Report
Fact-based, data-driven research and analysis to advance democratic debate on vital issues shaping people’s lives.
Center for Economic and Policy Research
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March 2012, John Schmitt
It is coming up on three years since the last increase in the federal minimum wage – to $7.25 per hour – in July 2009. This issue brief looks at how by all of the most commonly used benchmarks – inflation, average wages, and productivity – the minimum wage is now far below its historical level.