Advertisement

State releases minimum wage data

Study reveals nearly 100,000 Minnesotans depend on minimum wage jobs.

November 21, 2011 at 7:09PM

A study released Monday by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry suggests that 95,000 Minnesotans made $7.25 an hour or less in fiscal 2010.

While the U.S. minimum wage rate is $7.25, Minnesota's minimum wage is only $6.15 an hour, meaning that some workers here make far below what is considered a livable wage. Some workers are covered by both state and federal minimum wage laws and as a result, would make the higher of the two wages.

Still, they are not getting rich.

In fact, the report found that:

  • after adjusting for inflation, hourly earnings averaged the same in 2010 as they did in 1970.
    • The younger the worker, the less the pay.
      • Some 28 percent of 15 to 19 year olds made minimum wage or less.
        • Only 3.4 percent of 25 to 54 year olds made minimum wage. It was 3.3 percent for those over age 55.
          • High school dropouts made up 32 percent of all hourly workers at or below minimum wage.
            • 29 percent of Minnesotans working at or below $7.25 an hour also received overtime, tips or commission pay.
              • 52 percent of restaurant workers making minimum wage also made overtime, tips or commission pay.
                • 8.2 percent of all workers in non-metro areas toiled for minimum wage or less. In cities, the figure was 5.9 percent.
                  Advertisement
                  about the writer

                  about the writer

                  Dee DePass

                  Reporter

                  Dee DePass is an award-winning business reporter covering Minnesota small businesses for the Minnesota Star Tribune. She previously covered commercial real estate, manufacturing, the economy, workplace issues and banking.

                  See Moreicon

                  More from Minnesota Star Tribune

                  See More
                  In this photo taken Monday, March 6, 2017, in San Francisco, released confidential files by The University of California of a sexual misconduct case, like this one against UC Santa Cruz Latin Studies professor Hector Perla is shown. Perla was accused of raping a student during a wine-tasting outing in June 2015. Some of the files are so heavily redacted that on many pages no words are visible. Perla is one of 113 UC employees found to have violated the system's sexual misconduct policies in rece

                  We respect the desire of some tipsters to remain anonymous, and have put in place ways to contact reporters and editors to ensure the communication will be private and secure.

                  Advertisement
                  Advertisement

                  To leave a comment, .

                  Advertisement