Is Minimum Wage Enough to Live ON?

By Jerry Piscitelli, 2025

Published 5/20/2024

The following was submitted as part of a Civics engagement project.

Have you ever worked a minimum wage job? Have you ever tried to live solely off the money given to you from that minimum wage job? Millions of Americans are living on minimum wage incomes, and they are struggling to survive due to the low hourly pay. The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 per hour since 2009, but $7.25 per hour is worth considerably less now compared to fifteen years ago. Inflation and the cost of living have skyrocketed, especially in the last few years due to COVID-19. Despite inflation, the federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25, which fails to account for those working for less than minimum wage because of gratuity. 

According to Andrew Bloomenthal, a widely respected financial jounralist, “Full-time employees earning the federal minimum annually pocket just $15,080 in 2023 if they work 40 hours each of the 52 weeks in a year. This places them well below the $19,720 poverty line in 2023 for families of two. A full-time minimum wage earner with a family of four falls $14,920 below the 2023 poverty line of $30,000.” Evidently, Americans working for a minimum wage salary cannot support themselves or their families. Many are not able to afford college, cellular devices, cars and gas, or regular meals, all things that the average American takes for granted. This calls for serious attention to the matter. Most full-time minimum wage workers work long, strenuous hours, often doing manual labor with little to no work benefits. Families struggle to meet the needs of their children, especially affording formula, diapers, and daycare for infants (Bloomenthal). Many adults working minimum wage, especially those supporting a family, are forced to work two or more jobs due to the lack of hours available and the low wages. With these long hours, as well as a lack of healthcare and job benefits, working for this low of a price is not justified. Families are struggling to make ends meet because the minimum wage is nowhere close to a living wage. 

With the unnerving number of Americans working minimum wage jobs, an increase in federal minimum wage and a ban on tip-supplemented wages would immensely benefit millions of Americans. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “78.7 million workers were paid [minimum wage] in 2022 (the most recent information), representing 55.6% of all wage and salary workers in the U.S. Among those paid by the hour, 141,000 workers earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.” Out of that 55.6 percent, there are 38.6 million adults 18 or older, 11.2 million parents, and 5.4 million single parents. With these disquieting statistics, one would think the government would be more than willing to adjust. Drexel University claims that if minimum wage had stayed in line with inflation since 2009, it would be $26 across the U.S. On top of raising the wage, there should be an annual discussion within Congress focused on minimum wage for the year. Combining these strategies, the minimum wage will be able to better support struggling Americans.

In order to meet the needs of the American worker, Congress needs to take action and increase the minimum wage. Too many families in the United States are struggling to afford basic necessities in life. Minimum wage also needs to be slightly increased every year or two to keep up with inflation. If these two things are accomplished, there will be less poverty, fewer Americans stressing about working multiple low-paying jobs, and more self-supporting families.