Minimum wage

Introduction
Early history of the minimum wage
Early Supreme Court decisions on the minimum wage
State minimum wage levels and restrictions
Proposals to raise the federal minimum wage
Who earns the federal minimum wage?
Public opinion
Pros
- Pro 1: Raising the minimum wage helps workers to afford basic living expenses and reduces income, gender, and racial inequalities.
- Pro 2: Raising the minimum wage to match inflation and productivity benefits the economy, spurring consumer activity, job growth, and a lower federal deficit.
- Pro 3: Raising the minimum wage has social benefits including reducing poverty and crime and improving school attendance and family health.
Cons
- Con 1: Raising the minimum wage increases housing and consumer goods costs for everyone and greatly disadvantages minimum-wage workers.
- Con 2: Raising the minimum wage artificially (instead of allowing the free market to set the wage) spurs business closures, layoffs, and more automation and outsourcing.
- Con 3: Raising the minimum wage exacerbates income disparities and the cycle of poverty.
State-by-state minimum wage levels
- Highlights
Subminimum wage bans for people with disabilities
Assessment quiz
1-minute survey
Discussion questions
Sources

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Young woman with Down syndrome wearing a brown apron smiles with arms crossed while standing in a store, with shelves of products and a refrigerator behind her.

A large group of demonstrators in Chicago holds signs and a banner reading McDonald's: $15 and union rights, not food stamps! #FightFor15 during a minimum wage protest.

U.S. minimum wage by state

Minimum wage: Media

Should the minimum wage be increased?

Images

Young woman with Down syndrome wearing a brown apron smiles with arms crossed while standing in a store, with shelves of products and a refrigerator behind her.

Should the minimum wage be increased?

Retail employees frequently earn the minimum wage.

© Jacob Lund/stock.adobe.com

A large group of demonstrators in Chicago holds signs and a banner reading McDonald's: $15 and union rights, not food stamps! #FightFor15 during a minimum wage protest.

Chicago protest for a higher minimum wage.

Should the federal minimum wage be increased?

© Scott Olson/Getty Images

Interactives

U.S. minimum wage by state

U.S. minimum wage by state

Interactive map showing the minimum wage in the United States

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

VIEW MORE in these related Britannica articles: