Quick answer
The key minimum wage statistics come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Department of Labor (DOL). In 2025, 844,000 hourly-paid workers earned the federal minimum of $7.25 or less, 1.0% of all hourly workers. Thirty states and DC require more than $7.25, and inflation has cut the federal rate's buying power by about a third since 2009.
Minimum wage statistics answer two questions: how many people are paid the legal floor, and what that floor is worth. On the first, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports in Current Population Survey Table 44 that 844,000 workers paid by the hour earned the federal minimum of $7.25 or less in 2025, or 1.0% of the 81.5 million hourly-paid workers. On the second, the federal rate has been $7.25 since July 24, 2009, and the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator shows that $7.25 then bought what $11.36 bought in October 2026. The federal number is only part of the picture: as of November 2026, 30 states and DC set a higher rate, and 16 states raise theirs on January 1, 2027. Every figure below links to the agency that published it.
How many people earn minimum wage
BLS counts workers paid hourly whose reported hourly wage is at or below the federal minimum. All figures are 2025 annual averages from CPS Table 44, last modified February 20, 2026, unless noted.
- 81.5 million wage and salary workers (81,548,000) were paid hourly rates in 2025.
- 844,000 of them earned $7.25 or less, 1.0% of hourly-paid workers.
- Only 79,000 earned exactly $7.25. The other 765,000 reported a wage below $7.25.
- Being below $7.25 is not always illegal. BLS says the count is "based solely on the hourly wage they report, which does not include overtime pay, tips, or commissions," and that some of these workers "may not, in fact, be covered by federal or state minimum wage laws because of exclusions and exemptions in the statutes." (BLS, Characteristics of minimum wage workers, 2024)
- In 2024, the count was 843,000, also 1.0% of hourly workers, which BLS described as "little changed from the prior year" (869,000 and 1.1% in 2023).
- The 2025 annual figures are 11-month averages. BLS notes that October 2025 data "were not collected due to the federal government shutdown" and that "2025 annual estimates are not strictly comparable with annual averages for other years."
These are counts at the federal minimum. A worker earning Florida's $15.00 or Washington's $17.13 is a minimum wage worker under state law but does not appear in the BLS count, because BLS measures against $7.25 only. That is why the national share is so low, and why it says little about how many people are paid their own state's floor.
What this means for employers: Do not read the 1.0% as "almost nobody earns the minimum." In 30 states and DC the binding floor is higher than $7.25, so check your rates against the minimum wage by state for every location you pay.
Who minimum wage workers are
The same 2025 BLS table breaks the 844,000 workers out by age, sex, race and hours. Percentages are the share of each group's hourly-paid workers earning $7.25 or less.
| Group (2025) | Hourly-paid workers | At or below $7.25 | Share of group |
|---|---|---|---|
| All workers 16 and over | 81,548,000 | 844,000 | 1.0% |
| Age 16 to 24 | 16,202,000 | 340,000 | 2.1% |
| Age 25 and over | 65,347,000 | 504,000 | 0.8% |
| Women | 40,835,000 | 545,000 | 1.3% |
| Men | 40,714,000 | 299,000 | 0.7% |
| Part-time workers | 20,344,000 | 483,000 | 2.4% |
| Full-time workers | 61,107,000 | 358,000 | 0.6% |
| White | 60,534,000 | 639,000 | 1.1% |
| Black or African American | 12,317,000 | 111,000 | 0.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 19,717,000 | 189,000 | 1.0% |
| Asian | 4,719,000 | 35,000 | 0.7% |
Source: BLS, Current Population Survey, Table 44, 2025 annual averages. Full-time and part-time rows do not sum to the total because BLS classifies hours separately.
- Young workers are overrepresented. Workers aged 16 to 24 were about 20% of hourly-paid workers but 40% of those at or below $7.25 in 2025 (Workzenly calculation from Table 44). In 2024, BLS put the under-25 share at 43%, and the rate for teens aged 16 to 19 at 2.6%.
- Women are about two-thirds of the group. 545,000 of 844,000, or 65% (Workzenly calculation), although women were half of hourly-paid workers.
- Most are part-time. Part-time workers were a quarter of hourly-paid workers but 57% of those at or below $7.25 (Workzenly calculation), and their rate of 2.4% was four times the full-time rate of 0.6%.
- Education and marital status. In 2024, BLS found 1.5% of hourly workers without a high school diploma earned the federal minimum or less, compared with about 1.0% of high school graduates with no college. Never-married workers had a rate of 1.5%, against 0.7% for married workers. (BLS report, 2024)
What this means for employers: Minimum wage jobs are mostly part-time jobs held by younger workers. If you rely on part-timers, know how your state defines part-time hours and whether minors have a separate rate where you operate.
Minimum wage workers by industry and job
One industry dominates. These figures come from CPS Table 45, 2025 annual averages.
- Leisure and hospitality had 555,000 hourly workers at or below $7.25 out of 9.7 million, about 66% of the national total (Workzenly calculation).
- In 2024, BLS said about two-thirds of these workers were in leisure and hospitality, "almost entirely in restaurants and other food services."
- By occupation, food preparation and serving jobs had 536,000 workers at or below $7.25 in 2025, a rate of 7.5%. Service occupations as a whole had 651,000 (3.3%).
- Private employers accounted for 802,000 of the 844,000 (a 1.1% rate); the public sector had 41,000 (0.4%).
- Construction (0.2%) and financial activities (under 0.1%) had the lowest rates.
What this means for employers: The minimum wage question is mostly a restaurant question, and most of it is about tipped pay. If you run food service, the tip credit rules in the next sections matter more than the headline rate. Our restaurant workforce page covers how scheduling and pay fit together.
Minimum wage data by state
State law sets the real floor for most workers. From the Department of Labor's state minimum wage table, updated November 5, 2026:
- 30 states and DC have a minimum wage above $7.25.
- 13 states set or adopt $7.25: Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.
- 5 states have no state minimum wage law: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee.
- 2 states, Georgia and Wyoming, set $5.15. Employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the federal $7.25 there, as DOL notes.
Where workers earn $7.25 or less also varies. In 2024, BLS found the highest shares of hourly workers at or below the federal minimum in Louisiana (2.2%) and South Carolina (2.0%), both states with no minimum wage law, and the lowest in Colorado (0.1%), Arizona (0.3%), and California and Minnesota (0.4%). BLS cautions that state estimates can have large sampling error. (BLS report, Table 3)
Sixteen states have announced increases for January 1, 2027, according to the state labor agencies listed in our state-by-state guide:
| State | Rate now | January 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $15.15 | $15.65 |
| California | $16.90 | $17.40 |
| Colorado | $15.16 | $15.71 |
| Connecticut | $16.94 | $17.48 |
| Maine | $15.10 | $15.70 |
| Michigan | $13.73 | $15.00 |
| Minnesota | $11.41 | $11.87 |
| Montana | $10.85 | $11.20 |
| Nebraska | $15.00 | $15.26 |
| New Jersey | $15.92 | $16.48 |
| Ohio | $11.00 | $11.40 |
| Rhode Island | $16.00 | $17.00 |
| South Dakota | $11.85 | $12.30 |
| Vermont | $14.42 | $14.91 |
| Virginia | $12.77 | $13.75 |
| Washington | $17.13 | $17.73 |
Source: current rates from the DOL state table (November 5, 2026); 2027 rates from each state's labor agency, as compiled in Workzenly's minimum wage by state guide. New York stays at $17.00 and $16.00 on January 1, 2027, as explained in our New York minimum wage guide.
What this means for employers: Michigan's $1.27 jump is the largest in 2027, and California moves to $17.40 (see the California minimum wage guide for city rates). In Texas and the other $7.25 states nothing changes, but multi-state employers still need the right rate per location from the first pay period that includes January 1.
Tipped minimum wage statistics
BLS notes that the wage counted in its data excludes tips and that, "for many of these workers, tips may have supplemented the hourly wages they received." That makes the tipped minimum central to minimum wage data. From the DOL tipped employee table, updated November 5, 2026:
- The federal cash wage for tipped employees is $2.13 an hour, with a maximum tip credit of $5.12, so tips must bring the worker to $7.25.
- 7 states allow no tip credit and require the full state minimum before tips: Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
- 16 states allow the federal $2.13 cash wage, including Texas, Georgia, Virginia and Nebraska (Workzenly count from the DOL table).
- 27 states and DC set a cash wage above $2.13 but below their full minimum. Hawaii's $14.75 and Arizona's $12.15 are among the highest; Delaware's $2.23 is among the lowest.
What this means for employers: Taking a tip credit makes you responsible for topping up any hour where tips fall short. Track tips by shift, and remember that overtime for tipped staff is figured on the full minimum wage, not the cash wage. Check your state's overtime laws as well.
The federal minimum wage over time
The Fair Labor Standards Act set the first federal minimum in 1938. Selected steps from the DOL history chart, with values in October 2026 dollars from the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator where shown:
| Effective date | Federal minimum wage | In October 2026 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| October 24, 1938 | $0.25 | Not calculated |
| March 1, 1956 | $1.00 | Not calculated |
| February 1, 1968 | $1.60 | $15.79 |
| January 1, 1981 | $3.35 | Not calculated |
| April 1, 1991 | $4.25 | Not calculated |
| September 1, 1997 | $5.15 | Not calculated |
| July 24, 2009 | $7.25 | $11.36 |
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, history of federal minimum wage rates; BLS CPI Inflation Calculator (CPI-U), using February 1968 and July 2009 as the start months and October 2026 as the end month.
- $7.25 has bought less every year since 2009. The July 2009 rate equals $11.36 in October 2026. Workzenly calculation: $7.25 today has about 36% less buying power than when it took effect, or about $4.63 in July 2009 dollars.
- The 1968 rate was worth more. The $1.60 minimum of February 1968 equals $15.79 in October 2026 dollars, $8.54 more than today's $7.25 (Workzenly calculation from the BLS calculator).
- This is the longest gap in the DOL chart. By November 13, 2026, more than 17 years have passed since the last federal increase. The previous long gaps in the DOL chart were about nine years (January 1981 to April 1990) and about ten years (September 1997 to July 2007). (Workzenly calculation from DOL dates)
- The share of workers at or below the federal minimum has fallen sharply. It was 13.4% of hourly workers in 1979, the first year of regular data, and 1.0% in 2024. The number fell from 6.9 million to 843,000.
The 2010 peak came right after the federal rate rose in three steps, from $5.15 to $7.25, between July 2007 and July 2009 (DOL chart). Since then the federal rate has stayed fixed while 30 states and DC moved above it. A falling share means fewer workers at the federal floor; it does not mean the floor kept pace with prices.
What this means for employers: No federal increase is scheduled, so state and local rates drive your wage floor. Wage pressure in your area is better measured against local rates and nearby job postings than against $7.25.
Minimum wage violations
The DOL Wage and Hour Division reports back wages it recovers under the Fair Labor Standards Act. From its FLSA back wages data:
- In fiscal year 2025, DOL recovered $27,530,083 in back wages for minimum wage violations for 41,812 employees.
- That was up from $15,306,067 for 21,543 employees in fiscal 2024, and $20,866,247 for 31,150 in fiscal 2023.
- Minimum wage recoveries were about 15% of the $184,425,856 in total FLSA back wages in fiscal 2025 (Workzenly calculation). Overtime accounts for most of the rest.
- Across all laws it enforces, the Wage and Hour Division reported more than $259 million in back wages for about 176,957 workers in fiscal 2025. (DOL WHD data)
What this means for employers: Unpaid prep time, deductions that push pay below the floor and a missed January rate change can each create back pay owed. Accurate punches from a time clock and a payroll rate table updated before each effective date prevent most of them.
About this data
These minimum wage statistics come from four public sources. BLS publishes Current Population Survey Tables 44 and 45 each year (the 2025 tables were last modified February 20, 2026), and its narrative report on minimum wage workers, most recently for 2024 (June 2025). The Department of Labor updates its state and tipped minimum wage tables as rates change (both last updated November 5, 2026) and posts enforcement data by fiscal year. The BLS CPI Inflation Calculator is updated monthly; this page uses October 2026, the latest month available. State 2027 rates come from state labor agency announcements.
BLS counts only workers paid by the hour, measures against the federal $7.25, and uses the wage workers report, excluding tips, overtime and commissions. Many low-wage workers earn a state minimum above $7.25 and are not counted. Figures are as published; where we compute a share, multiple or count, the text says "Workzenly calculation."
We review this page when new releases come out, including the BLS minimum wage tables and the January 1 state rate changes. Journalists, students and bloggers are welcome to cite it with a link to this page.
More workforce statistics: Average hourly wage · Wage theft statistics · Restaurant industry statistics · Gender pay gap statistics.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Table 44: Wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by selected characteristics, 2025 annual averages (last modified February 20, 2026). bls.gov/cps/cpsaat44.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Table 45: by occupation and industry, 2025 annual averages (last modified February 20, 2026). bls.gov/cps/cpsaat45.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Characteristics of minimum wage workers, 2024 (BLS Report 1115, June 2025). bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2024/home.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Inflation Calculator, CPI-U through October 2026. data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, State Minimum Wage Laws (updated November 5, 2026). dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees (updated November 5, 2026). dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Changes in Basic Minimum Wages in Non-Farm Employment Under the FLSA, 1938 to 2009. dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/history/chart
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Fair Labor Standards Act back wages by fiscal year, FY2021 to FY2025. dol.gov/agencies/whd/data/charts/fair-labor-standards-act
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, enforcement data, fiscal year 2025. dol.gov/agencies/whd/data
- State labor agency announcements of January 1, 2027 rates, compiled in Workzenly, Minimum wage by state 2026. workzenly.com/blog/minimum-wage-by-state/
Frequently asked questions
How many people earn minimum wage in the US?
In 2025, 844,000 workers paid by the hour earned the federal minimum of $7.25 or less, according to BLS Current Population Survey Table 44. That was 1.0% of the 81.5 million hourly-paid workers. Only 79,000 earned exactly $7.25; 765,000 reported less. BLS notes the reported wage excludes tips and that some of these workers are exempt from minimum wage laws.
What percent of workers earn minimum wage?
BLS data put the share at 1.0% of hourly-paid workers in 2025 and in 2024, down from 13.4% in 1979, the first year of regular data. The 2025 figure is an 11-month average because October 2025 data were not collected, so BLS says it is not strictly comparable with earlier years.
Which industry has the most minimum wage workers?
Leisure and hospitality. In 2025, 5.7% of its hourly-paid workers earned $7.25 or less, and its 555,000 such workers were about two-thirds of the national total, according to BLS Table 45. No other major industry was above 1.1%.
How much is $7.25 worth today?
Measured with the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator, $7.25 in July 2009, when the current federal minimum took effect, had the same buying power as $11.36 in October 2026. By the same measure, today's $7.25 has about 36% less buying power than when it was set (a Workzenly calculation).
How many states have a minimum wage above $7.25?
Thirty states and DC set a higher rate, based on the Department of Labor state table updated November 5, 2026. Thirteen states use $7.25, Georgia and Wyoming set $5.15, and Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee have no state minimum wage law.
When did the federal minimum wage last go up?
The federal minimum wage rose to $7.25 on July 24, 2009, according to the Department of Labor history chart. By November 2026 that is more than 17 years without a change, longer than the earlier gaps of about nine years (1981 to 1990) and about ten years (1997 to 2007).