| Child care occupations only | 967 | 486 | 50.2% |
| Child care occupations + Pre-K and kindergarten teacher occupations | 1,586 | 654 | 41.2% |
| …excluding those who work in elementary and secondary schools | 1,288 | 561 | 43.5% |
Notes: The final row in this table represents the group we refer to as “child care workers”—i.e., workers in the “Child care” or “Pre-K and kindergarten teachers” occupation classifications, excluding those who work in the “elementary and secondary schools” industry. The table also shows results for two other definitions of child care workers: (1) only those workers in the “Child care” occupation category (not including the “Pre-K and kindergarten teachers” category), and (2) all workers that appear in either the “Child care” or the “Pre-K and kindergarten teachers” occupation category.
Source: Economic Policy Institute Minimum Wage Simulation Model; see Technical Methodology by Cooper, Mokhiber, and Zipperer (2019).