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Works Cited

• Babic, Mary, et al. “6 Simple Reasons We Should Raise the Minimum Wage Right Now”. The Politics of Poverty, 15 Feb. 2019, politicsofpoverty.oxfamamerica.org/2019/02/6-simple-reasons-we-should-raise-the-minimum-wage/.
• Doyle, Alison. “Should the Minimum Wage Be Raised?” The Balance Careers, The Balance Careers, 15 July 2019, www.thebalancecareers.com/pros-and-cons-of-raising-the-minimum-wage-2062521.
• “Pros and Cons of Raising Minimum Wage”. Toggl, toggl.com/pros-and-cons-of-raising-minimum-wage/.
• “Raise the U.S. Minimum Wage”. Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2019. Sirsissuesresearcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2285121088?accountid=44669. Accessed 4 Nov. 2019.
• Smith, Lisa. “The Minimum Wage: Does It Matter?” Investopedia, Investopedia, 12 Aug. 2019, www.investopedia.com/articles/07/minimum_wage.asp.

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Fact Sheet | Wages, Incomes, and Wealth

Why the U.S. needs a $15 minimum wage : How the Raise the Wage Act would benefit U.S. workers and their families

Fact Sheet • January 26, 2021

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This fact sheet was updated February 19 with a new section on tipped workers .

The federal minimum hourly wage is just $7.25 and Congress has not increased it since 2009. Low wages hurt all workers and are particularly harmful to Black workers and other workers of color, especially women of color, who make up a disproportionate share of workers who are severely underpaid. This is the result of structural racism and sexism, with an economic system rooted in chattel slavery in which workers of color—and especially women of color—have been and continue to be shunted into the most underpaid jobs. 1

This fact sheet was produced in collaboration with the National Employment Law Project .

The Raise the Wage Act of 2021 would gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 and narrow racial and gender pay gaps. Here is what the Act would do:

• Raise the federal minimum wage to $9.50 this year and increase it in steps until it reaches $15 an hour in 2025. 2
• After 2025, adjust the minimum wage each year to keep pace with growth in the median wage, a measure of wages for typical workers.
• Phase out the egregious subminimum wage for tipped workers, which has been frozen at a meager $2.13 since 1991. 3
• Sunset unacceptable subminimum wages for workers with disabilities employed in sheltered workshops and for workers under age 20.

The benefits of gradually phasing in a $15 minimum wage by 2025 would be far-reaching, lifting pay for tens of millions of workers and helping reverse decades of growing pay inequality.

The Raise the Wage Act would have the following benefits: 4

• Gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025 would lift pay for 32 million workers—21% of the U.S. workforce .
• Affected workers who work year round would earn an extra $3,300 a year —enough to make a tremendous difference in the life of a cashier, home health aide, or fast-food worker who today struggles to get by on less than $25,000 a year.
• A majority (59%) of workers whose total family income is below the poverty line would receive a pay increase if the minimum wage were raised to $15 by 2025.
• A $15 minimum wage would begin to reverse decades of growing pay inequality between the most underpaid workers and workers receiving close to the median wage, particularly along gender and racial lines. For example, minimum wage increases in the late 1960s explained 20% of the decrease in the Black–white earnings gap in the years that followed, whereas failures to adequately increase the minimum wage after 1979 account for almost half of the increase in inequality between women at the middle and bottom of the wage distribution. 5
• A $15 minimum wage by 2025 would generate $107 billion in higher wages for workers and would also benefit communities across the country. Because underpaid workers spend much of their extra earnings, this injection of wages will help stimulate the economy and spur greater business activity and job growth .

Raising the minimum wage to $15 will be particularly significant for workers of color and would help narrow the racial pay gap.

• Nearly one-third (31%) of African Americans and one-quarter (26%) of Latinos would get a raise if the federal minimum wage were increased to $15. 6
• Almost one in four (23%) of those who would benefit is a Black or Latina woman.
• African Americans and Latinos are paid 10%–15% less than white workers with the same characteristics, so The Raise the Wage Act will deliver the largest benefits to Black and Latino workers: about $3,500 annually for a year-round worker. 7
• Minimum wage increases in the 1960s Civil Rights Era significantly reduced Black–white earnings inequality and are responsible for more than 20% of the overall reduction in later years. 8

The majority of workers who would benefit are adult women—many of whom have attended college and many of whom have children.

• More than half (51%) of workers who would benefit are adults between the ages of 25 and 54; only one in 10 is a teenager.
• Nearly six in 10 (59%) are women.
• More than half (54%) work full time.
• More than four in 10 (43%) have some college experience.
• More than a quarter (28%) have children.

The Raise the Wage Act follows the lead of the growing number of states and cities that have adopted significant minimum wage increases in recent years, thanks to the ‘Fight for $15 and a union’ movement led by Black workers and workers of color.

• Since the Fight for $15 was launched by striking fast-food workers in 2012, 9 states representing approximately 40% of the U.S. workforce —California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and the District of Columbia— have approved raising their minimum wages to $15 an hour . 10
• Additional states—including Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Vermont, Missouri, Michigan, and Maine—have approved minimum wages ranging from $12 to $14.75 an hour . 11

Not just on the coasts, but all across the country, workers need at least $15 an hour today .

• Today, in all areas across the United States, a single adult without children needs at least $31,200—what a full-time worker making $15 an hour earns annually—to achieve a modest but adequate standard of living. 12 By 2025, workers in these areas and those with children will need even more, according to projections based on the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator . 13
• For example, in rural Missouri, a single adult without children will need $39,800 (more than $19 per hour for a full-time worker) by 2025 to cover typical rent, food, transportation, and other basic living costs.
• In larger metro areas of the South and Southwest—where the majority of the Southern population live—a single adult without children will also need more than $15 an hour by 2025 to get by: $20.03 in Fort Worth, $21.12 in Phoenix, and $20.95 in Miami.
• In more expensive regions of the country, a single adult without children will need far more than $15 an hour by 2025 to cover the basics: $28.70 in New York City, $24.06 in Los Angeles, and $23.94 in Washington, D.C.

Workers in many essential and front-line jobs struggle to get by on less than $15 an hour today and would benefit from a $15 minimum wage.

• Essential and front-line workers make up a majority (60%) of those who would benefit from a $15 minimum wage. 14 The median pay is well under $15 an hour for many essential and front-line jobs; examples include substitute teachers ($13.84), nursing assistants ($14.26), and home health aides ($12.15). 15
• More than one-third (35%) of those working in residential or nursing care facilities would see their pay increase , in addition to home health aides and other health care support workers.
• One in three retail-sector workers (36%) would get a raise, including 42% of workers in grocery stores.
• More than four in 10 (43% of) janitors, housekeepers, and other cleaning workers would benefit.
• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of servers, cooks, and other food preparation workers would see their earnings rise by $5,800 on a year-round basis.
• Ten million workers in health care, education, construction, and manufacturing would see a raise —representing nearly one-third (31%) of the workers who would see a raise.

Phasing out the egregiously low $2.13 minimum wage for tipped workers would lift pay, provide stable paychecks, and reduce poverty for millions of tipped workers.

• There are 1.3 million tipped workers throughout the country who are paid as little as $2.13 per hour because Congress has not lifted the federal tipped wage in 30 years. Another 1.8 million tipped workers receive wages above $2.13, but still less than their state’s regular minimum wage. 16
• Seven states (Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) have already eliminated their lower tipped minimum wage . In these “one-fair-wage” states, tipped workers in these states are paid the same minimum wage as everyone else before tips. 17 For restaurant servers and bartenders, take-home pay in one-fair-wage states is 21% higher, on average, than in $2.13 states.
• Having a lower minimum wage for tipped jobs results in dramatically higher poverty rates for tipped workers. In states that use the federal $2.13 tipped minimum wage, the poverty rate among servers and bartenders is 13.3%—5.6 percentage points higher than the 7.7% poverty rate among servers and bartenders in one-fair-wage states. 18
• Eliminating the lower tipped minimum wage has not harmed growth in the restaurant industry or tipped jobs. From 2011 to 2019, one-fair-wage states had stronger restaurant growth than states that had a lower tipped minimum wage—both in the number of full-service restaurants (17.5% versus 11.1%) and in full-service restaurant employment (23.8% versus 18.7%). 19

Growing numbers of business owners and organizations have backed a $15 minimum wage.

• In states that have already approved $15 minimum wages, business organizations representing thousands of small businesses have endorsed a $15 minimum wage.
• Business groups that have endorsed a $15 minimum wage include Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, 20 the American Sustainable Business Council, 21 the Patriotic Millionaires, 22 the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, 23 the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, 24 and others.
• Growing numbers of employers have responded to pressure from workers and raised their starting pay scales to $15 or higher. These include retail giants Amazon, 25 Whole Foods 26 (owned by Amazon), Target, 27 Walmart, 28 Wayfair, 29 Costco, 30 Hobby Lobby, 31 and Best Buy; 32 employers in the food service and producing industries, such as Chobani, 33 Starbucks, 34 Sanderson Farms (Mississippi), 35 and the Atlanta-area locations of Lidl grocery stores; 36 health care employers including Michigan’s Henry Ford Health System 37 and Trinity Health System, 38 Ohio’s Akron Children’s Hospital 39 and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 40 Iowa’s Mercy Medical Center and MercyCare Community Physicians, 41 Missouri’s North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health, 42 and Maryland’s LifeBridge Health; 43 insurers and banks such as Amalgamated Bank, 44 Allstate, 45 Wells Fargo, 46 and Franklin Savings Bank in New Hampshire 47 ; and tech and communications leaders such as Facebook 48 and Charter Communications. 49

Our economy can more than afford a $15 minimum wage.

• Workers earning the current federal minimum wage are paid less per hour in real dollars than their counterparts were paid 50 years ago . 50
• Businesses can afford to pay the most underpaid worker in the U.S. today substantially more than what her counterpart was paid half a century ago. 51
• The economy has grown dramatically over the past 50 years, and workers are producing more from each hour of work, with productivity nearly doubling since the late 1960s . If the minimum wage had been raised at the same pace as productivity growth since the late 1960s, it would be over $20 an hour today . 52

Research confirms what workers know: Raising wages benefits us all.

• High-quality academic scholarship confirms that modest increases in the minimum wage have not led to detectable job losses . 53
• After the federal minimum wage was raised to its highest historical peak in 1968, wages grew and racial earnings gaps closed without constricting employment opportunities for underpaid workers overall. 54
• Comprehensive research on 138 state-level minimum wage increases shows that all underpaid workers benefit from minimum wage increases, not just teenagers or restaurant workers. 55
• Multiple studies conclude that total annual incomes of families at the bottom of the income distribution rise significantly after a minimum wage increase. 56 Workers in low-wage jobs and their families benefit the most from these income increases, reducing poverty and income inequality.
• By providing families with higher incomes, minimum wage increases have improved infant health and also reduced child abuse and teenage pregnancy . 57

An immediate increase in the minimum wage is necessary for the health of our economy.

• Raising the minimum wage now will tilt the playing field back toward workers who have dangerous jobs and little bargaining power during the pandemic. 58
• Providing underpaid workers with more money will directly counter the consumer demand shortfall during this recession. 59
• Even the Congressional Budget Office’s 2019 study of the impact of raising the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025 clearly showed that the policy would raise incomes of underpaid workers overall and significantly reduce the number of families in poverty. 60

Low wages threaten the economic security of workers and their families, who then turn to social benefits programs to make ends meet.

• In states without laws to raise the minimum wage to $15, nearly half (47%, or 10.5 million) of families of workers who would benefit from the Act rely on public supports programs in part because they do not earn enough at work. 61
• These workers and their families account for nearly one-third of total enrollment in one or more public supports programs. 62
• In states without a $15 minimum wage law, public supports programs for underpaid workers and their families make up 42% of total spending on Medicaid and CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program), cash assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF), food stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP), and the earned income tax credit (EITC), and cost federal and state taxpayers more than $107 billion a year . 63

Notes and Sources

This fact sheet is an update of Why America Needs a $15 Minimum Wage , published by EPI and the National Employment Law Project, February 2019.

Unless otherwise indicated, the figures presented in this fact sheet come from a forthcoming EPI analysis of the 2021 Raise the Wage Act .

1. Kate Bahn and Carmen Sanchez Cumming, “ Four Graphs on U.S. Occupational Segregation by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender ,” Washington Center for Equitable Growth, July 1, 2020.

2. The analysis is based on the 2021 Raise the Wage Act.

3. Sylvia Allegretto and David Cooper, Twenty-Three Years and Still Waiting for Change: Why It’s Time to Give Tipped Workers the Regular Minimum Wage , Economic Policy Institute, July 2014.

4. Estimated effects of the 2021 Raise the Wage Act throughout this fact sheet are from a forthcoming Economic Policy Institute analysis of the legislation and include benefits for both directly affected workers (those who would otherwise earn less than $15 per hour in 2025) and indirectly affected workers (those who would earn just slightly above $15 in 2025).

5. Ellora Derenoncourt and Claire Montialoux, “ Minimum Wages and Racial Inequality ,” Quarterly Journal of Economics 136, no. 1 (February 2021); David Autor, Alan Manning, and Christopher L. Smith, “ The Contribution of the Minimum Wage to U.S. Wage Inequality over Three Decades: A Reassessment ,” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 8, no. 1 (January 2016).

6. See also Laura Huizar and Tsedeye Gebreselassie, What a $15 Minimum Wage Means for Women and Workers of Color , National Employment Law Project, December 2016.

7. For racial/ethnic wage gaps, see Appendix Table 1 of Elise Gould, State of Working America Wages 2019 , Economic Policy Institute, February 2020.

8. Ellora Derenoncourt and Claire Montialoux, “ Minimum Wages and Racial Inequality ,” Quarterly Journal of Economics 136, no. 1 (February 2021).

9. Alina Selyukh, “ ‘Gives Me Hope’: How Low-Paid Workers Rose up Against Stagnant Wages ,” National Public Radio’s All Things Considered , February 26, 2020; Kimberly Freeman Brown and Marc Bayard, “ Editorial: The New Face of Labor, Civil Rights is Black & Female ,” NBC News, September 7, 2015; Amy B. Dean, “ Is the Fight for $15 the Next Civil Rights Movement? ” Al Jazeera America , June 22, 2015.

10. Economic Policy Institute calculation using Current Employment Statistics data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Values calculated using the listed states’ share of total U.S. nonfarm employment in calendar year 2019 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). For recent minimum wage changes, see the Economic Policy Institute Minimum Wage Tracker, https://www.epi.org/minimum-wage-tracker/ . We include the District of Columbia in this list even though it is not a state.

11. Yannet Lathrop, Impact of the Fight for $15: $68 Billion in Raises, 22 Million Workers , National Employment Law Project, November 2018.

12. Based on calculations from the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator , which measures the income a family needs to attain a secure yet modest standard of living in all counties and metro areas across the country.

13. Congressional Budget Office projections for the consumer price index were applied to the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator .

14. Economic Policy Institute analysis of the legislation, forthcoming.

15. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates United States (online database).

16. Economic Policy Institute analysis of Current Population Survey outgoing rotation group microdata, 2017–2019

17. Economic Policy Institute analysis of Current Population Survey outgoing rotation group microdata, 2017–2019

18. Economic Policy Institute analysis of Current Population Survey outgoing rotation group microdata, 2017–2019

19.  Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2011–2019.

20. Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, “ Federal Business for a Fair Minimum Wage—$15: Signatories List in Formation ,” accessed January 22, 2021.

21. Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, “ Federal Business for a Fair Minimum Wage—$15: Signatories List in Formation ,” accessed January 22, 2021.

22. Patriotic Millionaires, “ Endorsed Bill: The Raise the Wage Act ,” accessed January 22, 2021.

23. Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, “ Celebrating Juneteenth ,” June 18, 2020.

24. Kate King, “ New York Boosts Minimum Wage and Some Businesses Balk ,” Wall Street Journal , January 4, 2021.

25. Arjun Panchadar, “ Amazon Raises Minimum Wage to $15, Urges Rivals to Follow ,” Reuters , October 2, 2018.

26. Abha Bhattarai, “ Amazon Boosts Minimum Wage to $15 for All Workers Following Criticism ,” Washington Post , October 2, 2018.

27. Melissa Repko, “ Target Raises Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour Months Before its Deadline ,” CNBC , June 17, 2020.

28. Michael Grothaus, “ Walmart Is Giving 165,000 Employees a Pay Raise Between $15 and $30 per Hour ,” Fast Company , September 18, 2020.

29. Lucia Maffei, “ Wayfair Sets $15 Minimum Wage for All U.S. Workers ,” MassLive , January 8, 2021.

30. Sarah Nassauer and Micah Maidenberg, “ Costco Raises Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour ,” Wall Street Journal , March 6, 2019.

31. Hobby Lobby, “ Hobby Lobby Raises Minimum Wage ” (press release), September 14, 2020.

32. Gillian Friedman, “ Best Buy to Join Retailers Paying a $15 Minimum Wage ,” New York Times , July 22, 2020.

33. Chobani, “ Chobani Increases Employees’ Starting Wage to at Least $15/Hour ,” (PR Newswire release), Vending Marketwatch , October 30, 2020.

34. Janine Puhak, “ Starbucks to Raise Minimum Wage to $15 for US Employees over Next Three Years ,” WDRB.com , December 12, 2020.

35. Sanderson Farms, “ Sanderson Farms Increases Pay Rates for Hourly Employees ” (press release), June 3, 2019.

36. Kara McIntyre, “ Lidl to Raise Atlanta-Area Starting Pay to $15 An Hour ,” Patch (Atlanta, Ga.), January 5, 2021.

37. Henry Ford Health System, “ Henry Ford Among the First Michigan Health Systems to Raise Minimum Pay Rate to $15 Per Hour ” (press release), October 9, 2020.

38. Michael Kransz, “ Michigan Health System with 8 Hospitals Increases Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour ,” MLive.com , October 19, 2020.

39. Betty Lin-Fisher, “ Akron Children’s Hospital to Raise Its Minimum Wage to $15 ,” Akron Beacon Journal , October 3, 2019.

40. Kelly Gooch, “ Ohio Children’s Hospital to Boost Minimum Pay for 3,000 Employees ,” Becker’s Hospital Review , October 3, 2019.

41. Michaela Ramm, “ Mercy Announces Minimum Wage Increase, General Pay ,” The Gazette , December 22, 2020.

42. North Kansas City Hospital, “ North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health Raise Minimum Base Wage ,” December 21, 2020.

43. LifeBridge Health, “ Lifebridge Health Raises Minimum Living Wage for Hospital Team Members to $15 an Hour ” (press release), Greater Baltimore Committee, January 8, 2021.

44. Amalgamated Bank, “ Fight for $15 ” (web page), accessed January 22, 2021.

45. Amanda Mull, “ Corporations’ Social Crusades Often Leave Out Workers ,” The Atlantic , June 28, 2019.

46. Wells Fargo, “ Wells Fargo to Raise Minimum Hourly Pay Levels in a Majority of Its U.S. Markets ” (news release), March 4, 2020.

47. Scott Souza, “ Franklin Savings Bank Raises Minimum Wage in NH To $15 ,” Patch (Merrimack, N.H.), October 31, 2019.

48. Tomi Kilgore, “ Facebook Raising Minimum Wage to $20 Per Hour for Bay Area, New York and D.C. ” MarketWatch , May 13, 2019.

49. Charter Communications, “ Charter Statement Regarding Plans to Permanently Raise Minimum Wage to $20/Per Hour over Next Two Years for All Hourly Employees ,” April 6, 2020.

50. David Cooper, Raising the Federal Minimum Wage to $15 by 2024 Would Lift Pay for Nearly 40 Million Workers , Economic Policy Institute, February 2019.

51. David Cooper, Raising the Federal Minimum Wage to $15 by 2024 Would Lift Pay for Nearly 40 Million Workers , Economic Policy Institute, February 2019.

52. David Cooper, Raising the Federal Minimum Wage to $15 by 2024 Would Lift Pay for Nearly 40 Million Workers , Economic Policy Institute, February 2019.

53. Paul J. Wolfson and Dale Belman, “ 15 Years of Research on U.S. Employment and the Minimum Wage ,” Tuck School of Business Working Paper no. 2705499, 2016.

54. Ellora Derenoncourt and Claire Montialoux, “ Minimum Wages and Racial Inequality ,” Quarterly Journal of Economics 136, no. 1 (February 2021).

55. Doruk Cengiz, Arindrajit Dube, Attila Lindner, and Ben Zipperer, “The Effect of Minimum Wages on Low-Wage Jobs: Evidence from the United States Using a Bunching Estimator,” Quarterly Journal of Economics 134, no. 9 (May 2019).

56. Arindrajit Dube, “ Minimum Wages and the Distribution of Family Incomes ,” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 11, no. 4 (October 2019); Kevin Rinz and John Voorheis, “ The Distributional Effects of Minimum Wages: Evidence from Linked Survey and Administrative Data .” U.S. Census Bureau Center for Administrative Records Research and Applications Working Paper 2018-02, 2018.

57. George L. Wehby, Dhaval M. Dave, and Robert Kaestner, “Effects of the Minimum Wage on Infant Health,” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 39, no. 2 (Spring 2020); Kerri M. Raissian and Lindsey Rose Bullinger, “Money Matters: Does the Minimum Wage Affect Child Maltreatment Rates?” Children and Youth Services Review 72 (January 2017); Lindsey Rose Bullinger, “The Effect of Minimum Wages on Adolescent Fertility: A Nationwide Analysis,” American Journal of Public Health , March 2017.

58. Peter Dorman and Lawrence Mishel, “ A Majority of Workers Are Fearful of Coronavirus Infections at Work, especially Black, Hispanic, and Low- and Middle-income Workers ,” Working Economics Blog (Economic Policy Institute), June 16, 2020.

59. Cristian Alonso, “ Beyond Labor Market Outcomes: The Impact of the Minimum Wage on Nondurable Consumption ,” Journal of Human Resources , forthcoming.

60. Ben Zipperer, “ Low-Wage Workers Will See Huge Gains from Minimum Wage Hike, CBO Finds ,” Working Economics Blog (Economic Policy Institute), July 9, 2019.

61. Ken Jacobs, Ian Eve Perry, and Jenifer MacGillvary, The Public Cost of a Low Federal Minimum Wage , University of California Berkeley, Labor Center, January 2021.

62. Ken Jacobs, Ian Eve Perry, and Jenifer MacGillvary, The Public Cost of a Low Federal Minimum Wage , University of California Berkeley, Labor Center, January 2021.

63. Ken Jacobs, Ian Eve Perry, and Jenifer MacGillvary, The Public Cost of a Low Federal Minimum Wage , University of California Berkeley, Labor Center, January 2021.

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The future is equal

Politics of Poverty

6 simple reasons we should raise the minimum wage right now.

Ideas and analysis from Oxfam America's policy experts

The federal minimum wage—just $7.25 an hour—hasn’t been increased in more than a decade.

It’s time to raise the minimum wage. Today, millions of Americans do arduous work in jobs that pay too little and offer too few benefits. They serve food, clean offices, care for the young and elderly, stock shelves, and deliver pizza. They work these jobs year after year while caring for children and parents, trying to save for college, and paying their bills.

But despite their best efforts, these low-wage and essential workers are falling further and further behind. The federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr is locking millions—most notably women of color and single parents—in poverty.

The way we see it, if you work hard, you should earn enough to get by. That’s why efforts to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 to help Americans across the country are so important.

Here are six simple reasons why raising the minimum wage makes sense.

1. it is long overdue.

Since it was last raised in 2009, the minimum wage has failed to keep up with inflation, failed to keep up with average wages, and—most dramatically—failed to keep up with incomes of the top 1 percent and CEOs, contributing to America’s growing inequality crisis.

As a result, low-wage workers are not benefiting from economic growth and productivity. If the minimum wage had kept pace with productivity increases, it would be around $24/hr according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Just 30 years ago, the average pay gap between CEOs and workers was 59 to 1; by 2018, it had soared to 361 to 1 . The average CEO at one of the top 350 firms in the US made $21.3 million in 2019 , 320 times as much as the typical worker; a minimum wage worker still makes $15,080: a gap of 1,400 to 1.

2. It would address longstanding racial and gender inequities

Historically marginalized people, who do more than their fair share of low-wage work, would stand to benefit disproportionately from the bump. (For dramatic illustration of the disparate impact of a raise, refer to Oxfam’s map of low-wage workers in the US.)

According to the data from the Economic Policy Institute, while 27 percent of the total US workforce would benefit from the raise:

• 39 percent of Black and Latina women would benefit (vs. 18 percent of white men);
• 38 percent of African American workers would benefit;
• 33 percent of Latino workers would benefit; and
• 32 percent of women workers would benefit (vs 22 percent of men).

3. It would reduce poverty

The bump from $290 a week to $600 a week would lift millions of families out of poverty. More than a quarter of the workforce— 40 million workers —would see a raise in wages.

The pandemic has made this move even more urgent, as millions have slipped into poverty over the past year, and 11 percent of adults are now facing food insecurity.

4. It would fuel economic growth

The roughly $120 billion extra paid to workers would be pumped back into the economy for necessities such as rent, food, and clothes. Economists have long recognized that boosting purchasing power by putting money in people’s pockets for consumer spending has positive ripple effects on the entire economy.

In one recent poll, 67 percent of small business owners support the minimum wage increase to $15 an hour. They say it would spark consumer demand, which would enable them to retain or hire new employees.

And raising the wage doesn’t seem to compel employers to cut jobs. As states and cities across the country have raised wages, research has found no statistically significant effect on employment .

5. It would save taxpayer money and reduce use of government programs

When employers don’t pay people enough to survive, those workers are compelled to seek government assistance, meaning taxpayers are essentially subsidizing the corporations.  

In 2016, the Economic Policy Institute found that , among recipients of public assistance, most work or have a family member who works; and they are concentrated at the bottom of the pay scale. Raising wages for low-wage workers would “unambiguously reduce net spending on public assistance, particularly among workers likely to be affected by a federal minimum-wage increase.”

6. It’s what the vast majority of Americans want

Vast majorities (up to three quarters, including a majority across party lines) support raising the wage. In fact, over half the states have raised their minimum wages to restore basic fairness to the workforce.

All work has dignity and worth. We need to get our economy moving, prioritizing workers and families most impacted by the pandemic, specifically women and people of color. After more than a decade of hard work, low-wage workers deserve a bump to get them and their families out of poverty.

Find out how many people in your state would benefit from raising the minimum wage.

Reasons Why Minimum Wage Should Be Raised Essay: Benefits for Workers, Society, and The Economy

The minimum wage controversy has been among the most discussed and argued issues for many years. Those in favor of raising the minimum wage argue that the increased income would enable low-wage workers to better their lives, reduce poverty and income disparity, as well as bring an economic boost. On the contrary, many opponents of raising the minimum wage contend that it will cause job losses and lead to higher prices.

This essay, written by a custom essay company , can help you understand the topic. By examining the evidence and arguments from both sides of the debate, we can gain a better understanding of the potential impact of raising the minimum wage and make informed decisions about public policy in this area.

My Thoughts on Should Minimum Wage Be Raised Essay

The minimum wage has long been a contentious issue in the United States, with opinions divided on whether it should be increased or left at its current level. Those in favor of increasing the minimum wage argue that it would help to alleviate poverty, reduce income inequality, and stimulate economic growth. However, opponents of a minimum wage hike suggest that it could lead to job losses, inflation, and reduced economic competitiveness.

Nevertheless, by considering the potential benefits and drawbacks of increasing the minimum wage, I would like to to provide a comprehensive analysis of this complex issue and help readers come to an informed opinion.

Reduction of Poverty and Inequality

One of the most compelling reasons for raising minimum wage is the reduction of poverty and inequality. According to the Economic Policy Institute, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour could lift 1.3 million workers out of poverty and reduce income inequality. This is because low-wage workers, who are often from marginalized communities, rely on minimum wage jobs to support themselves and their families. By increasing the minimum wage, their income would increase, allowing them to meet their basic needs, such as food, housing, and healthcare.

Boost in Consumer Purchasing Power

Increasing the minimum wage would also lead to a boost in consumer purchasing power. When low-wage workers earn more, they are more likely to spend more, which would stimulate the economy. For instance, a report by the National Employment Law Project estimated that raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour would generate an additional $118 billion in economic activity over a five-year period.

Improved Health Outcomes

Low-wage workers often cannot afford basic healthcare services, which can lead to serious health consequences. By raising the minimum wage, workers would have access to better healthcare services, which would lead to improved health outcomes. This is because when low-wage workers have better health, they are more productive, which benefits both the employer and the employee.

Reduced Reliance on Social Services

Low-wage workers often rely on social services such as food stamps, housing subsidies, and Medicaid to make ends meet. By raising the minimum wage, workers would be able to earn enough to support themselves and their families without having to rely on social services. This would reduce the burden on taxpayers and enable the government to allocate resources to other areas of need.

Encourages Workforce Productivity and Loyalty

By paying workers a fair wage, they are more likely to be productive and loyal to their employer. This is because they feel valued and appreciated, which leads to higher job satisfaction and engagement. Additionally, when workers are paid a fair wage, they are less likely to leave their jobs, which can reduce the costs associated with hiring and training new employees.

While there are differing opinions on the impact of raising the minimum wage, there is evidence to support the many benefits that come with increasing it. Raising the minimum wage can help to reduce poverty and income inequality, boost consumer purchasing power, improve health outcomes, and reduce reliance on social services.

Furthermore, paying workers a fair wage can lead to increased productivity, loyalty, and job satisfaction. While there may be some initial costs associated with raising the minimum wage, the long-term benefits can outweigh them. As society moves forward, it is important to consider the potential impact of increasing the minimum wage and work towards a more equitable and just society where all workers are paid a fair wage for their labor.

Through thoughtful policy-making and continued advocacy, we can ensure that the benefits of raising the minimum wage are realized for workers, society, and the economy as a whole.

Tips on Writing Why Should Minimum Wage Be Raised Essay

The issue of minimum wage has become a hotly debated topic in recent years, with advocates calling for an increase in the minimum wage to address issues of poverty and inequality. If you are passionate about this topic and want to share your views, writing an essay on why minimum wage should be raised can be a great way to do so. However, to make your essay stand out, it’s important to approach it with a clear and well-structured argument. Here are some tips on how to write an excellent essay on why minimum wage should be raised, so you can effectively convey your ideas and contribute to the ongoing discussion around this important issue.

Research the Topic

Before you start writing a raising minimum wage essay, it is important to research the topic and gather as much information as possible. This will help you to understand the various arguments and counter-arguments related to the minimum wage. Use reputable sources, such as academic journals, government reports, and news articles, to gather information.

Develop a Strong Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the backbone of your essays on raising minimum wage and sets the tone for the rest of your writing. Make sure your thesis statement is clear, concise, and reflects your stance on the topic. A strong thesis statement might read: “Raising the minimum wage is necessary to reduce poverty and inequality, boost the economy, and provide workers with a fair living wage.”

Support Your Argument with Evidence

To write an opinion article , you need to support your claims with evidence. Use statistics, data, and examples to illustrate your points and provide evidence for your claims. For example, you might use data to show that raising the minimum wage has led to increased consumer spending in other countries, or you might cite research that shows how low wages can lead to poor health outcomes.

Address Counter-Arguments

When writing about a contentious topic like the minimum wage, it is important to address counter-arguments. Acknowledge the other side’s point of view and provide evidence to counter their claims. This will help you to build a more persuasive argument and show that you have considered all sides of the issue.

Use Clear and Concise Language

Your essay should be easy to read and understand. Use clear and concise language to communicate your ideas effectively. Avoid using jargon or technical language that might confuse your reader. Make sure to proofread your work carefully to catch any spelling or grammar errors that could detract from your argument.

By following these tips, you can develop a compelling argument that supports your position and addresses counter-arguments.

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Should We Raise The Minimum Wage?

Cardiff Garcia

Stacey Vanek Smith

Should We Raise the Minimum Wage?

Burr vs Hamilton. The Celtics vs the Lakers. Godzilla vs King Kong. To this list of famous rivalries you can now add: advocates of raising the minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour... versus opponents of raising it.

We have been watching economists duke it out on social media and in their papers, arguing for and against the idea. This is a topic where things can get heated, but it's also a really important and nuanced debate.

To show what's at stake, Stacey and Cardiff take sides on the minimum wage debate. Get ready for a fight over the minimum wage... with maximum rage!

Articles on Minimum Wage:

Characteristics of minimum wage workers (2019) , from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

How Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage Could Affect Employment and Family Income , from the Congressional Budget Office

Minimum Wages and Racial Inequality (paywall), by Ellora Derenoncourt and Claire Montialoux

Impacts of Minimum Wages: Review of the International Evidence , by Arindrajit Dube

City Limits: What do Local-Area Minimum Wages Do? , by Arindrajit Dube and Attila S. Linder

Racial Inequality and Minimum Wages in Frictional Labor Markets , by Jesse Wursten and Michael Reich

The Disparate Impact of a National $15 Minimum Wage , by Paul H. Kupiec

Myth or Measurement: What Does the New Minimum Wage Research Say about Minimum Wages and Job Loss in the United States? , by David Neumark and Peter Shirley

The Distributional Effects of Minimum Wages: Evidence from Linked Survey and Administrative Data , by Kevin Rinz and John Voorheis

The Economic Impact of a High National Minimum Wage: Evidence from the 1966 Fair Labor Standards Act , by Martha J. Bailey, John DiNardo, and Bryan A. Stuart

History of Changes to the Minimum Wage Law , from the Department of Labor

Why $15 Minimum Wage is Pretty Safe , by Noah Smith

The Minimum Wage Pushback , by Noah Smith

Minimum Wage Tracker , from The Economic Policy Institute

$15 Minimum Wage Subverts Biden Recovery Plan (paywall), by Michael R. Strain

How Can Price Theory Help Us Navigate the Minimum Wage Debate? , by Brian Albrecht

Pay Is Rising Fastest for Low Earners. One Reason? Minimum Wages. , by Ernie Tedeschi

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$15 minimum wage debate: Why some say 'flipping burgers' is the hardest job

As a teenager, Nicole Lee Schroeder worked part time at McDonald’s — eight-hour shifts at $7 an hour — just to afford a car to get to and from her unpaid internship. Ten years later, she’s a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Virginia. She’s held a range of positions within academia, from research assistant to editor.

Yet, according to Schroeder’s viral Twitter thread , she still considers the McDonald’s gig the hardest job of them all.

When I was 16 my first job was at McDonald's. Now I'm months away from defending my dissertation for my PhD. I've had many jobs in between - research assistant, archival assistant, editor, etc. The hardest work out of them all? That McDonalds job. 1/5 — Nicole Lee Schroeder (@Nicole_Lee_Sch) January 16, 2021

“You’re never just doing one thing, and there was not really downtime. It was a constant go, go, go kind of day,” she said to TODAY over a Zoom call. “Both the fact that you’re on your feet the whole time and that breaks are infrequent. It’s really draining when everyone is impatient who comes through the line, and everyone thinks they deserve a certain type of service.”

Following President Joe Biden’s push to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour (from $7.25 an hour, the rate since 2009) by 2025, the age-old debate over how much money service workers need — or, perhaps more accurately, how much they deserve — exploded over social media. Last week, Costco announced that the company is increasing its starting hourly wage to $16. Around the same time, those in opposition to a $15 minimum wage — including Congressional Republicans — celebrated when the Senate parliamentarian ruled that Democrats couldn't include the measure in the upcoming budget reconciliation.

In arguments against the wage hike, some people refer to low-wage work with derision, turning the very act of "flipping burgers" into an insult. Others, like Schroeder, are determined to debunk the range of assumptions that create this mentality.

“Someone had tweeted that they work in a warehouse where they get paid $15 an hour, and they'll be damned if anybody flipping burgers gets paid the same as them,” Izzi Hartwill, a college student and fast-food worker, told TODAY over Zoom.

In a thread with nearly 70,000 retweets, she explained why "flipping burgers" demands far more of the worker than those two reductive words. “It’s sitting in a hot room for 8 hours. It’s stocking big a** boxes of food. It’s creating an entire meal in less than 5 minutes,” she wrote. “It’s dealing with people who yell at you, disrespect you, people who refuse to wear a mask.”

“Flipping Burgers” is not just flipping burgers. It’s sitting in a hot room for 8 hours. It’s stocking big ass boxes of food. It’s creating an entire meal in less than 5 minutes. It’s dealing with people who yell at you, disrespect you, people who refuse to wear a mask. — Izzi🍌Ⓥ (@youniqsy) January 16, 2021

Similarly, Schroeder’s thread details how the role of “back cash” at McDonald’s — taking orders on a headset, paying out change to customers and washing dishes, all at the same time — was so physically and emotionally exhausting that she couldn’t do much else when she returned home from a shift. None of her subsequent, more "respectable" jobs affected her like that. And her time at McDonald’s required her to learn and exercise communication, math and multitasking skills.

“When we say something is unskilled, we’ve embedded it with this meaning that it’s worth less to society — that there’s less relative value to it; it does less for our communities,” she said. “I'm fully funded and being paid to conduct research. Is that worth more or less than someone who's feeding people?”

Everyone who "flipped burgers" before getting a desk job knows exactly which one is harder. — Jeremy Flood 🌹 (@_Floodlight) January 17, 2021

Sylvia Allegretto, a labor economist and co-chair of the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at the University of California, Berkeley, agrees that the pervasive distinction between workers is arbitrary, calling “unskilled labor” an empty term — and more so now than ever.

“These are critically important jobs. We have certainly learned, if anything, during the pandemic, that some of our highest-wage workers aren’t actually that important to the functioning of the country on a day-to-day basis in a crisis, right?” Allegretto told TODAY. “We know delivery workers are important. We know the grocery store workers are important. We know some of the lower-paid hospital workers are so important.”

With the federal minimum wage unchanged for over a decade — and the value of that amount eroding while income inequality increases as the years go by — Allegretto says Biden’s plan is “long overdue.” TODAY spoke to economists about the most common rebuttals to a minimum wage hike — and why they might be misguided.

Will raising the minimum wage cause inflation?

Logically, it makes sense: If businesses have to pay their employees more, they would resort to raising the prices of their goods or services. And according to Ben Zipperer, an economist with expertise on low-wage labor markets at the Economic Policy Institute — which describes itself as nonpartisan — there’s some truth to it. Research has found that restaurants use small price increases as an adjustment to increased labor costs.

However, Zipperer emphasizes the word small.

“There are a lot of other expenses when you run a business that have nothing to do with how many minimum wage workers you employ,” he said over Zoom. “For the typical restaurant, labor costs are only 20%-25% — minimum wage labor costs are even less than that. So when the minimum wage goes up, yes, you may need to raise prices a little bit, but you're going to raise them much less than the actual minimum wage increase.”

In other words, the degree to which Biden’s plan would help low-wage workers is exponentially greater than the degree to which it would damage consumers’ wallets.

Plus, Zipperer explained, the real problem is that inflation has already been happening. Over the past few years, businesses have had to respond to hikes in the cost of food, electricity and rent, to name a few. Wages, on the other hand, have remained stagnant, and it’s time that they’re brought up to speed.

“The prices of things go up in the economy, and sometimes, the wages that we’re paid reflect that,” he explained. “For minimum wage workers, this hasn’t been the case. This means that they’re losing ground relative to what they need to purchase, to have a sustainable but adequate standard of living.”

Will a hike in the minimum wage cause unemployment?

Similar to the concerns over inflation, people also wonder if forcing businesses to sustain a higher minimum wage means they won’t be able to hire and retain the same number of workers as they did before.

But according to Allegretto, the academic record indicates that previous minimum wage increases haven’t led to significant job losses. A 2019 evidence review — the most comprehensive review in the literature — by Arindrajit Dube, a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, indicates that the employment effect of the minimum wage is very close to zero, save for a few outliers.

Of course, this work didn’t end the debate over employment. Studies continue to come out, both confirming and contradicting Dube’s, and it seems unlikely that academia will ever reach a definitive conclusion. The question is, then, whether the higher wages for those with jobs outweigh the number of jobs lost.

Both Allegretto and Zipperer say that they do.

A new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office , for example, estimates that a $15 an hour minimum wage would cause 1.4 million job losses. While Zipperer believes that the study is too pessimistic, he says that even taking all of its numbers as a given proves the overall merits of a wage hike.

“The CBO study does confirm that a $15 minimum wage in 2025 would raise the wages of 27 million workers, reduce the number of people in poverty by nearly 1 million, and help to reverse growing income inequality,” Zipperer said.

The Economic Policy Institute found that the majority of workers helped would be women and people of color . Largely contributing to the gender and racial pay gaps, 59% of people earning below $15 an hour are women, and almost 1 in 4 of those women are Black or Latina.

Moreover, Allegretto reminded TODAY that low-wage workers are also consumers, which further offsets the costs. The money they receive in higher wages will go back into the economy as money spent — a flow that ultimately results in a “net-positive.”

"We're one of the wealthiest countries in the world," she said. "That so many people in this country go to work every day in poverty is a real unnecessary shame."

Does increasing pay for unskilled jobs devalue more skilled jobs?

This is the question that sparked the whole "flipping burgers" debate in the first place — people couldn’t stomach the notion of someone doing supposedly easier, less valuable work and making the same wages as them.

Even putting the arbitrary distinction between "skilled" and "unskilled" labor aside, Zipperer explained that a higher minimum wage would not only benefit workers earning below $15 an hour; it would also boost those working at slightly above the new federal minimum wage — say, at $16 or $17 an hour.

“Those workers also end up receiving a wage bump. And the reason why reflects (the above concern) — employers recognize that they maintain some kind of hierarchy of pay at a workplace,” he said. “They adjust those pay ladders in response to minimum wage increases.”

This phenomenon is called the "ripple effect." A 2015 piece by Zipperer for the nonpartisan Washington Center for Equitable Growth — summarizing the data of several prominent studies — recognized that the ripple doesn’t impact workers earning middle-class incomes or higher. However, for the bottom 20% of wage earners, a 10% increase in the minimum wage could increase wages up to 2.9%.

“Minimum wages, then, are an important piece of the policy toolkit affecting wage inequality and boosting stagnant wages at the bottom of the wage ladder,” Zipperer wrote.

Why should everyone get $15 an hour if the cost of living varies from state to state?

A pervasive myth about the minimum wage is that because the cost of living differs by state, only residents of places like California need $15 an hour — whereas residents of say, the rural South, can get by just fine as they are.

While no one can argue against the existence of geographic disparities, Allegretto explained that the proposed plan is necessary as a wage floor. Everyone, everywhere, should make $15 an hour minimum, regardless of whether some states decide to raise it even further.

“The wage floor matters,” she said. “Don't forget — if you look at a map, and you see the states that follow $7.25 an hour, they’re some of the states that have the highest poverty rates in the country.”

For example, The New York Times recently spoke to minimum wage workers in Fresno, California. Despite the agricultural city's low cost of living compared to coastal areas, it bears one of the state's highest poverty rates. And ultimately, the piece found that the proposed $15 an hour still isn't enough to support Fresno's families.

The Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator supports this conclusion. The tool calculates the income level that types of families in different locations need to have a “modest but adequate standard of living,” Zipperer said. That means being able to afford renting an apartment, transportation, food — and for families with kids, day care.

As per the calculator, a family of two parents and two children in Fresno County would require roughly double the annual salary of a $15 an hour minimum wage. A single person could scrape by, but barely.

“There’s no allowance for any kind of savings, for emergencies, for retirement — it’s very bare-bones,” Zipperer explained. “Even within that bare-bones budget, we find that today, in the year 2021, if you are a single adult living anywhere in the country, you're going to need at least a $15 an hour job in order to make ends meet.”

Elyse Pham is an editorial intern at TODAY Digital. 

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Should the US Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour? Research Paper

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

The issue of minimum wage increase has been one of the most debated in the last few years. Low-paid workers have protested against minimum wages which have not been adjusted for inflation for several years. While low-paid workers argued that meager pay practices put them on the verge of poverty, economists argued that such an increase will result in mass layoffs. Although minimum wage increase to $15 per hour may result in a lower number of vacant positions, it should be raised as it will positively affect the United States economy.

Low minimum wages cost the United States government billions of dollars. A lot of discussions are centered on the economic impact of the minimum wage increase. While minimum wage increase will, obviously, require businesses to pay their workers more and will require businesses to find new ways to compensate for increased expenditures, the economy, in general, will benefit from such an increase. While increasing the minimum wage is costly for businesses, not increasing the minimum wage is costly for the United States government.

Individuals who earn less than $18,000 a year cannot meet their basic needs and get compensated by the government (Owens par. 1). In spite of the fact that they are employed, current hourly rates are not enough to allow them to buy food, clothing, medications, and other necessary things. It is the government’s responsibility to provide competition for the poorest populations. Such compensation may come in the form of food-purchasing assistance or medical care coverage (Owens par. 4).

The United States government initiated such programs, as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to provide benefits for families with low income. A family living on the current minimum wage will be eligible for such program (Owens par. 4). Another issue to consider is health care. Low-income individuals cannot afford health coverage, and many of them do not pay for medical services in full. As a result, the United States government is responsible for covering these expenses. Uninsured individuals cost the United States $49 billion each year (Kennedy par. 2). Companies which pay workers less than $15 an hour simply offload their payroll expenses onto the United States government.

Raising minimum wage will reduce poverty with no significant effect on employment. Those against minimum wage increase argue that if such increase takes place, it will result in higher unemployment due to mass layoffs initiated by businesses to compensate for increased costs. The opponents of the increase argue that businesses will have no choice but to employ fewer workers. However, studies suggest that measured employment effects of minimum wage increase are very small due to a variety of factors in play (Schmitt 1). Businesses can cope with increased minimum wage through “improvements in organizational efficiency; reductions in wages of higher earners (“wage compression”); and small price increases” (Schmitt 1).

This fact means that if the minimum wage is increased, businesses will have to choice but to improve its operational performance and reduce wages of their top managers, who, sometimes, earn millions of dollars annually. While minimum wage increase has no employment response, it does help eliminate poverty. Currently, many employers pay low minimum wages simply because they can. If businesses were allowed to pay even less, some might even pay lower wages. As a result of such practice, many families are struggling financially and cannot afford many things due to the high cost of living in the United States. In order to reduce poverty, it is necessary to increase minimum wages to $15 an hour.

Since companies will be required to pay low-wage workers at least $15 an hour, more of these people will be able to afford better food and clothing, and be able to buy pharmaceuticals and offer some kind of medical coverage. By and large, businesses have no interest in keeping low-paid workers above the poverty line. Low-paid workers are typically people who lack the skills required for better jobs or a struggling financially. As such, they have no choice but to work for the minimum wage. It is the government’s responsibility to oversee the relations between the employer and employees, as it is in the government’s best interests to reduce poverty and improve the well-being of its citizens.

The issue of raising minimum wage level is a complex one and requires careful examination. While the necessity of minimum wage increase is not universally accepted, much of the opposition seems to come from business owners who are interested in keeping their profits high. The United States government has to recognize the needs of its citizens and work towards eliminating poverty and improving the quality of life. Minimum wage increase is a step forward in this direction.

Works Cited

Kennedy, Kelly. Up to $49 billion unpaid by uninsured for hospitalizations. 2011. Web.

Owens, Christine. Wal-Mart CAN afford $15 minimum wage . 2016. Web.

Schmitt, John. Why Does the Minimum Wage Have No Discernible Effect on Employment? 2013. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2020, August 25). Should the US Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour? https://ivypanda.com/essays/should-the-us-raise-the-minimum-wage-to-15-an-hour/

"Should the US Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour?" IvyPanda , 25 Aug. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/should-the-us-raise-the-minimum-wage-to-15-an-hour/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Should the US Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour'. 25 August.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Should the US Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour?" August 25, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/should-the-us-raise-the-minimum-wage-to-15-an-hour/.

1. IvyPanda . "Should the US Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour?" August 25, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/should-the-us-raise-the-minimum-wage-to-15-an-hour/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Should the US Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour?" August 25, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/should-the-us-raise-the-minimum-wage-to-15-an-hour/.

Home / Essay Samples / Government / Minimum Wage / Reasons Why Minimum Wage Should Be Raised and Its Possibilities

Reasons Why Minimum Wage Should Be Raised and Its Possibilities

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• Topic: Economic Problem , Income Inequality , Minimum Wage

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