If you haven't been keeping up with changes to our nation's minimum wage for a long time, you might assume that it's no longer at the rate it was in 2009 -- 11 years ago -- when the federal minimum wage was $7.25 per hour. Well, you didn't miss anything. The rate is unchanged!
That's terrible news for those who earn that rate, because over time, prices have risen, while the minimum wage has not. So what do you bring home per year, at that rate? Well, working 40 hours per week, you'd earn $290 per week, or $15,080 for the year. If that sounds really low, you're right: It's not much higher than the federal poverty guideline for 2020 of $12,760 for a household of one, and it's well below the $17,240 threshold for a two-person household, and the $26,200 threshold for a four-person household.
Fortunately, many states have hiked the minimum wage within their borders, and some cities have hiked it even further. Better still, many companies have their own minimum wages, or simply pay their hourly workers, on average, above-minimum wages. Here's a look at 50 of them.
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