A minimum wage hasn't always existed in America. It was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938, setting the minimum at $0.25 per hour. Yes, that's terribly low, but that was many years ago. Adjusting for inflation, it would be about $4.51 per hour today. But today's federal minimum wage is higher, at $7.25, where it has been since 2009, a decade ago.
If you work 40 hours a week at $7.25, you'll make $290 per week, or $15,080 over a year, pre-tax. That's very close to the poverty line of $12,490 for a household of one person and it's below the two-person household poverty line of $16,910.
Fortunately, lots of jobs pay more than the minimum, and often much more. Here are 50 chains that compensate their lower-income workers with more than the minimum or that sport average pay for hourly workers of well above the minimum.
Invest better with The Motley Fool. Get stock recommendations, portfolio guidance, and more from The Motley Fool's premium services.