Indicator: Access to jobs paying a living wage

Why it matters

A minimum wage is typically insufficient for individuals and families to meet basic needs, much less achieve economic mobility and security. According to calculations by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), under the current federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour at the time of publication), two working adults would each need to work approximately 75 hours per week to meet the basic needs of a typical family of four.1 Although a growing number of states and municipalities are adopting minimum wages above the federal standard, earning more than minimum wage typically is required to establish economic resilience and build savings. In 2016, 58 percent of White workers were employed in a job that paid at least $35,000 ($17 per hour for full-time jobs) for workers between the ages of 25 and 44, and at least $45,000 ($22 per hour) for workers between the ages of 45 and 64.2 This share was 41 percent for Black workers and 37 percent for Latino workers nationwide.