Over 50 million workers in America are paid under $15 an hour, or some $31,200 per year, according to a new report.
By Sarah Ruiz-Grossman, HuffPost
Over 50 million workers in America make less than $15 an hour — and they’re disproportionately women of color.
A report from Oxfam America released Tuesday found that nearly a third of U.S. workers (31.9%) are making less than $15 an hour, or some $31,200 a year.
While the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, workers and Democratic lawmakers have been calling for years for this to be raised to a “livable” $15 per hour nationwide.
Analyzing data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, Oxfam researchers found what they called a “staggering” race and gender gap in who earns low wages in this country:
- 47% of Black workers make under $15 an hour, compared to 26% of white workers
- 40% of women make less than $15 an hour, compared to just 25% of men
- And an alarming 50% of women of color are paid less than $15 an hour
Oxfam estimated that with current inflation levels at a 40-year high, the value of the minimum wage — which Congress last raised over a decade ago in 2009 — has dropped by around 21% since then.
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