Texas: The minimum-wage state

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Texas: The minimum-wage state

States with the highest percentage of workers earning at or below minimum wage:

Texas: 9.5 percent, 550,000 workers

Mississippi: 9.5 percent, 63,000

Alabama: 9.3 percent, 106,000

West Virginia: 9.3 percent, 40,000

Louisiana: 8.9 percent, 87,000

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Texas tied with Mississippi for states having the highest percentage of hourly paid workers earning the minimum wage or less in 2010.

Some 550,000 Texans, or 9.5 percent of hourly paid workers, made the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or less last year. That's up 76,000 workers, or 16 percent, from 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Monday.

Leslie Helmcamp, a policy analyst with the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities, which focuses on low- and moderate-income Texans, called the numbers “alarming.”

“The higher proportion of hourly paid workers who are earning at or below the minimum wage is reflective of our low high school and college completion rates,” Helmcamp said. “We can only attract higher-paying jobs if we are able to move more Texans into higher education and ultimately complete a college degree.”

The federal poverty level for a family of three was $18,310 last year, Helmcamp said, which means a single parent with two children and working for minimum wage would earn about $3,200 less than the poverty level.

“So you have a pretty big gap,” she said. “It's significant because it demonstrates that work alone is not a pathway out of poverty.”

In 2007, the center calculated a family of three would need $31,000 annually to “get by” in San Antonio. That's more than double the annual salary of someone paid minimum wage in 2010.

The median wage of all hourly paid Texans was $11.20 last year. Nationally, it was $12.50. In Texas, the median hourly wage for men was $12.13; for women, $10.24. Nationally, the median was $13.76 for men and $11.83 for women.

Texas tied with Mississippi for the highest percentage of hourly paid workers earning the minimum wage or less last year. However, the actual number of hourly paid workers in the Magnolia State earning at or below the minimum wage was only 63,000. (The previous year Texas was No. 1 on its own based on percentage.)

Cheryl Abbot, a regional economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, blamed the high percentage of minimum-wage earners in Texas on the state having a lot of low-paying industries.

It isn't a recent phenomenon, she added. Last year's 16 percent increase in Texans earning minimum wage or less was the smallest rise since a decline was reported in 2006.

The 474,000 hourly paid Texans earning minimum wage or less in 2009 was an 81 percent increase from 2008, Abbot said. She attributed the big jumps to increases in the federal minimum wage since 2007. It rose from $5.15 to $5.85 in 2007. That was followed by an increase to $6.55 in 2008 before it rose to its current level in July 2009.

Texans earning an hourly wage who made less than the minimum wage actually fell last year to 4.9 percent from 5.8 percent in 2009. Those earning exactly the minimum wage, though, jumped to 4.7 percent last year vs. 2.8 percent in 2009.

“It's possible the number of people being paid the minimum wage may be a reflection of the continuing impact of the recession last year (and) ... that employers were not increasing wages,” Abbot said.

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Texas wants to the Conservative model for the country... mmmmmk

Great Job Rick

There's a lot of counterintuitive numbers flying around in this issue. The Texas rate actually fell this year from 14.3% in 2009 while nationally, the percentage increased from 4.9% to 6%.

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/w...tml#slComments

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...112799634.html

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The Texas unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate for 45 consecutive months and unlike most states, Texas is currently adding jobs – up 172,800 jobs from October 2009 to October 2010.

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I guess people would rather make $7.25 than 0.

If we're gonna bust Perry's balls over something, and there are plenty of somethings to choose from, let's start here.

http://www.childrensrights.org/news-...elfare-system/

$7.25 x 2000 = $14,500/year, the Texas "living wage".

People here say minimum wage hires are useless, but 500K are useful to some mysterious TX employers somewhere.

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“The higher proportion of hourly paid workers who are earning at or below the minimum wage is reflective of our low high school and college completion rates,”

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just curious, anyone know how someone can be working below minimum wage and how they were found to be working below minimum wage?

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Originally Posted by Blake

just curious, anyone know how someone can be working below minimum wage and how they were found to be working below minimum wage?

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Waiters and waitresses fall outside of the minimum wage scope...at least at the 7.25 level. I think they have their own scale that's probably counted as below minimum.

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Originally Posted by TeyshaBlue

Waiters and waitresses fall outside of the minimum wage scope...at least at the 7.25 level. I think they have their own scale that's probably counted as below minimum.

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Well, Texans as a whole are fatter than most, so us having the highest percentage of sit down restaurants of any state wouldn't surprise me.

"our low high school and college completion rates,"

and TX is 47th, IIRC, in spending per K-12 student.

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Originally Posted by TeyshaBlue

Waiters and waitresses fall outside of the minimum wage scope...at least at the 7.25 level. I think they have their own scale that's probably counted as below minimum.

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I think there are also some exceptions for certain small businesses and teenagers.

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Originally Posted by boutons_deux

"our low high school and college completion rates,"

and TX is 47th, IIRC, in spending per K-12 student.

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Which means absolutely nothing.

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Originally Posted by boutons_deux

"our low high school and college completion rates,"

and TX is 47th, IIRC, in spending per K-12 student.

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meh.

our country spends the most per student in the world and we still suck.

But thanks for the non sequitur....again, boutonski.

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“The higher proportion of hourly paid workers who are earning at or below the minimum wage is reflective of our low high school and college completion rates,”

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Sounds good but ..

Texas HS completion rate =73% = 9.5% of workforce at minimum wage

Washington State HS completion rate = 71% = 1% of workforce min wage

must be something else...

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Originally Posted by lazerelmo

Sounds good but ..

Texas HS completion rate =73% = 9.5% of workforce at minimum wage

Washington State HS completion rate = 71% = 1% of workforce min wage

must be something else...

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Washington has a state minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum wage.

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Originally Posted by boutons_deux

$7.25 x 2000 = $14,500/year, the Texas "living wage".

People here say minimum wage hires are useless, but 500K are useful to some mysterious TX employers somewhere.

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The standard calculation is 2080 hours.

I don't see much a point to the article. Federal minimum wage or less? A high percentage, yes. If I were to draw a (yes, biased) conclusion, it would be that the influx of illegal aliens keep the wages low. Being a border state, places do not have to pay higher wages to entice employees.

The "or less" part is concerning if the state laws don't allow for lower wages than minimum for jobs that tip.

So may states will not fall under such a category. My state, Oregon, has a state minimum wage of $8.50 per hour.

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Originally Posted by TeyshaBlue

Waiters and waitresses fall outside of the minimum wage scope...at least at the 7.25 level. I think they have their own scale that's probably counted as below minimum.

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I don't know about Texas, but Oregon used to have a similar law. Employers still had to guarantee the state minimum wage is tops did not make up for it.

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Originally Posted by lazerelmo

Sounds good but ..

Texas HS completion rate =73% = 9.5% of workforce at minimum wage

Washington State HS completion rate = 71% = 1% of workforce min wage

must be something else...

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Yes, Washington state minimum wage is $8.67/hr.

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The federal poverty level for a family of three was $18,310 last year, Helmcamp said, which means a single parent with two children and working for minimum wage would earn about $3,200 less than the poverty level.

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Even if your earning the $18.3K...that's still shit to raise a family with two kids....and fucken tea baggers wonder why we have to have income tax wealth distribution...

Pay a real living wage....

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

Even if your earning the $18.3K...that's still shit to raise a family with two kids....and fucken tea baggers wonder why we have to have income tax wealth distribution...

Pay a real living wage....

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No, the tea baggers want to fix all this at the root cause level instead of using liberal bandages.

How about removing your bias for a few minutes and actually listen to the message.

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Originally Posted by Wild Cobra

No, the tea baggers want to fix all this at the root cause level instead of using liberal bandages.

How about removing your bias for a few minutes and actually listen to the message.

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What bias? Show me where conservative fiscal policies have ever been successful...

.....who is biased again?

You and your globalist elk want to compete against countries that pay their workers less than a dollar an hour .... no worker rights..... no worker safety....no worker protection....no benefits...... on a neven playing ground.......your an idiot....you've sold this country out..

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

You and your gobalist elk want to compete against countries that pay their workers less than a dollar an hour and no worker rights..... no worker safety....no worker protection.... on a even playing ground.......your an idiot....

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Me?

See, there you go jumping to conclusions again, not knowing what the fuck you are talking about. Do you realize how fucking lame you are when you do that?

I've read enough of your crap on here....

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

I've read enough of your crap on here....

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Yet you still don't realize that to solve our problems, we need to get our citizens working that are capable to work, instead of being sponges off of other peoples money.

Supply and demand. Part of the solution is to make it next to impossible for illegal aliens to work. Reduce the labor force of cheap labor, and employers will be forced to pay more to get workers.

Taxes. Make cities and states more favorable for the growth of business, so the can grow and expand and hire more employees.

You seem to think the government is the solution. It's not. It is the problem you stupid piece of shit.

If republicans could get away with it, they'd be all over lowering the minimum wage.

By the way, wasn't there a gov who said average waitresses make like $100,000 per year and then a waitress dumped a bunch of coins on him. I can't remember who it was, but that was pretty funny.

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Originally Posted by Wild Cobra

Yet you still don't realize that to solve our problems, we need to get our citizens working that are capable to work, instead of being sponges off of other peoples money.

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(i.e., you're for lowering the minimum wage)

:lol

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Originally Posted by DMX7

(i.e., you're for lowering the minimum wage)

:lol

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Link please.

lol trickle down

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Originally Posted by DMX7

If republicans could get away with it, they'd be all over lowering the minimum wage.

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That's a different argument than implementing policies that reduce the number of minimum wage jobs now, isn't it?

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Originally Posted by DMX7

By the way, wasn't there a gov who said average waitresses make like $100,000 per year and then a waitress dumped a bunch of coins on him. I can't remember who it was, but that was pretty funny.

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I don't know. Did someone? Everyone has an opinion just like everyone has an asshole. Doesn't mean the statement is factual. Maybe from the places he eats at, that's his perspective. Doesn't make it right for all. I often go places and if everyone tipped like I did, the waitress probably makes $30/hr or more in tips alone, when busy. Seems to me an average waitress makes about $30k to $50k depending on a few variables, and that's at maybe 30 hrs/week. I would say the biggest variable is the class of restaurant they work in. Considering that most don't claim income for most or all of their tips, their effective rate is higher.

I hate averaging things. It dehumanized the actual people. Facts make statistics, but statistics don't make facts.

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Originally Posted by DMX7

If republicans could get away with it, they'd be all over lowering the minimum wage.

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Absent more direct help for the unemployed, temporary wage flexibility might not be a bad way to get more people working. Unions went for it in the 1920-1921 depression.

Why are minimum wage proponents so cheap?

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Originally Posted by Wild Cobra

That's a different argument than implementing policies that reduce the number of minimum wage jobs now, isn't it?

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Yeah, I never said they should do that. In fact, I don't think they should.

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Yet you still don't realize that to solve our problems, we need to get our citizens working that are capable to work, instead of being sponges off of other peoples money.

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Blame the welfare moms...same ole game...

...who benefited when welfare moms, many times the only person who raised 1,2,3,4,5 kids, had to work 40-50 hours per week for their benefits under Clinton....not the Mom....she didn't make a living wage...not the schools...they had to raise the kids....not the state...they had to raise the kids in jail when they became maladjusted adults because they had no responsible adult supervision...

the only ones who benefited where the business fat-cats who got cheap labor and a nice subsidy from the govt....

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

Blame the welfare moms...same ole game...

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There you go again, jumping to conclusions like a total idiot.

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

...who benefited when welfare moms, many times the only person who raised 1,2,3,4,5 kids, had to work 40-50 hours per week for their benefits under Clinton....not the Mom....she didn't make a living wage...not the schools...they had to raise the kids....not the state...they had to raise the kids in jail when they became maladjusted adults because they had no responsible adult supervision...

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Are you having a mental breakdown?

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

the only ones who benefited where the business fat-cats who got cheap labor and a nice subsidy from the govt....

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No, politicians are benefiting by getting elected. Promising more freebies from the taxpayers as redistribution of wealth to others. We need to fix the problems that cause the need for these social subsidies, but no.... Shitheads like you want endless social programs rather than making people responsible for their own actions.

....here's the 2010 budget...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...y_category.jpg

What specific cuts do you want to make?

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

What specific cuts do you want to make?

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Everything that the federal government shouldn't be doing. Taxes should not be used for projects outside of what is laid out in the constitution.

Besides Propaganda Dan, this is a discussion of minimum wage jobs. Not the federal deficit or debt.

When will you stop being a moore-on?

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Originally Posted by Wild Cobra

Everything that the federal government shouldn't be doing. Taxes should not be used for projects outside of what is laid out in the constitution.

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You seriously want the Constitution to address every specific expenditure?

:lol

Are you nuts?


If your making $10/hour and working 40 hours/week your take home pay is around $1400 a month......rent is $500-$750 unless your really slumming it...that leaves around $800 for car payment, insurance, health insurance, gas, electric bill, phone bill, water bill....leaving most workers with change in their pockets...why work?

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

You seriously want the Constitution to address every specific expenditure?

:lol

Are you nuts?


If your making $10/hour and working 40 hours/week your take home pay is around $1400 a month......rent is $500-$750 unless your really slumming it...that leaves around $800 for car payment, insurance, health insurance, gas, electric bill, phone bill, water bill....leaving most workers with change in their pockets...why work?

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Take you crying to another thread Dan.

Seriously, if your not making a living wage working 40 per week and barely making things meet working 60 hours per week...where's the incentive for the average American worker to work even harder? How is that worker going to pay exorbitant costs of higher education to get him out of poverty? What happens if he gets really sick? has kids? gets a parent with Alzheimer? Hospice?

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

Seriously, if your not making a living wage working 40 per week and barely making things meet working 60 hours per week...where's the incentive for the average American worker to work even harder? How is that worker going to pay exorbitant costs of higher education to get him out of poverty? What happens if he gets really sick? has kids? gets a parent with Alzheimer? Hospice?

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Idiot.

You fix it at the root level. Not band-aid it with subsidizing people using "other people's money."

...if its not your money, it's always someone else money....

....the root level...what a joke...

We don't have an expenditure problem, what we have is a tax collection problem, namely, the Corporations which thanks to the pro-business Robertson court, today enjoy more political pull than the Average American citizen...pay no federal taxes..

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

...if its not your money, it's always someone else money....

....the root level...what a joke...

We don't have an expenditure problem, what we have is a tax collection problem, namely, the Corporations which thanks to the pro-business Robertson court, today enjoy more political pull than the Average American citizen...pay no federal taxes..

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Bye Dan. Not interested in discussing you attitude that the government deserves our hard earned money to spend as they please.

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Originally Posted by Nbadan

Even if your earning the $18.3K...that's still shit to raise a family with two kids....and fucken tea baggers wonder why we have to have income tax wealth distribution...

Pay a real living wage....

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First off, this is predicated upon the assumption that there is only 1 worker in a family. While that's true for a portion of the population, it certainly isn't true for the majority I suspect. Secondly, a single Mom or Dad making 18k with 2 kids is still eligible for WIC and other services.

Now, with that out of the way, I would hazard a guess that a $10/hr minimum wage would serve us better in the long run and maybe even save the govt. some cash. $10/hr aint exactly rolling in dough, but it's doable with the added bonus that we might recover some of the money spent thru WIC and other programs if the wage proves to truly be a living wage. I haven't put any figures to this yet...just a gut feeling.