Minimum Wage in the

United States

Erin Ballard
My Research Question

Should the 1) How would it affect employment?

2) Who would benefit from the
federal minimum boost?

wage be raised? 3) Is it an effective way to decrease

poverty?
4) Would raising the wage raise
prices for goods and services?
Why? -
-
Read a book
Interest
- See both sides
- Empathy for those in poverty

- May know someone

- Will probably affect you in some way
- Empathy for those in poverty
Minimum Wage Quiz
Question #1

What is the current a) $7.25

b) $8.50
federal minimum c) $10.10
wage? d) $15.00
Question #1

What is the current a) $7.25

b) $8.50
federal minimum c) $10.10
wage? d) $15.00
Question #2

a) $7.25
What is the b) $8.00
minimum wage in c) $8.50
Utah? d) $9.00
Question #2

a) $7.25
What is the b) $8.00
minimum wage in c) $8.50
Utah? d) $9.00
Question #3

What year was the a) 1920

b) 1932
original minimum
c) 1938
wage created? d) 1954
Question #3

What year was the a) 1920

b) 1932
original minimum
c) 1938
wage created? d) 1954
Question #4

How much was the a) $0.10

b) $0.25
original minimum
c) $1.00
wage? d) $2.30
Question #4

How much was the a) $0.10

b) $0.25
original minimum
c) $1.00
wage? d) $2.30
Question #5

When was the last a) 2005

time the federal b) 2009
minimum wage was c) 2015
d) 2019
increased?
Question #5

When was the last a) 2005

time the federal b) 2009
minimum wage was c) 2015
d) 2019
increased?
Question #6
In general, are
Democrats or a) Democrats
Republicans more b) Republicans
in favor of a higher
minimum wage?
Question #6
In general, are
Democrats or a) Democrats
Republicans more b) Republicans
in favor of a higher
minimum wage?
Question #7

Where would you a) California

find the highest b) New York
c) Florida
minimum wage in
d) Washington D.C.
the country?
Question #7

Where would you a) California

find the highest b) New York
c) Florida
minimum wage in
d) Washington D.C.
the country?
 Primary
- Hours of research
Research
Secondary
- Economists
1) How would it affect employment? - Researchers
2) Who would benefit from the boost?
3) Is it an effective way to decrease poverty?
4) Would raising the wage raise prices for goods and services?

Not as straightforward as I thought!

How would raising the minimum wage affect employment?
Employment would increase:
Enhancing the minimum wage would create
approximately 100,000 new jobs. The reason for
this boost in employment comes from increased
consumer spending. A raise in wages for
low-wage workers would shift money from
employers to workers who are much more likely
to spend money immediately. This is because
they will be able to buy things that they previously
could not afford. More spending means more
demand for products and services, therefore
creating jobs that were previously unneeded.
Employment would decrease:
Paul Krugman, an economist, professor, and
columnist for The New York Times explains, “So
what are the effects of increasing minimum
wages? Any Econ 101 student can tell you the
answer: The higher wage reduces the quantity of
labor demanded, and hence leads to
unemployment.” Raising the minimum wage would
throw off the equilibrium wage and create a
surplus of workers. In a survey done by the
Employment Policies Institute, they found that 76%
of economists said that raising the minimum wage
would negatively affect the number of jobs
available.
Project: Website

Target Audience: Adults in the

United States
- Want to learn more about the
minimum wage and the potential
effects of raising it
- Want to do something about it
Webpage:
https://spark.adobe.com/page/dhcfL2TlIUG01/
 Solutions

1. Change the minimum wage law.

2. Earned Income Tax Credit

3. Raise the minimum wage

incrementally each year.
Conclusion

Should the minimum wage be raised?

 Sources
Report • By David Cooper and Douglas Hall • August 14. “How Raising the Federal Minimum Wage Would Help Working Families and Give
the Economy a Boost.” Economic Policy Institute, 14 Aug. 2012, www.epi.org/publication/ib341-raising-federal-minimum-wage/.

Phelan, J. (2019, March 25). Economist: 5 Reasons Raising the Minimum Wage Is Bad Public Policy: John Phelan. Retrieved December 03,
2020, from https://fee.org/articles/5-reasons-raising-the-minimum-wage-is-bad-public-policy/

Wolla, Scott A. “Would Increasing the Minimum Wage Reduce Poverty?” Economic Research - Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Mar.
2014, research.stlouisfed.org/publications/page1-econ/2014/03/01/would-increasing-the-minimum-wage-reduce-poverty/.

How does the earned income tax credit affect poor families? (n.d.). Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-does-earned-income-tax-credit-affect-poor-families

D'Arcy, Patrick, and Jeremy Brewer. How to Turn a Cause into a Law. 20 Nov. 2017, ideas.ted.com/how-to-turn-a-cause-into-a-law/

Hayes, Adam. Does Raising the Minimum Wage Increase Inflation? 8 Oct. 2020,
www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/052815/does-raising-minimum-wage-increase-inflation.asp.

Konczal, Mike. “Economists Agree: Raising the Minimum Wage Reduces Poverty.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 26 Apr. 2019,
www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/01/04/economists-agree-raising-the-minimum-wage-reduces-poverty/?outputType=amp.
 Photos
Graphic of Coins. Altres, 15 Apr 2019, www.altres.com/business/2019/04/hawaii-minimum-wage/

Neyro2008. Exchange of money. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 23 Jun 2015,
www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2015/june/does-a-falling-unemployment-rate-imply-rising-wages

Child in Poverty. Vox, 27 Apr 2017,

www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/4/27/15388696/child-benefit-universal-cash-tax-credit-allowance

Minimum wage in the US. Business Insider, 9 Jan 2020,

www.businessinsider.com/minimum-wage-state-map-increases-2020-1