Workers of color would have disproportionately benefited from the minimum wage increase in Kansas City, Missouri: Workers directly affected by Kansas City, Missouri, minimum wage increase from $7.65 in 2015 to $13 by 2020
| Group | Estimated workforce | Share of workforce | Directly affected | Share of group directly affected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 252,100 | 100.0% | 51,900 | 20.6% |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||
| White | 164,100 | 65.1% | 30,600 | 18.6% |
| Black | 49,400 | 19.6% | 13,600 | 27.5% |
| Latinx | 24,100 | 9.6% | 6,000 | 24.9% |
| AAPI | 8,100 | 3.2% | 1,600 | 19.8% |
| Other | 6,300 | 2.5% | 2,100 | 33.3% |
Notes: Estimated workforce describes employed ACS respondents ages 16 and older for whom a valid hourly wage can be determined. The count and shares of affected workers by group were estimated from the population of workers in Jefferson, Platte, and Clay Counties, and then scaled to reflect those counties’ share of employment in Kansas City using published Census Bureau data on employment in each geography. Employment levels by group were adjusted to reflect the population shares of each group in Kansas City relative to the counties as a whole. Directly affected workers are those that would otherwise have had hourly wages below the specified wage value. Totals may not sum due to rounding. AAPI stands for Asian American/Pacific Islander.
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of American Community Survey microdata, 2015.