Poverty: Increasing Minimum Wage

More than 43 million Americans currently live in poverty although they hold full time minimum wage jobs (“Should We Raise”). For many, the minimum wage job is no longer held by the high school teenager and has become the main source of income. Those living off of the current minimum wage are not able to meet their basic needs such as clothing, food, and shelter. Since its installation in 1968, the minimum wage has increased in proportion to the rate of inflation, but has failed to do so in recent years. Also, studies show that raising the minimum wage has had a positive effect on the economy’s growth and productivity. Therefore, increasing the minimum wage will lift tens of millions out of poverty, keep up with the rate of inflation, and improve economic growth and productivity.

Jason Furman and Parrot Sharon explain why raising minimum wage will help families. The wage has to be elevated to just the point where a family can actually afford all the necessities they need in order to survive. The cost of living in houses for poor people makes it difficult for them to afford it and is difficult to stay on task with all the bills. Many minimum wage workers have families to support. The cost of raising children is very expensive. It is an average of $7,100 per year. Minimum wage workers can barely afford to pay child care for one child, let alone two. Increasing minimum wage will also make life easier to those who have food stamps and child care needs. Which can also help them get into college a lot faster so they can go out and pursue a better paying job.

The topic of raising minimum wage seems to attract a multitude of controversy. On one side, experts agree that raising a family on one minimum wage salary is almost impossible for someone who puts in fairly large work hours. Nonetheless, business owners agree that increasing these salaries will result in significantly less jobs, as well as force them to increase the prices on their consumer products. Federally, minimum wage workers earn $7.25 an hour, totaling up to $15,080 annually, with approximately six hours of working time per day. However, the price varies with state, with places like Massachusetts and Washington paying $11 to workers hourly.

In the United States, the cost of living for a single adult with no children is an average of $28,474 every year (Career Trends, screen 1). This seems like a relatively low number, until the amount of people living together increases. A family of six, two adults and four children, rises to an annual cost of $82,900 (Career Trends, screen1). If an adult were to work full-time at minimum wage, they would only be getting $15,080 per year from their employer (University of California, screen 1). This amount of money is still about $14,000 short of how much it costs a single adult to live. In recent discussions of minimum wage, many people argue about whether it should be raised or not. Although the intentions to raise it are good, the outcome

An increase of a couple of dollars per hour or more in the minimum wage could make huge improvements in the difficult existence of the working poor, perhaps allowing them to exit the debt treadmill and stand a better chance of eventually rising into a revitalized middle-class. Researchers at the White House Council of Economic Advisors found that an increase to $10.10 an hour would raise wages for 28 million Americans about nine million of those due to the ripple effect. “According to a 2015 report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a worker must earn at least $15.50 an hour to be able to afford to rent a modest one-bedroom apartment, and $19.35 for a two-bedroom unit.”

minimum wages are struggling to live on a salary that is below the poverty threshold. In 2012, the U.S census posted that in a family of three; their income is 18,552, (U.S Census). In most case, one member of the family is working on a minimum wage salary which is below 18,552, (U.S. Dept. of Labor). It has been almost a five years since congress has raised the minimum wage (Huff Post). Throughout my argument, I will share my thoughts as wells as facts on why congress should agree to raise the minimum wage. We

The average American in the today 's society cannot live off of $7.25 an hour. In cities, such as New York, the cost of living is far too high for a minimum wage pay rate. Jobs that pay minimum wage are paid bi-weekly, those people that are paid bi-weekly have a tough first week, and it can also make the following week after that hard as well. The average American household spends about $151 every week on groceries, that amount will consist of about half of a person 's check if they are paid minimum wage seeing as how during a full 40 hour work week they make $290 dollars not to mention the breaks that they are required to clock out for so the average person doesn’t even see a whole 40 hours in a week full-time or

Have you ever wonder about people who works hard at their jobs and don’t get enough money? My friend's mother is a single parent with two child one is in college and another one is in high school. She works at the Macon County Elementary School as a special need teacher. You can say that most teachers don’t make a whole a lot in the middle Georgia area. She doesn't have enough to pay for daughter college funds or give her son his needs for school. She also struggles to pay for rent, car insurance, and other bills. Most of her family isn't from here so she really don’t have many relatives to support her. Increasing the minimum wage can help families who are struggling with living issues, decrease the unemployment rate, and help businesses with the cost of living.

In todays back and forth economy it has become increasingly more difficult for a person to support a family, much less themselves, solely on the income from a minimum wage job. With federal minimum wage sitting just over seven dollars an hour, those tasked with budgeting these kind of meager earnings have begun to question why they dont deserve more pay. Some states have their own laws with discretion over minimum wage pay, and 29 states and DC all currently have minimum wage standards higher than the federal standard, but not necessarily by much. Those working labor jobs, where minimum wage is the compensation they receive for their time and energy, are struggling to afford such basic necessities as housing and food, even when they work

Over 45 million people liver in poverty in america, while the unemployment figures are are around 8 million. Should someone work full-time and still be within poverty? A minimum wage should be a decent livable wage and more than a bare subsistence. Increasing the minimal wage will fuel the economy, boost worker morale , and Increase the standard of living. The minimum wage must be increased to a livable wage.

Should the federal government raise the minimum wage to reduce poverty, ensure proper pay, and protect younger generations and minorities? That is a common question discussed in recent years. In 1938 during the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a law creating a federal minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is important to Americans and the government because it keeps workers out of poverty and helps increase consumer purchasing power which in turn stimulates the economy. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, although certain states have higher minimum wages. (Raise the Minimum Wage)

Extra money in people's pockets will help improve the economy. "Because no one who works time in America should have to live in poverty." (Former President Barack Obama) Raising minimum wage will help over sixty percent of people fighting poverty every day. FAFSA was created to lift people out of poverty and to help boost the economy. A study shows that over one billion dollars a year goes to McDonalds workers per year. fifty two percent of people working at a fast food place need government assisted programs. Minimum wage is also known as the "living wage". How is seven twenty five an hour a living wage when so much government assistance is

It is estimated that as many as 2.5 million Americans or 3.3% of the workforce in the United States currently work a minimum wage job. With this many Americans trying to support a family, it is important that the government steps in to make sure that these people are being taken care of even when their employer may want to underpay them. In the 21st century of the United States, the cost of living is currently higher than it has ever been in the past. Poverty in the United States can be tied directly to the minimum wage level. The government cannot expect people that work these jobs to be upstanding members of society if they cannot support their own families.

Minimum wage is the lowest wage an employer can pay their employees. There is a Federal minimum wage and in some cases a State Minimum wage. The current Federal minimum wage is $7.25. An employee who makes $7.25 an hour and works 40 hours a week, will earn about $14,000 per year. The Federal government deemed that the poverty line is anyone who makes less than $17,000 a year (“Federal Minimum”). Therefore anyone that makes minimum wage lives below the poverty line. As president Obama said in his state of address, "In the wealthiest nation on earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty” (“Federal Minimum”). This essay will examine the problem of low minimum wage and explore ways to resolve this issue.

$15,080. This is how much a person who works at a minimum wage job for 40 hours a week every week at a $7.25 wage earns. The poverty line for a family of four is $24,600, according to Families USA. Many people think, “no one who supports a family of four will be at a minimum wage job”, but the reality is that the average minimum wage earner is 35 years old, and more 25% of them are parents. In addition, they earn half of their family’s income on average. So, even if there were two people in a household earning the minimum wage at a full- time job, their annual income would only be $30,160, just $5,560 over the federal minimum wage for a family of four and $1,380 above the minimum wage for a family of five. This is unacceptable for the United States, a country that prides itself on its prosperity and opportunities. Minimum wage earners are held back from dreaming and searching for new opportunities because every last cent and effort is put towards putting a roof over their heads and food on the table. It is morally irresponsible for the United States to not raise the minimum wage.