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Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2003

Tables 1 - 10

Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage, 2003 annual averages:

by selected characteristics
by census region and division
by State
by major occupation group
by major industry group
by educational attainment
by age and sex
by marital status, age, and sex
by usual hours worked per week
by sex (1979-2003 annual averages)

Table 1. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by selected characteristics, 2003 annual averages
Characteristic	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			At or below $5.15
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and over	72,946	2,100	545	1,555	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.9	0.7	2.1
16 to 24 years	15,871	1,106	330	776	21.8	52.7	60.6	49.9	7.0	2.1	4.9
16 to 19 years	5,412	534	212	322	7.4	25.4	38.9	20.7	9.9	3.9	5.9
25 years and over	57,075	995	215	780	78.2	47.4	39.4	50.2	1.7	0.4	1.4
Men, 16 years and over	35,853	706	213	493	49.2	33.6	39.1	31.7	2.0	0.6	1.4
16 to 24 years	8,031	391	154	237	11.0	18.6	28.3	15.2	4.9	1.9	3.0
16 to 19 years	2,608	205	109	96	3.6	9.8	20.0	6.2	7.9	4.2	3.7
25 years and over	27,823	314	58	256	38.1	15.0	10.6	16.5	1.1	0.2	0.9
Women, 16 years and over	37,093	1,394	332	1,062	50.8	66.4	60.9	68.3	3.8	0.9	2.9
16 to 24 years	7,841	713	175	538	10.7	34.0	32.1	34.6	9.1	2.2	6.9
16 to 19 years	2,804	329	103	226	3.8	15.7	18.9	14.5	11.7	3.7	8.1
25 years and over	29,252	681	157	524	40.1	32.4	28.8	33.7	2.3	0.5	1.8
RACE, SEX, AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN
White (1)	59,109	1,746	421	1,325	81.0	83.1	77.2	85.2	3.0	0.7	2.2
Men	29,441	553	163	390	40.4	26.3	29.9	25.1	1.9	0.6	1.3
Women	29,668	1,192	257	935	40.7	56.8	47.2	60.1	4.0	0.9	3.2
Black (1)	9,419	250	105	145	12.9	11.9	19.3	9.3	2.7	1.1	1.5
Men	4,246	112	41	71	5.8	5.3	7.5	4.6	2.6	1.0	1.7
Women	5,173	138	64	74	7.1	6.6	11.7	4.8	2.7	1.2	1.4
Asian (1)	2,528	51	5	46	3.5	2.4	0.9	3.0	2.0	0.2	1.8
Men	1,208	22	2	20	1.7	1.0	0.4	1.3	1.8	0.2	1.7
Women	1,320	29	3	26	1.8	1.4	0.6	1.7	2.2	0.2	2.0
Hispanic or Latino (1)	11,462	308	94	214	15.7	14.7	17.2	13.8	2.7	0.8	1.9
Men	6,775	128	39	89	9.3	6.1	7.2	5.7	1.9	0.6	1.3
Women	4,687	180	55	125	6.4	8.6	10.1	8.0	3.8	1.2	2.7
FULL- AND PART-TIME STATUS AND SEX
Full-time workers (2)	54,887	795	156	639	75.2	37.9	28.6	41.1	1.4	0.3	1.2
Men	30,141	303	60	243	41.3	14.4	11.0	15.6	1.0	0.2	0.8
Women	24,745	493	97	396	33.9	23.5	17.8	25.5	2.0	0.4	1.6
Part-time workers (2)	17,932	1,298	388	910	24.6	61.8	71.2	58.5	7.2	2.2	5.1
Men	5,651	402	153	249	7.7	19.1	28.1	16.0	7.1	2.7	4.4
Women	12,282	896	235	661	16.8	42.7	43.1	42.5	7.3	1.9	5.4

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated.

1 Beginning in 2003, the race categories include persons who selected one race only; persons who selected more than one race group are not included. Detail for the race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) will not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as race.

2 The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on hours usually worked. These data will not sum to totals because full- or part-time status on the principal job is not identifiable for a small number of multiple jobholders.

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Table 2. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by census region and division, 2003 annual averages
Region and division	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			At or below $5.15
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15
Total, 16 years and over	72,946	2,100	545	1,555	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.9	0.7	2.1
Northeast	12,876	412	82	330	17.7	19.6	15.0	21.2	3.2	0.6	2.6
New England	3,745	82	10	72	5.1	3.9	1.8	4.6	2.2	0.3	1.9
Middle Atlantic	9,131	330	72	258	12.5	15.7	13.2	16.6	3.6	0.8	2.8
Midwest	18,623	546	127	419	25.5	26.0	23.3	26.9	2.9	0.7	2.2
East North Central	12,875	376	77	299	17.7	17.9	14.1	19.2	2.9	0.6	2.3
West North Central	5,748	170	50	120	7.9	8.1	9.2	7.7	3.0	0.9	2.1
South	24,875	889	270	619	34.1	42.3	49.5	39.8	3.6	1.1	2.5
South Atlantic	12,668	399	102	297	17.4	19.0	18.7	19.1	3.1	0.8	2.3
East South Central	4,362	142	47	95	6.0	6.8	8.6	6.1	3.3	1.1	2.2
West South Central	7,845	347	120	227	10.8	16.5	22.0	14.6	4.4	1.5	2.9
West	16,572	254	67	187	22.7	12.1	12.3	12.0	1.5	0.4	1.1
Mountain	4,942	163	57	106	6.8	7.8	10.5	6.8	3.3	1.2	2.1
Pacific	11,631	91	10	81	15.9	4.3	1.8	5.2	0.8	0.1	0.7

NOTE: Data exclude the incorporated self employed. The four major regions and nine census divisions of the United States are as follows:

Northeast:
- New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
- Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania
Midwest:
- East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin
- West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota
South:
- South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia
- East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee
- West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
West:
- Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming
- Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington

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Table 3. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by State, 2003 annual averages
State	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			At or below $5.15
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15
Total, 16 years and over	72,946	2,100	545	1,555	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.9	0.7	2.1
Alabama	1,112	30	11	19	1.5	1.4	2.0	1.2	2.7	1.0	1.7
Alaska	191	1	-	1	0.3	0.0	-	0.1	0.5	-	0.5
Arizona	1,320	48	13	35	1.8	2.3	2.4	2.3	3.6	1.0	2.7
Arkansas	644	23	11	12	0.9	1.1	2.0	0.8	3.6	1.7	1.9
California	8,537	59	5	54	11.7	2.8	0.9	3.5	0.7	0.1	0.6
Colorado	1,139	32	5	27	1.6	1.5	0.9	1.7	2.8	0.4	2.4
Connecticut	840	17	1	16	1.2	0.8	0.2	1.0	2.0	0.1	1.9
Delaware	206	5	1	4	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	2.4	0.5	1.9
District of Columbia	116	4	2	2	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.1	3.4	1.7	1.7
Florida	3,886	133	33	100	5.3	6.3	6.1	6.4	3.4	0.8	2.6
Georgia	1,921	55	16	39	2.6	2.6	2.9	2.5	2.9	0.8	2.0
Hawaii	309	4	1	3	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.2	1.3	0.3	1.0
Idaho	368	11	2	9	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.6	3.0	0.5	2.4
Illinois	3,111	71	19	52	4.3	3.4	3.5	3.3	2.3	0.6	1.7
Indiana	1,787	46	6	40	2.4	2.2	1.1	2.6	2.6	0.3	2.2
Iowa	890	23	8	15	1.2	1.1	1.5	1.0	2.6	0.9	1.7
Kansas	761	23	5	18	1.0	1.1	0.9	1.2	3.0	0.7	2.4
Kentucky	1,103	36	10	26	1.5	1.7	1.8	1.7	3.3	0.9	2.4
Louisiana	1,083	48	20	28	1.5	2.3	3.7	1.8	4.4	1.8	2.6
Maine	392	9	2	7	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.5	2.3	0.5	1.8
Maryland	1,334	28	6	22	1.8	1.3	1.1	1.4	2.1	0.4	1.6
Massachusetts	1,661	37	4	33	2.3	1.8	0.7	2.1	2.2	0.2	2.0
Michigan	2,842	95	13	82	3.9	4.5	2.4	5.3	3.3	0.5	2.9
Minnesota	1,553	32	10	22	2.1	1.5	1.8	1.4	2.1	0.6	1.4
Mississippi	702	28	13	15	1.0	1.3	2.4	1.0	4.0	1.9	2.1
Missouri	1,586	58	13	45	2.2	2.8	2.4	2.9	3.7	0.8	2.8
Montana	252	10	6	4	0.3	0.5	1.1	0.3	4.0	2.4	1.6
Nebraska	533	18	9	9	0.7	0.9	1.7	0.6	3.4	1.7	1.7
Nevada	580	12	8	4	0.8	0.6	1.5	0.3	2.1	1.4	0.7
New Hampshire	367	7	2	5	0.5	0.3	0.4	0.3	1.9	0.5	1.4
New Jersey	1,810	75	11	64	2.5	3.6	2.0	4.1	4.1	0.6	3.5
New Mexico	471	25	13	12	0.6	1.2	2.4	0.8	5.3	2.8	2.5
New York	4,077	164	40	124	5.6	7.8	7.3	8.0	4.0	1.0	3.0
North Carolina	2,086	70	19	51	2.9	3.3	3.5	3.3	3.4	0.9	2.4
North Dakota	192	7	3	4	0.3	0.3	0.6	0.3	3.6	1.6	2.1
Ohio	3,306	113	28	85	4.5	5.4	5.1	5.5	3.4	0.8	2.6
Oklahoma	860	41	15	26	1.2	2.0	2.8	1.7	4.8	1.7	3.0
Oregon	947	11	1	10	1.3	0.5	0.2	0.6	1.2	0.1	1.1
Pennsylvania	3,243	91	21	70	4.4	4.3	3.9	4.5	2.8	0.6	2.2
Rhode Island	310	7	-	7	0.4	0.3	-	0.5	2.3	-	2.3
South Carolina	980	39	14	25	1.3	1.9	2.6	1.6	4.0	1.4	2.6
South Dakota	232	8	2	6	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4	3.4	0.9	2.6
Tennesee	1,445	47	12	35	2.0	2.2	2.2	2.3	3.3	0.8	2.4
Texas	5,258	235	74	161	7.2	11.2	13.6	10.4	4.5	1.4	3.1
Utah	664	19	8	11	0.9	0.9	1.5	0.7	2.9	1.2	1.7
Vermont	175	5	1	4	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	2.9	0.6	2.3
Virginia	1,688	47	2	45	2.3	2.2	0.4	2.9	2.8	0.1	2.7
Washington	1,646	14	2	12	2.3	0.7	0.4	0.8	0.9	0.1	0.7
West Virginia	452	19	10	9	0.6	0.9	1.8	0.6	4.2	2.2	2.0
Wisconsin	1,829	50	11	39	2.5	2.4	2.0	2.5	2.7	0.6	2.1
Wyoming	148	6	3	3	0.2	0.3	0.6	0.2	4.1	2.0	2.0

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated. Users are reminded that these data are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling error; the degree of error may be quite large for less populous States. It is not possible to clearly determine whether workers surveyed in the CPS are actually covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or by individual State minimum wage laws. Thus, some workers reported as earning an hourly wage of $5.15 may not in fact be covered by Federal or State minimum wage laws. At the same time, the presence of a sizable number of workers with wages below the prevailing Federal minimum wage does not necessarily indicate violations of the FLSA or applicable State laws, because there are numerous exclusions and exemptions to these minimum wage statutes. Dash represents zero.

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Table 4. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by major occupation group, 2003 annual averages
Occupation (1)	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			At or below $5.15
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15
Total, 16 years and over	72,946	2,100	545	1,555	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.9	0.7	2.1
Management, professional, and related occupations	13,588	95	33	62	18.6	4.5	6.1	4.0	0.7	0.2	0.5
Management, business, and financial operations occupations	3,640	26	7	19	5.0	1.2	1.3	1.2	0.7	0.2	0.5
Professional and related occupations	9,949	69	26	43	13.6	3.3	4.8	2.8	0.7	0.3	0.4
Service occupations	15,887	1,521	277	1,244	21.8	72.4	50.8	80.0	9.6	1.7	7.8
Healthcare support occupations	2,431	59	18	41	3.3	2.8	3.3	2.6	2.4	0.7	1.7
Protective service occupations	1,688	30	5	25	2.3	1.4	0.9	1.6	1.8	0.3	1.5
Food preparation and serving related occupations	6,247	1,158	159	999	8.6	55.1	29.2	64.2	18.5	2.5	16.0
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	3,445	111	48	63	4.7	5.3	8.8	4.1	3.2	1.4	1.8
Personal care and service occupations	2,076	162	47	115	2.8	7.7	8.6	7.4	7.8	2.3	5.5
Sales and office occupations	20,649	287	154	133	28.3	13.7	28.3	8.6	1.4	0.7	0.6
Sales and related occupations	7,379	146	72	74	10.1	7.0	13.2	4.8	2.0	1.0	1.0
Office and administrative support occupations	13,270	141	82	59	18.2	6.7	15.0	3.8	1.1	0.6	0.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	9,121	66	26	40	12.5	3.1	4.8	2.6	0.7	0.3	0.4
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	598	23	10	13	0.8	1.1	1.8	0.8	3.8	1.7	2.2
Construction and extraction occupations	5,111	21	5	16	7.0	1.0	0.9	1.0	0.4	0.1	0.3
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3,412	21	10	11	4.7	1.0	1.8	0.7	0.6	0.3	0.3
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	13,700	132	55	77	18.8	6.3	10.1	5.0	1.0	0.4	0.6
Production occupations	7,799	54	23	31	10.7	2.6	4.2	2.0	0.7	0.3	0.4
Transportation and material moving occupations	5,901	77	32	45	8.1	3.7	5.9	2.9	1.3	0.5	0.8

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated.

1 Occupations reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census occupational classification system.

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Table 5. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by major industry group, 2003 annual averages
Industry (1)	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			At or below $5.15
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15
Total, 16 years and over	72,946	2,100	545	1,555	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.9	0.7	2.1
Private sector	63,945	1,986	492	1,494	87.7	94.6	90.3	96.1	3.1	0.8	2.3
Agriculture and related industries	639	27	12	15	0.9	1.3	2.2	1.0	4.2	1.9	2.3
Nonagricultural industries	63,306	1,959	480	1,479	86.8	93.3	88.1	95.1	3.1	0.8	2.3
Mining	310	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Construction	5,132	27	6	21	7.0	1.3	1.1	1.4	0.5	0.1	0.4
Manufacturing	10,621	58	14	44	14.6	2.8	2.6	2.8	0.5	0.1	0.4
Durable goods manufacturing	6,548	26	3	23	9.0	1.2	0.6	1.5	0.4	0.0	0.4
Nondurable goods manufacturing	4,073	33	12	21	5.6	1.6	2.2	1.4	0.8	0.3	0.5
Wholesale and retail trade	12,173	189	87	102	16.7	9.0	16.0	6.6	1.6	0.7	0.8
Wholesale trade	1,902	12	6	6	2.6	0.6	1.1	0.4	0.6	0.3	0.3
Retail trade	10,270	177	81	96	14.1	8.4	14.9	6.2	1.7	0.8	0.9
Transportation and utilities	2,881	20	9	11	3.9	1.0	1.7	0.7	0.7	0.3	0.4
Information	1,587	27	15	12	2.2	1.3	2.8	0.8	1.7	0.9	0.8
Financial activities	3,433	27	10	17	4.7	1.3	1.8	1.1	0.8	0.3	0.5
Professional and business services	5,274	65	35	30	7.2	3.1	6.4	1.9	1.2	0.7	0.6
Education and health services	10,926	177	67	110	15.0	8.4	12.3	7.1	1.6	0.6	1.0
Leisure and hospitality	8,093	1,240	199	1,041	11.1	59.0	36.5	66.9	15.3	2.5	12.9
Other services	2,877	129	38	91	3.9	6.1	7.0	5.9	4.5	1.3	3.2
Public sector	9,001	114	52	62	12.3	5.4	9.5	4.0	1.3	0.6	0.7
Federal	1,734	17	6	11	2.4	0.8	1.1	0.7	1.0	0.3	0.6
State	2,303	38	24	14	3.2	1.8	4.4	0.9	1.7	1.0	0.6
Local	4,964	58	22	36	6.8	2.8	4.0	2.3	1.2	0.4	0.7

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated. Dash represents zero.

1 Industries reflect the introduction of the 2002 Census industry classification system.

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Table 6. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by educational attainment, 2003 annual averages
Educational attainment	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			At or below $5.15
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15
Total, 16 years and over	72,946	2,100	545	1,555	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.9	0.7	2.1
Less than a high school diploma	12,405	620	245	375	17.0	29.5	45.0	24.1	5.0	2.0	3.0
Less than 1 year of high school	3,338	103	34	69	4.6	4.9	6.2	4.4	3.1	1.0	2.1
1 to 3 years of high school	7,765	468	196	272	10.6	22.3	36.0	17.5	6.0	2.5	3.5
4 years of high school, no diploma	1,302	50	15	35	1.8	2.4	2.8	2.3	3.8	1.2	2.7
High school graduates or more	60,541	1,479	299	1,180	83.0	70.4	54.9	75.9	2.4	0.5	1.9
High school graduates, no college	26,944	617	131	486	36.9	29.4	24.0	31.3	2.3	0.5	1.8
Some college or associate degree	23,640	700	146	554	32.4	33.3	26.8	35.6	3.0	0.6	2.3
Some college, no degree	16,504	595	126	469	22.6	28.3	23.1	30.2	3.6	0.8	2.8
Associate degree	7,136	105	20	85	9.8	5.0	3.7	5.5	1.5	0.3	1.2
Occupational program	3,948	45	13	32	5.4	2.1	2.4	2.1	1.1	0.3	0.8
Academic program	3,188	60	7	53	4.4	2.9	1.3	3.4	1.9	0.2	1.7
College graduates, total	9,957	163	23	140	13.6	7.8	4.2	9.0	1.6	0.2	1.4
Bachelor's degree	7,956	142	20	122	10.9	6.8	3.7	7.8	1.8	0.3	1.5
Master's degree	1,585	18	2	16	2.2	0.9	0.4	1.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
Professional degree	284	1	-	1	0.4	0.0	-	0.1	0.4	-	0.4
Doctoral degree	132	3	1	2	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.1	2.3	0.8	1.5

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated. Dash represents zero.

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Table 7. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by age and sex, 2003 annual averages
Age and sex	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			At or below $5.15
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15
BOTH SEXES
Total, 16 years and over	72,946	2,100	545	1,555	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.9	0.7	2.1
Under 25 years	15,871	1,106	330	776	21.8	52.7	60.6	49.9	7.0	2.1	4.9
16 to 19 years	5,412	534	212	322	7.4	25.4	38.9	20.7	9.9	3.9	5.9
20 to 24 years	10,460	570	117	453	14.3	27.1	21.5	29.1	5.4	1.1	4.3
25 years and over	57,075	995	215	780	78.2	47.4	39.4	50.2	1.7	0.4	1.4
25 to 34 years	16,499	400	71	329	22.6	19.0	13.0	21.2	2.4	0.4	2.0
25 to 29 years	8,239	229	36	193	11.3	10.9	6.6	12.4	2.8	0.4	2.3
30 to 34 years	8,259	172	35	137	11.3	8.2	6.4	8.8	2.1	0.4	1.7
35 to 44 years	16,827	245	52	193	23.1	11.7	9.5	12.4	1.5	0.3	1.1
35 to 39 years	8,178	119	20	99	11.2	5.7	3.7	6.4	1.5	0.2	1.2
40 to 44 years	8,649	127	33	94	11.9	6.0	6.1	6.0	1.5	0.4	1.1
45 to 54 years	14,544	183	38	145	19.9	8.7	7.0	9.3	1.3	0.3	1.0
45 to 49 years	8,048	105	25	80	11.0	5.0	4.6	5.1	1.3	0.3	1.0
50 to 54 years	6,496	79	14	65	8.9	3.8	2.6	4.2	1.2	0.2	1.0
55 to 64 years	7,130	84	23	61	9.8	4.0	4.2	3.9	1.2	0.3	0.9
55 to 59 years	4,552	45	12	33	6.2	2.1	2.2	2.1	1.0	0.3	0.7
60 to 64 years	2,579	39	11	28	3.5	1.9	2.0	1.8	1.5	0.4	1.1
65 years and over	2,075	82	31	51	2.8	3.9	5.7	3.3	4.0	1.5	2.5
65 to 69 years	1,155	35	9	26	1.6	1.7	1.7	1.7	3.0	0.8	2.3
70 years and over	920	46	21	25	1.3	2.2	3.9	1.6	5.0	2.3	2.7
MEN
Total, 16 years and over	35,853	706	213	493	49.2	33.6	39.1	31.7	2.0	0.6	1.4
Under 25 years	8,031	391	154	237	11.0	18.6	28.3	15.2	4.9	1.9	3.0
16 to 19 years	2,608	205	109	96	3.6	9.8	20.0	6.2	7.9	4.2	3.7
20 to 24 years	5,423	186	45	141	7.4	8.9	8.3	9.1	3.4	0.8	2.6
25 years and over	27,823	314	58	256	38.1	15.0	10.6	16.5	1.1	0.2	0.9
25 to 34 years	8,765	152	20	132	12.0	7.2	3.7	8.5	1.7	0.2	1.5
25 to 29 years	4,429	84	10	74	6.1	4.0	1.8	4.8	1.9	0.2	1.7
30 to 34 years	4,336	68	10	58	5.9	3.2	1.8	3.7	1.6	0.2	1.3
35 to 44 years	8,224	73	14	59	11.3	3.5	2.6	3.8	0.9	0.2	0.7
35 to 39 years	4,134	37	7	30	5.7	1.8	1.3	1.9	0.9	0.2	0.7
40 to 44 years	4,089	36	7	29	5.6	1.7	1.3	1.9	0.9	0.2	0.7
45 to 54 years	6,691	57	13	44	9.2	2.7	2.4	2.8	0.9	0.2	0.7
45 to 49 years	3,719	41	11	30	5.1	2.0	2.0	1.9	1.1	0.3	0.8
50 to 54 years	2,972	16	2	14	4.1	0.8	0.4	0.9	0.5	0.1	0.5
55 to 64 years	3,202	23	6	17	4.4	1.1	1.1	1.1	0.7	0.2	0.5
55 to 59 years	2,034	14	2	12	2.8	0.7	0.4	0.8	0.7	0.1	0.6
60 to 64 years	1,168	8	3	5	1.6	0.4	0.6	0.3	0.7	0.3	0.4
65 years and over	941	9	5	4	1.3	0.4	0.9	0.3	1.0	0.5	0.4
65 to 69 years	534	3	1	2	0.7	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.6	0.2	0.4
70 years and over	407	6	4	2	0.6	0.3	0.7	0.1	1.5	1.0	0.5
WOMEN
Total, 16 years and over	37,093	1,394	332	1,062	50.8	66.4	60.9	68.3	3.8	0.9	2.9
Under 25 years	7,841	713	175	538	10.7	34.0	32.1	34.6	9.1	2.2	6.9
16 to 19 years	2,804	329	103	226	3.8	15.7	18.9	14.5	11.7	3.7	8.1
20 to 24 years	5,037	385	72	313	6.9	18.3	13.2	20.1	7.6	1.4	6.2
25 years and over	29,252	681	157	524	40.1	32.4	28.8	33.7	2.3	0.5	1.8
25 to 34 years	7,734	248	51	197	10.6	11.8	9.4	12.7	3.2	0.7	2.5
25 to 29 years	3,810	145	26	119	5.2	6.9	4.8	7.7	3.8	0.7	3.1
30 to 34 years	3,923	103	25	78	5.4	4.9	4.6	5.0	2.6	0.6	2.0
35 to 44 years	8,604	173	38	135	11.8	8.2	7.0	8.7	2.0	0.4	1.6
35 to 39 years	4,044	81	12	69	5.5	3.9	2.2	4.4	2.0	0.3	1.7
40 to 44 years	4,560	91	26	65	6.3	4.3	4.8	4.2	2.0	0.6	1.4
45 to 54 years	7,852	126	25	101	10.8	6.0	4.6	6.5	1.6	0.3	1.3
45 to 49 years	4,329	64	14	50	5.9	3.0	2.6	3.2	1.5	0.3	1.2
50 to 54 years	3,524	62	11	51	4.8	3.0	2.0	3.3	1.8	0.3	1.4
55 to 64 years	3,928	61	17	44	5.4	2.9	3.1	2.8	1.6	0.4	1.1
55 to 59 years	2,518	31	10	21	3.5	1.5	1.8	1.4	1.2	0.4	0.8
60 to 64 years	1,410	30	7	23	1.9	1.4	1.3	1.5	2.1	0.5	1.6
65 years and over	1,134	73	26	47	1.6	3.5	4.8	3.0	6.4	2.3	4.1
65 to 69 years	621	32	8	24	0.9	1.5	1.5	1.5	5.2	1.3	3.9
70 years and over	514	41	18	23	0.7	2.0	3.3	1.5	8.0	3.5	4.5

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated.

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Table 8. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by marital status, age, and sex, 2003 annual averages
Marital status, age and sex	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			At or below $5.15
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15
BOTH SEXES
Total, 16 years and over	72,946	2,100	545	1,555	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.9	0.7	2.1
Never married	24,737	1,295	354	941	33.9	61.7	65.0	60.5	5.2	1.4	3.8
16 to 24 years	13,722	1,013	307	706	18.8	48.2	56.3	45.4	7.4	2.2	5.1
25 years and over	11,016	282	47	235	15.1	13.4	8.6	15.1	2.6	0.4	2.1
25 to 54 years	10,531	273	44	229	14.4	13.0	8.1	14.7	2.6	0.4	2.2
Married, spouse present	35,963	516	121	395	49.3	24.6	22.2	25.4	1.4	0.3	1.1
16 to 24 years	1,741	68	16	52	2.4	3.2	2.9	3.3	3.9	0.9	3.0
25 years and over	34,222	447	105	342	46.9	21.3	19.3	22.0	1.3	0.3	1.0
25 to 54 years	28,288	374	82	292	38.8	17.8	15.0	18.8	1.3	0.3	1.0
Other marital status	12,246	289	70	219	16.8	13.8	12.8	14.1	2.4	0.6	1.8
16 to 24 years	409	24	7	17	0.6	1.1	1.3	1.1	5.9	1.7	4.2
25 years and over	11,837	266	64	202	16.2	12.7	11.7	13.0	2.2	0.5	1.7
25 to 54 years	9,050	182	36	146	12.4	8.7	6.6	9.4	2.0	0.4	1.6
MEN
Total, 16 years and over	35,853	706	213	493	49.2	33.6	39.1	31.7	2.0	0.6	1.4
Never married	13,104	479	161	318	18.0	22.8	29.5	20.5	3.7	1.2	2.4
16 to 24 years	7,055	362	149	213	9.7	17.2	27.3	13.7	5.1	2.1	3.0
25 years and over	6,049	116	11	105	8.3	5.5	2.0	6.8	1.9	0.2	1.7
25 to 54 years	5,843	115	11	104	8.0	5.5	2.0	6.7	2.0	0.2	1.8
Married, spouse present	18,162	162	37	125	24.9	7.7	6.8	8.0	0.9	0.2	0.7
16 to 24 years	816	21	3	18	1.1	1.0	0.6	1.2	2.6	0.4	2.2
25 years and over]	17,346	142	35	107	23.8	6.8	6.4	6.9	0.8	0.2	0.6
25 to 54 years	14,189	120	27	93	19.5	5.7	5.0	6.0	0.8	0.2	0.7
Other marital status	4,587	65	15	50	6.3	3.1	2.8	3.2	1.4	0.3	1.1
16 to 24 years	160	9	3	6	0.2	0.4	0.6	0.4	5.6	1.9	3.8
25 years and over	4,427	56	12	44	6.1	2.7	2.2	2.8	1.3	0.3	1.0
25 to 54 years	3,647	47	9	38	5.0	2.2	1.7	2.4	1.3	0.2	1.0
WOMEN
Total, 16 years and over	37,093	1,394	332	1,062	50.8	66.4	60.9	68.3	3.8	0.9	2.9
Never married	11,633	816	193	623	15.9	38.9	35.4	40.1	7.0	1.7	5.4
16 to 24 years	6,667	651	158	493	9.1	31.0	29.0	31.7	9.8	2.4	7.4
25 years and over	4,966	165	35	130	6.8	7.9	6.4	8.4	3.3	0.7	2.6
25 to 54 years	4,688	158	33	125	6.4	7.5	6.1	8.0	3.4	0.7	2.7
Married, spouse present	17,802	354	84	270	24.4	16.9	15.4	17.4	2.0	0.5	1.5
16 to 24 years	926	47	13	34	1.3	2.2	2.4	2.2	5.1	1.4	3.7
25 years and over	16,876	306	70	236	23.1	14.6	12.8	15.2	1.8	0.4	1.4
25 to 54 years	14,099	254	55	199	19.3	12.1	10.1	12.8	1.8	0.4	1.4
Other marital status	7,658	224	55	169	10.5	10.7	10.1	10.9	2.9	0.7	2.2
16 to 24 years	248	15	4	11	0.3	0.7	0.7	0.7	6.0	1.6	4.4
25 years and over	7,410	209	51	158	10.2	10.0	9.4	10.2	2.8	0.7	2.1
25 to 54 years	5,403	136	27	109	7.4	6.5	5.0	7.0	2.5	0.5	2.0

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated.

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Table 9. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by usual hours worked per week, 2003 annual averages
Usual hours worked per week	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			Total paid hourly rates	At or below $5.15			At or below $5.15
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15	Total	At $5.15	Below $5.15
Total, 16 years and over	72,946	2,100	545	1,555	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	2.9	0.7	2.1
Hours vary	5,291	301	74	227	7.3	14.3	13.6	14.6	5.7	1.4	4.3
0 to 34 hours	15,851	1,109	331	778	21.7	52.8	60.7	50.0	7.0	2.1	4.9
0 to 4 hours	319	24	3	21	0.4	1.1	0.6	1.4	7.5	0.9	6.6
5 to 9 hours	932	72	24	48	1.3	3.4	4.4	3.1	7.7	2.6	5.2
10 to 14 hours	1,451	134	56	78	2.0	6.4	10.3	5.0	9.2	3.9	5.4
15 to 19 hours	2,218	179	68	111	3.0	8.5	12.5	7.1	8.1	3.1	5.0
20 to 24 hours	4,797	327	110	217	6.6	15.6	20.2	14.0	6.8	2.3	4.5
25 to 29 hours	2,127	149	26	123	2.9	7.1	4.8	7.9	7.0	1.2	5.8
30 to 34 hours	4,009	224	44	180	5.5	10.7	8.1	11.6	5.6	1.1	4.5
35 hours or more	51,804	691	140	551	71.0	32.9	25.7	35.4	1.3	0.3	1.1
35 to 39 hours	4,960	171	31	140	6.8	8.1	5.7	9.0	3.4	0.6	2.8
40 hours or more	46,844	520	109	411	64.2	24.8	20.0	26.4	1.1	0.2	0.9
40 hours	40,616	450	101	349	55.7	21.4	18.5	22.4	1.1	0.2	0.9
41 hours or more	6,228	70	8	62	8.5	3.3	1.5	4.0	1.1	0.1	1.0
41 to 44 hours	801	3	-	3	1.1	0.1	-	0.2	0.4	-	0.4
45 to 48 hours	2,306	19	5	14	3.2	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.2	0.6
49 to 59 hours	2,160	24	2	22	3.0	1.1	0.4	1.4	1.1	0.1	1.0
60 hours or more	962	24	1	23	1.3	1.1	0.2	1.5	2.5	0.1	2.4

NOTE: Data exclude all the self employed, both unincorporated and incorporated. Dash represents zero.

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Table 10. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by sex, 1979-2003 annual averages
Year and sex	Total wage and salary workers	Workers paid hourly rates
		Total	Percent of total wage and salary workers	Below prevailing Federal minimum wage	At prevailing Federal minimum wage	Total at or below prevailing Federal minimum wage
		Total	Percent of total wage and salary workers	Below prevailing Federal minimum wage	At prevailing Federal minimum wage	Number	Percent of hourly paid workers
BOTH SEXES
1979	87,529	51,721	59.1	2,916	3,997	6,912	13.4
1980	87,644	51,335	58.6	3,087	4,686	7,773	15.1
1981	88,516	51,869	58.6	3,513	4,311	7,824	15.1
1982	87,368	50,846	58.2	2,348	4,148	6,496	12.8
1983	88,290	51,820	58.7	2,077	4,261	6,338	12.2
1984	92,194	54,143	58.7	1,838	4,125	5,963	11.0
1985	94,521	55,762	59.0	1,639	3,899	5,538	9.9
1986 (1)	96,903	57,529	59.4	1,599	3,461	5,060	8.8
1987	99,303	59,552	60.0	1,468	3,229	4,698	7.9
1988	101,407	60,878	60.0	1,319	2,608	3,927	6.5
1989	103,480	62,389	60.3	1,372	1,790	3,162	5.1
1990 (1)	104,876	63,172	60.2	(2) 2,132	(2) 1,096	(2) 3,228	(2) 5.1
1991	103,723	62,627	60.4	(2) 2,377	(2) 2,906	(2) 5,283	(2) 8.4
1992	104,668	63,610	60.8	1,939	2,982	4,921	7.7
1993	106,101	64,274	60.6	1,707	2,625	4,332	6.7
1994 (1)	107,989	66,549	61.6	1,995	2,132	4,128	6.2
1995	110,038	68,354	62.1	1,699	1,956	3,656	5.3
1996	111,960	69,255	61.9	(2) 1,863	(2) 1,861	(2) 3,724	(2) 5.4
1997 (1)	114,533	70,735	61.8	(2) 2,990	(2) 1,764	(2) 4,754	(2) 6.7
1998 (1)	116,730	71,440	61.2	2,834	1,593	4,427	6.2
1999 (1)	118,963	72,306	60.8	2,194	1,146	3,340	4.6
2000 (1)	122,089	73,496	60.2	1,752	898	2,650	3.6
2001	122,229	73,392	60.0	1,518	656	2,174	3.0
2002	121,826	72,508	59.5	1,579	567	2,146	3.0
2003 (1)	122,358	72,946	59.6	1,555	545	2,100	2.9
MEN
1979	49,400	28,392	57.5	846	1,353	2,199	7.7
1980	48,700	27,709	56.9	983	1,696	2,678	9.7
1981	48,844	27,576	56.5	1,119	1,533	2,652	9.6
1982	47,591	26,481	55.6	697	1,587	2,284	8.6
1983	47,856	26,831	56.1	585	1,658	2,243	8.4
1984	50,022	28,140	56.3	490	1,626	2,116	7.5
1985	51,015	28,893	56.6	440	1,544	1,984	6.9
1986 (1)	51,942	29,666	57.1	408	1,336	1,743	5.9
1987	52,938	30,474	57.6	364	1,283	1,647	5.4
1988	53,912	31,058	57.6	311	1,066	1,377	4.4
1989	54,789	31,687	57.8	379	733	1,112	3.5
1990 (1)	55,553	32,104	57.8	(2) 712	(2) 385	(2) 1,097	(2) 3.4
1991	54,618	31,639	57.9	(2) 795	(2) 1,114	(2) 1,909	(2) 6.0
1992	54,826	32,155	58.6	653	1,231	1,885	5.9
1993	55,475	32,337	58.3	573	1,091	1,664	5.1
1994 (1)	56,570	33,528	59.3	674	891	1,565	4.7
1995	57,669	34,420	59.7	542	796	1,338	3.9
1996	58,473	34,838	59.6	(2) 619	(2) 755	(2) 1,374	(2) 3.9
1997 (1)	59,825	35,521	59.4	(2) 1,147	(2) 673	(2) 1,820	(2) 5.1
1998 (1)	60,973	35,761	58.7	1,039	628	1,667	4.7
1999 (1)	61,914	36,073	58.3	768	446	1,214	3.4
2000 (1)	63,662	36,720	57.7	582	319	901	2.5
2001	63,647	36,544	57.4	497	247	744	2.0
2002	63,272	36,000	56.9	582	217	799	2.2
2003 (1)	63,236	35,853	56.7	493	213	706	2.0
WOMEN
1979	38,129	23,329	61.2	2,070	2,644	4,714	20.2
1980	38,944	23,626	60.7	2,104	2,990	5,095	21.6
1981	39,672	24,294	61.2	2,394	2,778	5,172	21.3
1982	39,777	24,365	61.3	1,651	2,561	4,212	17.3
1983	40,433	24,989	61.8	1,492	2,603	4,095	16.4
1984	42,172	26,003	61.7	1,348	2,499	3,847	14.8
1985	43,506	26,869	61.8	1,198	2,356	3,554	13.2
1986 (1)	44,961	27,863	62.0	1,192	2,125	3,317	11.9
1987	46,365	29,078	62.7	1,105	1,946	3,051	10.5
1988	47,495	29,820	62.8	1,008	1,542	2,550	8.6
1989	48,691	30,702	63.1	994	1,056	2,050	6.7
1990 (1)	49,323	31,069	63.0	(2) 1,420	(2) 711	(2) 2,131	(2) 6.9
1991	49,105	30,988	63.1	(2) 1,582	(2) 1,792	(2) 3,374	(2) 10.9
1992	49,842	31,454	63.1	1,286	1,751	3,036	9.7
1993	50,626	31,937	63.1	1,133	1,534	2,667	8.4
1994 (1)	51,419	33,021	64.2	1,322	1,241	2,563	7.8
1995	52,369	33,934	64.8	1,157	1,161	2,318	6.8
1996	53,488	34,418	64.3	(2) 1,244	(2) 1,106	(2) 2,350	(2) 6.8
1997 (1)	54,708	35,214	64.4	(2) 1,843	(2) 1,092	(2) 2,935	(2) 8.3
1998 (1)	55,757	35,680	64.0	1,794	965	2,760	7.7
1999 (1)	57,050	36,233	63.5	1,426	700	2,126	5.9
2000 (1)	58,427	36,777	62.9	1,170	579	1,749	4.8
2001	58,582	36,848	62.9	1,021	409	1,430	3.9
2002	58,555	36,508	62.3	997	350	1,347	3.7
2003 (1)	59,122	37,093	62.7	1,062	332	1,394	3.8

1 The comparability of historical labor force data has been affected at various times by methodological and conceptual changes in the Current Population Survey (CPS). For an explanation, see the Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error section of the February 2004 and subsequent issues of Employment and Earnings, a monthly BLS periodical.

2 Data for 1990-91 and 1996-97 reflect changes in the minimum wage that took place in those years.

NOTE: The prevailing Federal minimum wage was $2.90 in 1979, $3.10 in 1980, and $3.35 in 1981-89. The minimum wage rose to $3.80 in April 1990, to $4.25 in April 1991, to $4.75 in October 1996, and to $5.15 in September 1997. Data exclude the incorporated self employed. Also note that the presence of a sizable number of workers with reported wages below the minimum does not necessarily indicate violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as there are numerous exemptions to the minimum wage provisions of the law. Indeed, the relatively large number of workers with reported wages below the minimum in 1998-2003 includes some hourly-paid workers reported as earning exactly $5.00 per hour (about 1.4 million in 1998, about 900,000 in 1999, about 600,000 in 2000, about 500,000 in 2001, about 500,000 in 2002, and about 350,000 in 2003); to some extent, this may reflect rounding on the part of survey respondents.

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Last Modified Date: March 31, 2005