The findings?
- 53% of workers who earn the minimum wage are between the ages of 16 and 24. People in this age group live in homes that have an average income of $64.273, over three times the $19,806 poverty line for a family of four.
- Of people older than 24, 55.6% who earn the minimum wage only work part time. All people over 24 who earn the minimum wage live in homes with an average income of $33,606. Well above the $19,806 poverty line for a family of four.
- Excluding tip earners who make over the minimum wage, only 1.1% of working Americans earn the minimum wage.
- Of people older than 24 who earn the minimum wage, 60.5% have only a high school degree or less. 81% have less than a four-year college degree.
What does all this tell us? It tells me that the majority of people earning the minimum wage are younger people working their way through high school or college. It also tells me that the majority of adults who earn the minimum wage are probably working a part-time job by choice to earn a little extra income for the family.
It's clear that "the poor" aren't really the ones who are making the minimum wage, so raising it would do little to help them while simultaneously adding unnecessary financial burden on employers.
So why are we raising the minimum wage again? Oh yeah, labor union contracts and certain public grants are based on the minimum wage. So I guess when Democrats talk about giving the "working poor a raise" they're really talking about union folks and entitlement seekers.
I guess "the poor" just sounds better in press releases.