Share of workers earning poverty-level hourly wages, 1979 and 2013
| Gender | Age | 1979 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 25–34 | 10.8% | 26.1% |
| Men | 35–44 | 7.6% | 15.4% |
| Women | 25–34 | 33.3% | 30.5% |
| Women | 35–44 | 36.2% | 23.8% |
Note: The poverty-level wage is calculated using an estimate of the four-person weighted average poverty threshold in 2013 of $23,834 (based on the 2010 threshold updated for inflation, from the U.S. Census Bureau). This is divided by 2,080 hours to obtain a poverty-level hourly wage of $11.46 in 2013. The poverty-level wage is roughly equal to two-thirds of the median hourly wage. This figure is deflated by the CPI-U-RS (Consumer Price Index Research Series Using Current Methods) to obtain the poverty-level wage levels for other years.
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of U.S. Census Bureau and Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group
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