For around 15 years, the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 per hour. This means that millions of workers — domestic caregivers, farmworkers, student workers, tipped wage workers, workers with disabilities — around the U.S. make around $290 a week or less.
A comprehensive visual report from Oxfam America published this month shows the concentration of people in the country who make less than $17 an hour. The report shows a strong concentration of subminimum wage workers in the U.S. South, including states like Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansans and Louisiana, and with an emphasis on people of color.
What is the recommended minimum wage?
Although the federal minimum wage has stayed the same, the cost of living has increased around cities in the U.S. According to the Living Wage Calculator , a site developed by MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, the living wage for one adult in Texas is $20.92. The living calculator shows the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support themselves working full-time. The calculations can depend on additional kids or family members.