Essential and front-line workers are a majority of those who would benefit from a $15 minimum wage in 2025: Levels and shares of those affected by the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 who are essential and front-line workers
| Worker category | Total workforce in 2025 (millions) | Affected (millions) | Category’s share of 32.2 million affected workers |
|---|---|---|---|
| All occupations | 151.7 | 32.2 | 100.0% |
| Critical infrastucture workers | 109.8 | 22 | 68.3% |
| Workers who couldn’t telecommute (pre-pandemic) | 105.4 | 28 | 87.1% |
| Workers who can’t telecommute (in pandemic) | 115.3 | 28.2 | 87.6% |
| Critical infrastructure workers who couldn’t telecommute (pre-pandemic) | 83.7 | 19.9 | 61.9% |
| Critical infrastructure workers who can’t telecommute (in pandemic) | 84.9 | 19.4 | 60.2% |
Source: Authors' calculations using the following occupation definitions: critical infrastructure occupations (LMI Institute 2020); pre-pandemic teleworkable occupations (Dingel and Neiman 2020); and during pandemic teleworking occupations (authors’ calculations from 2020 Current Population Survey data).