In 2019, about 1.2 million workers in the U.S. earned less than the federal minimum wage, which has been fixed at $7.25 an hour since 2007. The law exempts various kinds of workers: casual babysitters, workers with disabilities, fishermen, workers on small farms. There are specific provisions for tip- and commission-based jobs. Certain businesses with revenues below $500,000 a year are exempt, as are employees paid by salaries.
Together with 392,000 workers earning the minimum wage, those earning at the benchmark or below make up about 1.9% of all hourly workers. About 40% are under the age of 25. That figure of 1.6 million is down from 4.4 million during the worst of the recession in 2010. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have set higher minimum wages.