U.S. wage and salary workers median hourly earnings 1979-2022

In 2022, the median hourly earnings of wage and salary workers in the United States was 18.12 U.S. dollars. This is an increase from 1979, when median hourly earnings were at 4.44 U.S. dollars. Hourly WorkersThe United States national minimum wage is 7.25 U.S. dollars per hour, which has been the minimum wage since 2009. However, each state has the agency to set their state minimum wage. Furthermore, some cities are able to create their minimum wage. Many argue that the minimum wage is too low and should be raised, because it is not considered a living wage. There has been a movement to raise the minimum wage to 15 U.S. dollars per hour, called “Fight for 15” which began in the early 2010's. While there has been no movement at the federal level, some states have moved to increase their minimum wages, with at least three states and the District of Columbia setting minimum wage rates at or above 15 dollars per hour. More recently, some proponents of increasing the minimum wage say that 15 dollars is too low, and lawmakers should strive toward a higher goal, especially given that a 2021 analysis found that the minimum wage in the U.S. should be 22.88 U.S. dollars if it grew at the same rate as economic productivity. Salary WorkersOn the other hand, salary workers in the United States do not get paid on an hourly basis. The median weekly earnings of salary workers have significantly increased since 1979. Asian salary workers had the highest hourly earnings in the U.S. in 2021. Among female salary workers, those ages 45 to 54 years old had the highest median hourly earnings in 2021, likewise for male salary workers.

于2022年，美国工资和薪金工人的平均时薪为18.12美元。这一数字较1979年时的平均时薪4.44美元有所上升。美国的全国最低工资标准为每小时7.25美元，自2009年以来一直保持这一水平。然而，各州有权自行设定本州的最低工资标准。此外，一些城市有能力设定自己的最低工资。许多人认为最低工资过低，应予以提高，因为它尚未被视为足以维持生计的工资。自2010年代初开始，一股提升最低工资至每小时15美元的潮流“为15美元而战”应运而生。尽管联邦层面尚未出现此类动向，但一些州已开始提高最低工资，至少有三位州和哥伦比亚特区将最低工资标准设定在或超过每小时15美元。近期，一些支持提高最低工资的人士表示，15美元仍显不足，立法者应致力于更高的目标，尤其是考虑到2021年的一项分析发现，如果最低工资的增长率与经济生产率保持一致，美国最低工资应为22.88美元。至于薪金工作者，美国的薪金工作者并非按小时计薪。自1979年以来，薪金工作者的平均周薪显著增长。在2021年，亚裔薪金工作者的时薪在美国最高。在女性薪金工作者中，45至54岁的女性在2021年的平均时薪最高，男性薪金工作者的情况亦然。