Figure A
The federal minimum wage could be significantly higher: Real (inflation-adjusted) value of the minimum wage and hypothetical values at growth rate of average production worker wages and net productivity since 1968 (2016$)
| Federal minimum wage (2016$) (CPI-U-RS) | Minimum wage since ’68 at growth rate of real average wages | Minimum wage at growth in net productivity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | $ 3.67 | ||
| 1939 | $ 4.46 | ||
| 1940 | $ 4.43 | ||
| 1941 | $ 4.22 | ||
| 1942 | $ 3.81 | ||
| 1943 | $ 3.59 | ||
| 1944 | $ 3.53 | ||
| 1945 | $ 4.60 | ||
| 1946 | $ 4.24 | ||
| 1947 | $ 3.71 | ||
| 1948 | $ 3.46 | $5.43 | |
| 1949 | $ 3.51 | $5.52 | |
| 1950 | $ 6.49 | $5.94 | |
| 1951 | $ 6.02 | $6.11 | |
| 1952 | $ 5.91 | $6.28 | |
| 1953 | $ 5.86 | $6.50 | |
| 1954 | $ 5.82 | $6.61 | |
| 1955 | $ 5.84 | $6.87 | |
| 1956 | $ 7.67 | $6.88 | |
| 1957 | $ 7.43 | $7.07 | |
| 1958 | $ 7.22 | $7.22 | |
| 1959 | $ 7.17 | $7.48 | |
| 1960 | $ 7.05 | $7.61 | |
| 1961 | $ 8.03 | $7.84 | |
| 1962 | $ 7.95 | $8.14 | |
| 1963 | $ 8.52 | $8.42 | |
| 1964 | $ 8.41 | $8.69 | |
| 1965 | $ 8.28 | $8.96 | |
| 1966 | $ 8.05 | $9.24 | |
| 1967 | $ 8.75 | $9.35 | |
| 1968 | $ 9.63 | $ 9.63 | $9.63 |
| 1969 | $ 9.21 | $ 9.80 | $9.67 |
| 1970 | $ 8.79 | $ 9.90 | $9.80 |
| 1971 | $ 8.42 | $ 10.10 | $10.17 |
| 1972 | $ 8.17 | $ 10.55 | $10.44 |
| 1973 | $ 7.69 | $ 10.53 | $10.69 |
| 1974 | $ 8.74 | $ 10.27 | $10.52 |
| 1975 | $ 8.48 | $ 10.12 | $10.76 |
| 1976 | $ 8.78 | $ 10.25 | $11.06 |
| 1977 | $ 8.26 | $ 10.35 | $11.18 |
| 1978 | $ 8.91 | $ 10.47 | $11.29 |
| 1979 | $ 8.90 | $ 10.31 | $11.31 |
| 1980 | $ 8.56 | $ 10.01 | $11.23 |
| 1981 | $ 8.45 | $ 9.93 | $11.47 |
| 1982 | $ 7.96 | $ 9.91 | $11.30 |
| 1983 | $ 7.64 | $ 9.91 | $11.64 |
| 1984 | $ 7.34 | $ 9.85 | $11.94 |
| 1985 | $ 7.09 | $ 9.80 | $12.14 |
| 1986 | $ 6.97 | $ 9.83 | $12.39 |
| 1987 | $ 6.74 | $ 9.74 | $12.45 |
| 1988 | $ 6.50 | $ 9.70 | $12.60 |
| 1989 | $ 6.23 | $ 9.66 | $12.70 |
| 1990 | $ 6.73 | $ 9.58 | $12.88 |
| 1991 | $ 7.27 | $ 9.53 | $12.98 |
| 1992 | $ 7.09 | $ 9.52 | $13.45 |
| 1993 | $ 6.92 | $ 9.53 | $13.50 |
| 1994 | $ 6.78 | $ 9.58 | $13.63 |
| 1995 | $ 6.62 | $ 9.61 | $13.63 |
| 1996 | $ 7.20 | $ 9.67 | $13.96 |
| 1997 | $ 7.64 | $ 9.83 | $14.16 |
| 1998 | $ 7.54 | $ 10.09 | $14.44 |
| 1999 | $ 7.38 | $ 10.24 | $14.79 |
| 2000 | $ 7.14 | $ 10.29 | $15.13 |
| 2001 | $ 6.95 | $ 10.39 | $15.37 |
| 2002 | $ 6.84 | $ 10.52 | $15.80 |
| 2003 | $ 6.69 | $ 10.57 | $16.31 |
| 2004 | $ 6.51 | $ 10.51 | $16.75 |
| 2005 | $ 6.30 | $ 10.44 | $17.04 |
| 2006 | $ 6.10 | $ 10.51 | $17.14 |
| 2007 | $ 6.74 | $ 10.62 | $17.27 |
| 2008 | $ 7.26 | $ 10.62 | $17.29 |
| 2009 | $8.07 | $ 10.97 | $17.65 |
| 2010 | $ 7.94 | $ 11.05 | $18.17 |
| 2011 | $ 7.70 | $ 10.93 | $18.19 |
| 2012 | $ 7.54 | $ 10.87 | $18.29 |
| 2013 | $ 7.43 | $ 10.94 | $18.31 |
| 2014 | $ 7.31 | $ 11.01 | $18.42 |
| 2015 | $ 7.30 | $ 11.23 | $18.48 |
| 2016 | $7.25 | $11.35 | $18.85 |
Note: Inflation measured using the CPI-U-RS and the average of January-June for 2016. Productivity is measured as total economy productivity net depreciation.
Source: EPI analysis of the Fair Labor Standards Act and amendments. Total economy productivity data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Labor Productivity and Costs program. Average hourly wages of production nonsupervisory workers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics.