- Joined
- May 6, 2016
- Messages
- 1,908
- Reaction score
- 489
- Location
- Colorado
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Independent
The current federal minimum wage in the US is $7.25 per hour. In the 2016 election campaign, Bernie Sanders said that the minimum wage should be raised to $15 an hour where it is already such in Seattle. California is on track to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2020 and is currently at $11. In other states, the minimum wage has been raised through ballot measures.
The green states have a minimum wage above the federal wage, blue states are the same as the federal, red states are below, and yellow states don't have any minimum wage.
Minimum wage as of January 1, 2018
Economists can't seem to agree on whether or not minimum wage helps the community but there are some things going for and against it:
For
542,000 workers earn the federal minimum wage and 1.3 million have wages below that
Half of minimum wage workers are over 25
Most Americans seem to favor raising the minimum wage
Raising the minimum wage has the potential to raise living standards for those on it
Against
Minimum wage is often seen as a starting place
Some places such as McDonalds and Costco have a minimum wage above the federal wage
Only 2% of men and 3% of women made minimum wage or less
Just 3% of black Americans made minimum wage or less. Whites and hispanics were at 2%
Even amongst 16-19 year olds, minimum wage workers were in the minority at just 8%
Minimum wage has the potential to increase prices and layoffs as well as hurt small businesses
Minimum wage could speed up automation, especially in Seattle where it is the highest and is home to a growing tech industry
Source:
https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2017/home.htm
The green states have a minimum wage above the federal wage, blue states are the same as the federal, red states are below, and yellow states don't have any minimum wage.
Minimum wage as of January 1, 2018
Economists can't seem to agree on whether or not minimum wage helps the community but there are some things going for and against it:
For
542,000 workers earn the federal minimum wage and 1.3 million have wages below that
Half of minimum wage workers are over 25
Most Americans seem to favor raising the minimum wage
Raising the minimum wage has the potential to raise living standards for those on it
Against
Minimum wage is often seen as a starting place
Some places such as McDonalds and Costco have a minimum wage above the federal wage
Only 2% of men and 3% of women made minimum wage or less
Just 3% of black Americans made minimum wage or less. Whites and hispanics were at 2%
Even amongst 16-19 year olds, minimum wage workers were in the minority at just 8%
Minimum wage has the potential to increase prices and layoffs as well as hurt small businesses
Minimum wage could speed up automation, especially in Seattle where it is the highest and is home to a growing tech industry
Source:
https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2017/home.htm