Raising the minimum wage would lift millions of families out of poverty, save taxpayers billions of dollars, and boost economic recovery.
This study provides information on how many people in each congressional district and state are among the ranks of the working poor and their families, how many low-wage workers1 draw on federal benefits, and how many workers and their family members would benefit from an increase in the federal minimum wage.
District ranked by share of workers likely to benefit: # / 436 districts
U.S. Representative: Rep. Name Tweet representative
U.S. Senators: Sen. Name Tweet senators
This districtstate | U.S. average | ||
---|---|---|---|
All workers2 | XX,XXX | XX.X% | 19.3% |
Working men | XX,XXX | XX.X% | 17.0% |
Working women | XX,XXX | XX.X% | 21.7% |
In the total low-wage population, 35.4 percent are parents of children under 18.
This districtstate | U.S. average | ||
---|---|---|---|
Parents in the low-wage population | XX,XXX | XX.X% | 35.4% |
If you compare all low-wage working families to all working families in the US, 15.3 percent are parents of children under 18. They may also support partners, siblings, aging parents, and other relatives.
This districtstate | U.S. average | ||
---|---|---|---|
Children of low-wage workers3 | XX,XXX | XX.X% | 24.7% |
Working parents | XX,XXX | XX.X% | 15.3% |
Working mothers | XX,XXX | x% | 20.0% |
Working fathers | XX,XXX | x% | 10.4% |
All family members affected4 | XX,XXX | XX.X% | 25.9% |
This districtstate | U.S. average | |
---|---|---|
Average share of total family income earned by affected worker |
xx% | 56.4% |
A common misperception is that many minimum wage jobs are filled by teenagers who add little to the family's income. But nationally only 12% of workers who would be affected by a minimum wage increase are under 20. The reality is that workers of every age would benefit from a minimum wage change.
< 25 years old | |
25-39 | |
40-54 | |
55+ |
Within each racial or ethnic group, what percentage of workers would benefit?
Whites | |
African Americans | |
Latinos | |
Asian American or other |
Within the total low-wage worker population, what percentage are members of each race or ethnicity?
White | |
African American | |
Latino | |
Asian American or other |
Tens of millions of working Americans and their families rely on government benefits such as Food Stamps5 and the Earned Income Tax Credit to try to make ends meet. While these and other anti-poverty programs are essential for many Americans, those who work hard should be paid high enough wages that they do not have to depend on federal benefits to survive.
This districtstate | U.S. average | ||
---|---|---|---|
Working households living below 200% of the poverty line |
XX,XXX | XX.X% | 27.3% |
Working households receiving food stamps5 | XX,XXX | XX.X% | 13.4% |
Working households receiving the EITC | XX,XXX | — |
The United States has become more unequal during the last 35 years, and the decline in the real value of the minimum wage has been one of a number of reasons for increasing inequality. The Gini coefficient is a measure that represents the income distribution within a nation, a state, or other geographical units such as a congressional district. A Gini coefficient of 0 represents perfect equality, where everyone has the same income, while a coefficient of 1 represents maximum inequality, where one person commands all income.
This districtstate | U.S. average | ||
---|---|---|---|
Gini inequality coefficient | X.XXX | 0.4757 |