Although the minimum wage is not nearly as low as it used to be, America still has a long way to go toward fairly paying its lowest-income workers.
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The federal minimum wage is currently at $7.25 — money that has stayed the same since 2009. In the late 1960s, minimum wage was worth over $14 in today’s dollars. It has backslid ever since.
Bills to raise the wage have been introduced in Congress over the past few years, but none has progressed into law. The Raise the Wage Act of 2023 would have bumped the minimum to $11.50 in 2025.
In the meantime, many states and localities are taking it upon themselves to increase their minimum wages — a few are up over $16.
Take a look at how minimum wage has morphed through the years. Also see the minimum wage in every state.
1938
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U.S. minimum wage: 25 cents
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In 2025 dollars: $5.60
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1939
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U.S. minimum wage: 30 cents
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In 2025 dollars: $6.81
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1940
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U.S. minimum wage: 30 cents
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In 2025 dollars: $6.76
1941
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U.S. minimum wage: 30 cents
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In 2025 dollars: $6.44
1942
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U.S. minimum wage: 30 cents
-
In 2025 dollars: $5.81
1943
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U.S. minimum wage: 30 cents
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In 2025 dollars: $5.47
1944
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U.S. minimum wage: 30 cents
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In 2025 dollars: $5.38
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
-
U.S. minimum wage: $7.25
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In 2025 dollars: $9.67
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2015
2016
2017
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U.S. minimum wage: $7.25
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In 2025 dollars: $9.33
2018
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U.S. minimum wage: $7.25
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In 2025 dollars: $9.11
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2019
2020
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U.S. minimum wage: $7.25
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In 2025 dollars: $8.84
2021
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U.S. minimum wage: $7.25
-
In 2025 dollars: $8.44
2022
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U.S. minimum wage: $7.25
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In 2025 dollars: $7.82
2023
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U.S. minimum wage: $7.25
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In 2025 dollars: $7.51
2024
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U.S. minimum wage: $7.25
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In 2025 dollars: $7.30
Gabrielle Olya and Amen Oyiboke-Osifo contributed to the reporting for this article.
In order to find the minimum wage the year you were born, GOBankingRates looked at the United States Department of Labor’s federal minimum wage data to find the minimum wage for every year from 1938 to 2024. Then, GOBankingRates used the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI inflation calculator to find the federal minimum wage in 2024 dollars for all years. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Nov. 12, 2024.