The federal minimum wage is currently a poverty wage: Annual wage income for a full-time federal minimum wage worker compared with various poverty thresholds (2017$), 1964-2017
| year | Full-time federal minimum wage income | Two-person family threshold | Three-person family threshold | Four-person family threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | $18012.00 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1965 | 17726.10 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1966 | 17233.71 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1967 | 18723.85 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1968 | 20604.04 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1969 | 19715.04 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1970 | 18808.05 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1971 | 18022.56 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1972 | 17494.88 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1973 | 16457.04 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1974 | 18708.39 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1975 | 18140.81 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1976 | 18798.15 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1977 | 17667.89 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1978 | 19059.70 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1979 | 19051.20 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1980 | 18314.15 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1981 | 18083.74 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1982 | 17053.89 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1983 | 16355.32 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1984 | 15701.92 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1985 | 15180.74 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1986 | 14919.62 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1987 | 14423.44 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1988 | 13920.58 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1989 | 13337.48 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1990 | 14418.11 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1991 | 15559.43 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1992 | 15181.92 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1993 | 14808.54 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1994 | 14505.64 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1995 | 14164.40 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1996 | 15420.15 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1997 | 16364.93 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1998 | 16146.27 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 1999 | 15809.62 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2000 | 15290.76 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2001 | 14867.48 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2002 | 14636.76 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2003 | 14311.74 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2004 | 13935.25 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2005 | 13478.68 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2006 | 13055.48 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2007 | 14421.04 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2008 | 15549.37 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2009 | 17271.19 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2010 | 16990.89 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2011 | 16471.65 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2012 | 16130.02 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2013 | 15894.54 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2014 | 15629.86 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2015 | 15602.98 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2016 | 15404.30 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
| 2017 | 15080.00 | 15903.82 | 19515.86 | 25091.24 |
Source: Author’s calculations from historical federal minimum wage values, and average 2016 poverty thresholds inflation-adjusted to 2017 dollars from U.S. Census Bureau, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2016”, September 2017.