Characteristics of U.S. workers who would be affected by increasing the federal minimum wage to $12 per hour by July 2020, total
| Category | Estimated workforce | Directly affected | Indirectly affected | Total affected | Percentage of the total affected | Share of this category that is affected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 137,367,000 | 28,365,000 | 6,676,000 | 35,041,000 | 100.0% | 25.5% |
| Sex | ||||||
| Female | 66,234,000 | 15,855,000 | 3,719,000 | 19,574,000 | 55.9% | 29.6% |
| Male | 71,133,000 | 12,511,000 | 2,957,000 | 15,468,000 | 44.1% | 21.7% |
| Age | ||||||
| Under 20 | 4,650,000 | 3,481,000 | 272,000 | 3,753,000 | 10.7% | 80.7% |
| 20 or older | 132,718,000 | 24,885,000 | 6,404,000 | 31,289,000 | 89.3% | 23.6% |
| Less than 25 | 18,827,000 | 10,201,000 | 1,498,000 | 11,699,000 | 33.4% | 62.1% |
| 25 to 39 | 46,012,000 | 8,213,000 | 2,272,000 | 10,485,000 | 29.9% | 22.8% |
| 40 to 54 | 44,583,000 | 5,854,000 | 1,654,000 | 7,508,000 | 21.4% | 16.8% |
| 55+ | 27,945,000 | 4,096,000 | 1,252,000 | 5,348,000 | 15.3% | 19.1% |
| Race or ethnicity | ||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 88,590,000 | 14,938,000 | 3,689,000 | 18,627,000 | 53.2% | 21.0% |
| Black or African American | 15,543,000 | 4,522,000 | 879,000 | 5,401,000 | 15.4% | 34.7% |
| Hispanic of any race | 22,534,000 | 6,959,000 | 1,568,000 | 8,527,000 | 24.3% | 37.8% |
| Asian or other race/ethnicity | 10,700,000 | 1,946,000 | 540,000 | 2,486,000 | 7.1% | 23.2% |
| Family status | ||||||
| Married parent | 36,334,000 | 4,546,000 | 1,311,000 | 5,857,000 | 16.7% | 16.1% |
| Single parent | 10,548,000 | 3,113,000 | 737,000 | 3,850,000 | 11.0% | 36.5% |
| Married, no kids | 37,457,000 | 5,016,000 | 1,542,000 | 6,558,000 | 18.7% | 17.5% |
| Unmarried, no kids | 53,028,000 | 15,690,000 | 3,086,000 | 18,776,000 | 53.6% | 35.4% |
| Working moms | 23,222,000 | 5,098,000 | 1,250,000 | 6,348,000 | 18.1% | 27.3% |
| Single moms | 7,705,000 | 2,481,000 | 573,000 | 3,054,000 | 8.7% | 39.6% |
| Working dads | 23,660,000 | 2,561,000 | 798,000 | 3,359,000 | 9.6% | 14.2% |
| Single dads | 2,843,000 | 632,000 | 164,000 | 796,000 | 2.3% | 28.0% |
| Family annual income level | ||||||
| Less than $20,000 | 13,708,000 | 6,420,000 | 1,097,000 | 7,517,000 | 21.5% | 54.8% |
| $20,000–$39,999 | 26,523,000 | 7,953,000 | 2,034,000 | 9,987,000 | 28.5% | 37.7% |
| $40,000–$59,999 | 24,076,000 | 4,814,000 | 1,244,000 | 6,058,000 | 17.3% | 25.2% |
| $60,000–$74,999 | 16,411,000 | 2,702,000 | 680,000 | 3,382,000 | 9.7% | 20.6% |
| $75,000–$99,999 | 19,852,000 | 2,711,000 | 688,000 | 3,399,000 | 9.7% | 17.1% |
| $100,000–$149,999 | 21,162,000 | 2,353,000 | 582,000 | 2,935,000 | 8.4% | 13.9% |
| $150,000 or more | 15,636,000 | 1,412,000 | 352,000 | 1,764,000 | 5.0% | 11.3% |
| Work hours | ||||||
| Part time (< 19 hours per week) | 7,463,000 | 3,921,000 | 490,000 | 4,411,000 | 12.6% | 59.1% |
| Mid time (20–34 hours per week) | 19,436,000 | 9,120,000 | 1,390,000 | 10,510,000 | 30.0% | 54.1% |
| Full time (35+ hours per week) | 110,469,000 | 15,325,000 | 4,796,000 | 20,121,000 | 57.4% | 18.2% |
| Education level | ||||||
| Less than high school | 11,954,000 | 5,956,000 | 906,000 | 6,862,000 | 19.6% | 57.4% |
| High school | 37,167,000 | 9,993,000 | 2,366,000 | 12,359,000 | 35.3% | 33.3% |
| Some college, no degree | 26,069,000 | 7,172,000 | 1,673,000 | 8,845,000 | 25.2% | 33.9% |
| Associate degree | 14,622,000 | 2,451,000 | 701,000 | 3,152,000 | 9.0% | 21.6% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 47,555,000 | 2,792,000 | 1,029,000 | 3,821,000 | 10.9% | 8.0% |
| Total est. # of children | Child has directly affected parent | Child has indirectly affected parent | Total children with affected parents | % of all children | ||
| Children with at least one affected parent | 77,411,000 | 14,054,000 | 3,463,000 | 17,517,000 | 22.6% | |
| Average share of family income earned by affected worker |
Share of affected workers who are sole providers of their family’s income | |||||
| All affected | 54.3% | 23.7% | ||||
| Parents affected | 63.1% | 31.4% | ||||
Source: EPI analysis of Raise the Wage Act using Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata, 2014