MINIMUM WAGE WORKERS IN TEXAS: 2008

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:                                                               FOR RELEASE:
Cheryl Abbot, Regional Economist                                                       April 8, 2009
(972) 850-4800                                              
http://www.bls.gov/ro6/                 

                                       MINIMUM WAGE WORKERS IN TEXAS: 2008

     Among hourly-paid workers in Texas, 262,000 had earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage (1) in 
2008, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.  (See chart A.)  About 5.5 million 
workers were paid at hourly rates, representing 52.1 percent of all Texas wage and salary workers (2).  Regional 
Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that workers paid at or below the Federal minimum accounted for 4.7 percent 
of these hourly-paid workers in Texas (3).  This was one of the highest shares in the nation.  (See table 1.)


               Chart A.  Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or 
               below the prevailing Federal minimum wage in Texas, annual averages, 1998-2008
               

     According to Current Population Survey (CPS) estimates for 2008, 75.3 million workers in the United States were 
paid at hourly rates, representing 58.2 percent of all wage and salary workers.  Of those paid by the hour, 286,000 
earned exactly the prevailing Federal minimum wage and about 1.9 million additional workers earned wages below the 
minimum.  Together, these 2.2 million workers with wages at or below the Federal minimum made up 3.0 percent of all 
hourly-paid workers in the nation.

     In Texas, with the exception of a slight uptick in 2003, the number of hourly-paid workers at or below the 
Federal minimum wage declined steadily from 1998 to 2006.  However, that trend reversed itself in 2007 and continued 
upward in 2008.  With the increased Federal minimum wage in 2007 and 2008, both a larger number and a higher 
percentage of workers in the State received hourly wages at or below the minimum wage.  (See chart A.)

     The number of workers at or below the Federal minimum wage in Texas rose by 41,000 in 2008 with 25,000 of this 
increase among men.  As a result, men accounted for nearly 36 percent of all the State’s hourly-paid workers who 
earned the Federal minimum wage or less, up from about 31 percent in 2007.  Still, the likelihood of earning the 
Federal minimum wage or less was twice as high for women (6.5 percent) as for men (3.2 percent) in the State in 
2008.  (See table A and chart B.)


               Chart B.  Percentage of employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates
               with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage in Texas,
               by sex, annual averages, 1998-2008
               

     Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2008, Mississippi, at 6.0 percent, had the highest 
proportion of hourly-paid workers earning at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage.  Mississippi was closely 
followed by South Carolina and Tennessee at 5.9 and 5.8 percent, respectively.  Texas ranked seventh with 4.7 
percent of the State's hourly workers earning the Federal minimum wage or less.  Oregon had the lowest rate at 0.8 
percent, followed by Alaska and California, both at 1.0 percent.  It should be noted that as of January 1, 2009, 27 
states and the District of Columbia had laws establishing minimum wage standards that exceeded the Federal level of 
$6.55 per hour (4).  (See table 1 and chart C.)


                         Chart C.  Minimum wage laws in the States, January 1, 2009

                         

                   (Map source:  U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration)



     Overall, Texas wage and salary workers paid hourly rates (5) had median hourly earnings of $11.00 in 2008; 
nationally, the median was $12.23.  The 2008 median hourly rates for men and for women in Texas were $11.99 and 
$10.02, respectively.  (See table A.)  For the United States as a whole, the comparable hourly figures were $13.46 
for men and $11.49 for women in 2008.



	Table A.  Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage and median hourly earnings of all hourly-paid workers in Texas, by sex, annual averages, 1998-2008
	
		
			Texas
			At or below Federal minimum wage         (number of workers in thousands)
			All hourly-paid workers
		
		
			Total
			Below Prevailing
			At Prevailing
			Number of workers          (in thousands)
			Median earnings          (in dollars)
		
	
	
		
			Total
			
			
			
			
			
		
		
			1998
			466
			255
			211
			5,055
			          $ 8.23
		
		
			1999
			337
			186
			151
			4,990
			8.54
		
		
			2000
			297
			174
			123
			5,112
			9.01
		
		
			2001
			215
			128
			87
			5,101
			9.48
		
		
			2002
			205
			129
			76
			5,002
			9.76
		
		
			2003
			235
			161
			74
			5,258
			9.82
		
		
			2004
			198
			131
			67
			5,293
			9.95
		
		
			2005
			176
			121
			55
			5,467
			10.04
		
		
			2006
			173
			121
			52
			5,724
			10.22
		
		
			2007
			221
			175
			46
			5,585
			10.54
		
		
			2008
			262
			208
			54
			5,527
			11.00
		
		
			Men
			
			
			
			
			
		
		
			1998
			186
			108
			78
			2,660
			          $ 8.97
		
		
			1999
			120
			68
			52
			2,560
			9.35
		
		
			2000
			114
			70
			44
			2,667
			9.83
		
		
			2001
			90
			50
			40
			2,712
			10.11
		
		
			2002
			82
			61
			21
			2,623
			10.11
		
		
			2003
			96
			70
			26
			2,704
			10.18
		
		
			2004
			77
			48
			29
			2,753
			10.41
		
		
			2005
			67
			48
			19
			2,835
			10.87
		
		
			2006
			69
			47
			22
			3,011
			11.18
		
		
			2007
			69
			53
			16
			2,895
			11.54
		
		
			2008
			94
			78
			16
			2,932
			11.99
		
		
			Women
			
			
			
			
			
		
		
			1998
			280
			147
			133
			2,395
			          $ 7.50
		
		
			1999
			217
			118
			99
			2,430
			7.84
		
		
			2000
			183
			104
			79
			2,445
			8.18
		
		
			2001
			125
			78
			47
			2,389
			8.55
		
		
			2002
			123
			68
			55
			2,379
			8.90
		
		
			2003
			139
			91
			48
			2,553
			8.95
		
		
			2004
			122
			84
			38
			2,541
			9.33
		
		
			2005
			110
			73
			37
			2,632
			9.24
		
		
			2006
			104
			74
			30
			2,713
			9.80
		
		
			2007
			152
			122
			30
			2,690
			9.86
		
		
			2008
			168
			130
			38
			2,595
			10.02
		
	
	
		
			
				
					Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

				
			
		
	




======================================================================================================================
(1) On July 24, 2008, the Federal minimum wage increased to $6.55 per hour from $5.85 per hour. Data in this report 
    reflect the average number of workers earning the prevailing Federal minimum wage or less for the year — those 
    who earned $5.85 or less from January 2008 through July 2008 and those who earned $6.55 or less from August 2008 
    through the end of the year.  
(2) Data are for wage and salary workers age 16 and over and refer to earnings on a person's sole or principal job. 
    All self-employed persons are excluded whether or not their businesses are incorporated.
(3) It should be noted 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 exemptions to the minimum wage 
    provisions of the law.
(4) U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration, Wage and Hour Division: 
    www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm#Consolidated.
(5) Wage rates in this release use median values.  The median is the middle of a distribution:  half the scores are 
    above the median and half are below the median.  The median is less sensitive to extreme wages than the mean; this 
    makes it a better measure than the mean for highly skewed distributions.

======================================================================================================================


                                                  Technical Note

     The Bureau of Labor Statistics' data on minimum wage earners are derived from the Current Population Survey 
(CPS), a nationwide sample survey of households that includes questions enabling the identification of hourly-paid 
workers and their hourly wage rate.  Data in this summary are annual averages.

     Minimum wage data, particularly levels, for each year are not strictly comparable with data for earlier years 
because of the introduction of revised population controls used in the CPS.  The effect of the revised population 
controls on the minimum wage estimates is unknown.  For technical documentation and related information, including 
reliability of the CPS estimates, see www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.

     It should be noted 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 exemptions to the minimum wage 
provisions of the law.  The estimates of the numbers of minimum and subminimum wage workers presented in the 
accompanying tables pertain to workers paid at hourly rates; salaried and other non-hourly workers are excluded.  As 
such, the actual number of workers with earnings at or below the prevailing minimum is undoubtedly understated.  
Research has shown that a relatively smaller number and share of salaried workers and others not paid by the hour 
have earnings that, when translated into hourly rates, are at or below the minimum wage.  However, BLS does not 
routinely estimate hourly earnings for non-hourly workers because of data concerns that arise in producing these 
estimates.  For further information, see Steven Haugen and Earl Mellor, "Estimating the number of minimum wage 
workers," Monthly Labor Review, January 1990 (PDF 415K). 

     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 on April 1, 1990, to $4.25 on April 1, 1991, to $4.75 on October 1, 1996, to $5.15 on September 1, 
1997, to $5.85 on July 24, 2007, and to $6.55 on July 24, 2008.  Data in this report reflect the average number of 
workers earning the prevailing Federal minimum wage or less for the year (those who earned $5.85 or less from 
January 2008 through July 2008 and those who earned $6.55 or less from August 2008 through the end of the year).

     This release is available on our Web site at http://www.bls.gov/ro6/home.htm.  If you have additional questions, 
you can contact the Southwest Information Office at 972-850-4800.  Information in this release will be made available 
to sensory impaired individuals upon request.  Voice phone:  202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number:  
1-800-877-8339.





	Table 1. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by State, 2008 annual averages
	
		
			State
			  Number of workers
(in thousands)
			  Percent
distribution
			  Percent of workers
paid hourly rates
		
		
			Total
paid
hourly
rates   
			At or below minimum wage
			Total
paid
hourly
rates  
			At or below minimum wage
			At or below minimum wage
		
		
			Total
			At
minimum
wage  
			Below
minimum
wage  
			Total
			At
minimum
wage  
			Below
minimum
wage  
			Total
			At
minimum
wage  
			Below
minimum
wage  
		
	
	
		
			Total, 16 years & over
			75,305
			2,226
			286
			1,940
			100.0
			100.0
			100.0
			100.0
			3.0
			0.4
			2.6
		
		
			Alabama
			1,119
			47
			17
			30
			1.5
			2.1
			5.9
			1.5
			4.2
			1.5
			2.7
		
		
			Alaska
			204
			2
			-
			2
			0.3
			0.1
			-
			0.1
			1.0
			-
			1.0
		
		
			Arizona
			1,533
			46
			5
			41
			2.0
			2.1
			1.7
			2.1
			3.0
			0.3
			2.7
		
		
			Arkansas
			703
			26
			5
			21
			0.9
			1.2
			1.7
			1.1
			3.7
			0.7
			3.0
		
		
			California
			8,778
			86
			6
			80
			11.7
			3.9
			2.1
			4.1
			1.0
			0.1
			0.9
		
		
			Colorado
			1,211
			48
			1
			47
			1.6
			2.2
			0.3
			2.4
			4.0
			0.1
			3.9
		
		
			Connecticut
			892
			16
			1
			15
			1.2
			0.7
			0.3
			0.8
			1.8
			0.1
			1.7
		
		
			Delaware
			220
			6
			-
			6
			0.3
			0.3
			-
			0.3
			2.7
			-
			2.7
		
		
			District of Columbia
			110
			3
			-
			3
			0.1
			0.1
			-
			0.2
			2.7
			-
			2.7
		
		
			Florida
			4,058
			127
			5
			122
			5.4
			5.7
			1.7
			6.3
			3.1
			0.1
			3.0
		
		
			Georgia
			2,084
			76
			13
			63
			2.8
			3.4
			4.5
			3.2
			3.6
			0.6
			3.0
		
		
			Hawaii
			338
			5
			-
			5
			0.4
			0.2
			-
			0.3
			1.5
			-
			1.5
		
		
			Idaho
			412
			15
			4
			11
			0.5
			0.7
			1.4
			0.6
			3.6
			1.0
			2.7
		
		
			Illinois
			3,211
			80
			-
			80
			4.3
			3.6
			-
			4.1
			2.5
			-
			2.5
		
		
			Indiana
			1,812
			64
			10
			54
			2.4
			2.9
			3.5
			2.8
			3.5
			0.6
			3.0
		
		
			Iowa
			927
			21
			1
			20
			1.2
			0.9
			0.3
			1.0
			2.3
			0.1
			2.2
		
		
			Kansas
			791
			31
			5
			26
			1.1
			1.4
			1.7
			1.3
			3.9
			0.6
			3.3
		
		
			Kentucky
			1,101
			45
			9
			36
			1.5
			2.0
			3.1
			1.9
			4.1
			0.8
			3.3
		
		
			Louisiana
			953
			48
			9
			39
			1.3
			2.2
			3.1
			2.0
			5.0
			0.9
			4.1
		
		
			Maine
			397
			7
			-
			7
			0.5
			0.3
			-
			0.4
			1.8
			-
			1.8
		
		
			Maryland
			1,339
			37
			5
			32
			1.8
			1.7
			1.7
			1.6
			2.8
			0.4
			2.4
		
		
			Massachusetts
			1,543
			35
			2
			33
			2.0
			1.6
			0.7
			1.7
			2.3
			0.1
			2.1
		
		
			Michigan
			2,641
			73
			2
			71
			3.5
			3.3
			0.7
			3.7
			2.8
			0.1
			2.7
		
		
			Minnesota
			1,511
			40
			6
			34
			2.0
			1.8
			2.1
			1.8
			2.6
			0.4
			2.3
		
		
			Mississippi
			667
			40
			9
			31
			0.9
			1.8
			3.1
			1.6
			6.0
			1.3
			4.6
		
		
			Missouri
			1,592
			50
			4
			46
			2.1
			2.2
			1.4
			2.4
			3.1
			0.3
			2.9
		
		
			Montana
			287
			4
			2
			2
			0.4
			0.2
			0.7
			0.1
			1.4
			0.7
			0.7
		
		
			Nebraska
			551
			20
			3
			17
			0.7
			0.9
			1.0
			0.9
			3.6
			0.5
			3.1
		
		
			Nevada
			736
			16
			2
			14
			1.0
			0.7
			0.7
			0.7
			2.2
			0.3
			1.9
		
		
			New Hampshire
			380
			11
			-
			11
			0.5
			0.5
			-
			0.6
			2.9
			-
			2.9
		
		
			New Jersey
			1,781
			53
			5
			48
			2.4
			2.4
			1.7
			2.5
			3.0
			0.3
			2.7
		
		
			New Mexico
			495
			13
			-
			13
			0.7
			0.6
			-
			0.7
			2.6
			-
			2.6
		
		
			New York
			4,105
			100
			6
			94
			5.5
			4.5
			2.1
			4.8
			2.4
			0.1
			2.3
		
		
			North Carolina
			2,235
			78
			11
			67
			3.0
			3.5
			3.8
			3.5
			3.5
			0.5
			3.0
		
		
			North Dakota
			199
			8
			1
			7
			0.3
			0.4
			0.3
			0.4
			4.0
			0.5
			3.5
		
		
			Ohio
			3,329
			77
			5
			72
			4.4
			3.5
			1.7
			3.7
			2.3
			0.2
			2.2
		
		
			Oklahoma
			878
			48
			19
			29
			1.2
			2.2
			6.6
			1.5
			5.5
			2.2
			3.3
		
		
			Oregon
			999
			8
			2
			6
			1.3
			0.4
			0.7
			0.3
			0.8
			0.2
			0.6
		
		
			Pennsylvania
			3,457
			85
			6
			79
			4.6
			3.8
			2.1
			4.1
			2.5
			0.2
			2.3
		
		
			Rhode Island
			296
			6
			-
			6
			0.4
			0.3
			-
			0.3
			2.0
			-
			2.0
		
		
			South Carolina
			1,111
			66
			6
			60
			1.5
			3.0
			2.1
			3.1
			5.9
			0.5
			5.4
		
		
			South Dakota
			256
			6
			1
			5
			0.3
			0.3
			0.3
			0.3
			2.3
			0.4
			2.0
		
		
			Tennessee
			1,533
			89
			12
			77
			2.0
			4.0
			4.2
			4.0
			5.8
			0.8
			5.0
		
		
			Texas
			5,527
			262
			54
			208
			7.3
			11.8
			18.9
			10.7
			4.7
			1.0
			3.8
		
		
			Utah
			736
			18
			5
			13
			1.0
			0.8
			1.7
			0.7
			2.4
			0.7
			1.8
		
		
			Vermont
			183
			4
			-
			4
			0.2
			0.2
			-
			0.2
			2.2
			-
			2.2
		
		
			Virginia
			1,809
			70
			5
			65
			2.4
			3.1
			1.7
			3.4
			3.9
			0.3
			3.6
		
		
			Washington
			1,875
			26
			3
			23
			2.5
			1.2
			1.0
			1.2
			1.4
			0.2
			1.2
		
		
			West Virginia
			494
			26
			10
			16
			0.7
			1.2
			3.5
			0.8
			5.3
			2.0
			3.2
		
		
			Wisconsin
			1,748
			53
			9
			44
			2.3
			2.4
			3.1
			2.3
			3.0
			0.5
			2.5
		
		
			Wyoming
			160
			7
			1
			6
			0.2
			0.3
			0.3
			0.3
			4.4
			0.6
			3.8
		
	

NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are 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 determine clearly 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 the prevailing Federal minimum wage may not in fact be covered by Federal or State minimum wage laws. Also, there 
are a number of States that have minimum wages that exceed the Federal minimum wage. 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 indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table A. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage and median hourly earnings of all hourly-paid workers in Texas, by sex, annual averages, 1998-2008
Texas	At or below Federal minimum wage (number of workers in thousands)	All hourly-paid workers
Total
1998	466	255	211	5,055	$ 8.23
1999	337	186	151	4,990	8.54
2000	297	174	123	5,112	9.01
2001	215	128	87	5,101	9.48
2002	205	129	76	5,002	9.76
2003	235	161	74	5,258	9.82
2004	198	131	67	5,293	9.95
2005	176	121	55	5,467	10.04
2006	173	121	52	5,724	10.22
2007	221	175	46	5,585	10.54
2008	262	208	54	5,527	11.00
Men
1998	186	108	78	2,660	$ 8.97
1999	120	68	52	2,560	9.35
2000	114	70	44	2,667	9.83
2001	90	50	40	2,712	10.11
2002	82	61	21	2,623	10.11
2003	96	70	26	2,704	10.18
2004	77	48	29	2,753	10.41
2005	67	48	19	2,835	10.87
2006	69	47	22	3,011	11.18
2007	69	53	16	2,895	11.54
2008	94	78	16	2,932	11.99
Women
1998	280	147	133	2,395	$ 7.50
1999	217	118	99	2,430	7.84
2000	183	104	79	2,445	8.18
2001	125	78	47	2,389	8.55
2002	123	68	55	2,379	8.90
2003	139	91	48	2,553	8.95
2004	122	84	38	2,541	9.33
2005	110	73	37	2,632	9.24
2006	104	74	30	2,713	9.80
2007	152	122	30	2,690	9.86
2008	168	130	38	2,595	10.02
Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Table 1. Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage by State, 2008 annual averages
State	Number of workers (in thousands)	Percent distribution	Percent of workers paid hourly rates
Total, 16 years & over	75,305	2,226	286	1,940	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.0	0.4	2.6
Alabama	1,119	47	17	30	1.5	2.1	5.9	1.5	4.2	1.5	2.7
Alaska	204	2	-	2	0.3	0.1	-	0.1	1.0	-	1.0
Arizona	1,533	46	5	41	2.0	2.1	1.7	2.1	3.0	0.3	2.7
Arkansas	703	26	5	21	0.9	1.2	1.7	1.1	3.7	0.7	3.0
California	8,778	86	6	80	11.7	3.9	2.1	4.1	1.0	0.1	0.9
Colorado	1,211	48	1	47	1.6	2.2	0.3	2.4	4.0	0.1	3.9
Connecticut	892	16	1	15	1.2	0.7	0.3	0.8	1.8	0.1	1.7
Delaware	220	6	-	6	0.3	0.3	-	0.3	2.7	-	2.7
District of Columbia	110	3	-	3	0.1	0.1	-	0.2	2.7	-	2.7
Florida	4,058	127	5	122	5.4	5.7	1.7	6.3	3.1	0.1	3.0
Georgia	2,084	76	13	63	2.8	3.4	4.5	3.2	3.6	0.6	3.0
Hawaii	338	5	-	5	0.4	0.2	-	0.3	1.5	-	1.5
Idaho	412	15	4	11	0.5	0.7	1.4	0.6	3.6	1.0	2.7
Illinois	3,211	80	-	80	4.3	3.6	-	4.1	2.5	-	2.5
Indiana	1,812	64	10	54	2.4	2.9	3.5	2.8	3.5	0.6	3.0
Iowa	927	21	1	20	1.2	0.9	0.3	1.0	2.3	0.1	2.2
Kansas	791	31	5	26	1.1	1.4	1.7	1.3	3.9	0.6	3.3
Kentucky	1,101	45	9	36	1.5	2.0	3.1	1.9	4.1	0.8	3.3
Louisiana	953	48	9	39	1.3	2.2	3.1	2.0	5.0	0.9	4.1
Maine	397	7	-	7	0.5	0.3	-	0.4	1.8	-	1.8
Maryland	1,339	37	5	32	1.8	1.7	1.7	1.6	2.8	0.4	2.4
Massachusetts	1,543	35	2	33	2.0	1.6	0.7	1.7	2.3	0.1	2.1
Michigan	2,641	73	2	71	3.5	3.3	0.7	3.7	2.8	0.1	2.7
Minnesota	1,511	40	6	34	2.0	1.8	2.1	1.8	2.6	0.4	2.3
Mississippi	667	40	9	31	0.9	1.8	3.1	1.6	6.0	1.3	4.6
Missouri	1,592	50	4	46	2.1	2.2	1.4	2.4	3.1	0.3	2.9
Montana	287	4	2	2	0.4	0.2	0.7	0.1	1.4	0.7	0.7
Nebraska	551	20	3	17	0.7	0.9	1.0	0.9	3.6	0.5	3.1
Nevada	736	16	2	14	1.0	0.7	0.7	0.7	2.2	0.3	1.9
New Hampshire	380	11	-	11	0.5	0.5	-	0.6	2.9	-	2.9
New Jersey	1,781	53	5	48	2.4	2.4	1.7	2.5	3.0	0.3	2.7
New Mexico	495	13	-	13	0.7	0.6	-	0.7	2.6	-	2.6
New York	4,105	100	6	94	5.5	4.5	2.1	4.8	2.4	0.1	2.3
North Carolina	2,235	78	11	67	3.0	3.5	3.8	3.5	3.5	0.5	3.0
North Dakota	199	8	1	7	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.4	4.0	0.5	3.5
Ohio	3,329	77	5	72	4.4	3.5	1.7	3.7	2.3	0.2	2.2
Oklahoma	878	48	19	29	1.2	2.2	6.6	1.5	5.5	2.2	3.3
Oregon	999	8	2	6	1.3	0.4	0.7	0.3	0.8	0.2	0.6
Pennsylvania	3,457	85	6	79	4.6	3.8	2.1	4.1	2.5	0.2	2.3
Rhode Island	296	6	-	6	0.4	0.3	-	0.3	2.0	-	2.0
South Carolina	1,111	66	6	60	1.5	3.0	2.1	3.1	5.9	0.5	5.4
South Dakota	256	6	1	5	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	2.3	0.4	2.0
Tennessee	1,533	89	12	77	2.0	4.0	4.2	4.0	5.8	0.8	5.0
Texas	5,527	262	54	208	7.3	11.8	18.9	10.7	4.7	1.0	3.8
Utah	736	18	5	13	1.0	0.8	1.7	0.7	2.4	0.7	1.8
Vermont	183	4	-	4	0.2	0.2	-	0.2	2.2	-	2.2
Virginia	1,809	70	5	65	2.4	3.1	1.7	3.4	3.9	0.3	3.6
Washington	1,875	26	3	23	2.5	1.2	1.0	1.2	1.4	0.2	1.2
West Virginia	494	26	10	16	0.7	1.2	3.5	0.8	5.3	2.0	3.2
Wisconsin	1,748	53	9	44	2.3	2.4	3.1	2.3	3.0	0.5	2.5
Wyoming	160	7	1	6	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3	4.4	0.6	3.8
NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are 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 determine clearly 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 the prevailing Federal minimum wage may not in fact be covered by Federal or State minimum wage laws. Also, there are a number of States that have minimum wages that exceed the Federal minimum wage. 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 indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Last Modified Date: April 8, 2009

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Texas	At or below Federal minimum wage (number of workers in thousands)			All hourly-paid workers
Texas	Total	Below Prevailing	At Prevailing	Number of workers (in thousands)	Median earnings (in dollars)
Total
1998	466	255	211	5,055	$ 8.23
1999	337	186	151	4,990	8.54
2000	297	174	123	5,112	9.01
2001	215	128	87	5,101	9.48
2002	205	129	76	5,002	9.76
2003	235	161	74	5,258	9.82
2004	198	131	67	5,293	9.95
2005	176	121	55	5,467	10.04
2006	173	121	52	5,724	10.22
2007	221	175	46	5,585	10.54
2008	262	208	54	5,527	11.00
Men
1998	186	108	78	2,660	$ 8.97
1999	120	68	52	2,560	9.35
2000	114	70	44	2,667	9.83
2001	90	50	40	2,712	10.11
2002	82	61	21	2,623	10.11
2003	96	70	26	2,704	10.18
2004	77	48	29	2,753	10.41
2005	67	48	19	2,835	10.87
2006	69	47	22	3,011	11.18
2007	69	53	16	2,895	11.54
2008	94	78	16	2,932	11.99
Women
1998	280	147	133	2,395	$ 7.50
1999	217	118	99	2,430	7.84
2000	183	104	79	2,445	8.18
2001	125	78	47	2,389	8.55
2002	123	68	55	2,379	8.90
2003	139	91	48	2,553	8.95
2004	122	84	38	2,541	9.33
2005	110	73	37	2,632	9.24
2006	104	74	30	2,713	9.80
2007	152	122	30	2,690	9.86
2008	168	130	38	2,595	10.02
Note: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

State	Number of workers (in thousands)				Percent distribution				Percent of workers paid hourly rates
	Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			Total paid hourly rates	At or below minimum wage			At or below minimum wage
	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total paid hourly rates	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage	Total	At minimum wage	Below minimum wage
Total, 16 years & over	75,305	2,226	286	1,940	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	3.0	0.4	2.6
Alabama	1,119	47	17	30	1.5	2.1	5.9	1.5	4.2	1.5	2.7
Alaska	204	2	-	2	0.3	0.1	-	0.1	1.0	-	1.0
Arizona	1,533	46	5	41	2.0	2.1	1.7	2.1	3.0	0.3	2.7
Arkansas	703	26	5	21	0.9	1.2	1.7	1.1	3.7	0.7	3.0
California	8,778	86	6	80	11.7	3.9	2.1	4.1	1.0	0.1	0.9
Colorado	1,211	48	1	47	1.6	2.2	0.3	2.4	4.0	0.1	3.9
Connecticut	892	16	1	15	1.2	0.7	0.3	0.8	1.8	0.1	1.7
Delaware	220	6	-	6	0.3	0.3	-	0.3	2.7	-	2.7
District of Columbia	110	3	-	3	0.1	0.1	-	0.2	2.7	-	2.7
Florida	4,058	127	5	122	5.4	5.7	1.7	6.3	3.1	0.1	3.0
Georgia	2,084	76	13	63	2.8	3.4	4.5	3.2	3.6	0.6	3.0
Hawaii	338	5	-	5	0.4	0.2	-	0.3	1.5	-	1.5
Idaho	412	15	4	11	0.5	0.7	1.4	0.6	3.6	1.0	2.7
Illinois	3,211	80	-	80	4.3	3.6	-	4.1	2.5	-	2.5
Indiana	1,812	64	10	54	2.4	2.9	3.5	2.8	3.5	0.6	3.0
Iowa	927	21	1	20	1.2	0.9	0.3	1.0	2.3	0.1	2.2
Kansas	791	31	5	26	1.1	1.4	1.7	1.3	3.9	0.6	3.3
Kentucky	1,101	45	9	36	1.5	2.0	3.1	1.9	4.1	0.8	3.3
Louisiana	953	48	9	39	1.3	2.2	3.1	2.0	5.0	0.9	4.1
Maine	397	7	-	7	0.5	0.3	-	0.4	1.8	-	1.8
Maryland	1,339	37	5	32	1.8	1.7	1.7	1.6	2.8	0.4	2.4
Massachusetts	1,543	35	2	33	2.0	1.6	0.7	1.7	2.3	0.1	2.1
Michigan	2,641	73	2	71	3.5	3.3	0.7	3.7	2.8	0.1	2.7
Minnesota	1,511	40	6	34	2.0	1.8	2.1	1.8	2.6	0.4	2.3
Mississippi	667	40	9	31	0.9	1.8	3.1	1.6	6.0	1.3	4.6
Missouri	1,592	50	4	46	2.1	2.2	1.4	2.4	3.1	0.3	2.9
Montana	287	4	2	2	0.4	0.2	0.7	0.1	1.4	0.7	0.7
Nebraska	551	20	3	17	0.7	0.9	1.0	0.9	3.6	0.5	3.1
Nevada	736	16	2	14	1.0	0.7	0.7	0.7	2.2	0.3	1.9
New Hampshire	380	11	-	11	0.5	0.5	-	0.6	2.9	-	2.9
New Jersey	1,781	53	5	48	2.4	2.4	1.7	2.5	3.0	0.3	2.7
New Mexico	495	13	-	13	0.7	0.6	-	0.7	2.6	-	2.6
New York	4,105	100	6	94	5.5	4.5	2.1	4.8	2.4	0.1	2.3
North Carolina	2,235	78	11	67	3.0	3.5	3.8	3.5	3.5	0.5	3.0
North Dakota	199	8	1	7	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.4	4.0	0.5	3.5
Ohio	3,329	77	5	72	4.4	3.5	1.7	3.7	2.3	0.2	2.2
Oklahoma	878	48	19	29	1.2	2.2	6.6	1.5	5.5	2.2	3.3
Oregon	999	8	2	6	1.3	0.4	0.7	0.3	0.8	0.2	0.6
Pennsylvania	3,457	85	6	79	4.6	3.8	2.1	4.1	2.5	0.2	2.3
Rhode Island	296	6	-	6	0.4	0.3	-	0.3	2.0	-	2.0
South Carolina	1,111	66	6	60	1.5	3.0	2.1	3.1	5.9	0.5	5.4
South Dakota	256	6	1	5	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	2.3	0.4	2.0
Tennessee	1,533	89	12	77	2.0	4.0	4.2	4.0	5.8	0.8	5.0
Texas	5,527	262	54	208	7.3	11.8	18.9	10.7	4.7	1.0	3.8
Utah	736	18	5	13	1.0	0.8	1.7	0.7	2.4	0.7	1.8
Vermont	183	4	-	4	0.2	0.2	-	0.2	2.2	-	2.2
Virginia	1,809	70	5	65	2.4	3.1	1.7	3.4	3.9	0.3	3.6
Washington	1,875	26	3	23	2.5	1.2	1.0	1.2	1.4	0.2	1.2
West Virginia	494	26	10	16	0.7	1.2	3.5	0.8	5.3	2.0	3.2
Wisconsin	1,748	53	9	44	2.3	2.4	3.1	2.3	3.0	0.5	2.5
Wyoming	160	7	1	6	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3	4.4	0.6	3.8
NOTE: Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are 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 determine clearly 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 the prevailing Federal minimum wage may not in fact be covered by Federal or State minimum wage laws. Also, there are a number of States that have minimum wages that exceed the Federal minimum wage. 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 indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria.