Minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers in United States
United States: Minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers was 17.15 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
17.15 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
23rd
of 23 countries
All-time high
42.4 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees
in 1978
All-time low
17.15 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees
in 2025
Years of data
53
1973–2025
Minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers in United States, 1973–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of average wage of full-time employees.
Analysis
United States recorded 17.15 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees for minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 31.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers in United States peaked at 42.4 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees in 1978 and was at its lowest, 17.15 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees, in 2025.
United States ranks 23rd of 23 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers in United States, year by year
| Year | Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 36.53 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | — |
| 1974 | 39.79 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +8.9% |
| 1975 | 40.94 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 42.36 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 39.32 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -7.2% |
| 1978 | 42.4 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +7.8% |
| 1979 | 42.34 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 41.72 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 41.61 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 38.82 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -6.7% |
| 1983 | 37.26 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -4.0% |
| 1984 | 35.64 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -4.4% |
| 1985 | 34.22 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -4.0% |
| 1986 | 32.97 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 31.75 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -3.7% |
| 1988 | 30.71 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -3.3% |
| 1989 | 28.53 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -7.1% |
| 1990 | 29.98 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +5.0% |
| 1991 | 32.32 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +7.8% |
| 1992 | 32.29 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 31.25 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 28.66 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -8.3% |
| 1995 | 28.72 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 28.76 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 30.73 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +6.9% |
| 1998 | 30.93 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 29.68 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -4.0% |
| 2000 | 28.53 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 27.06 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 26.28 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 25.71 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 24.96 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 24.49 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 23.68 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 23.45 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 25.37 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 26.95 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +6.2% |
| 2010 | 28.43 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 27.96 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 27.17 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 26.75 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 26.62 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 25.19 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 24.83 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 24.29 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 23.2 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 22.32 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 21.11 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -5.4% |
| 2021 | 20.48 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 19.06 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -6.9% |
| 2023 | 18.33 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 17.66 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -3.7% |
| 2025 | 17.15 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | -2.9% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 17.15 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees is below the median for high income countries, which is 42.96 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees, 40% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 40.52 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 36.53 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 42.4 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 7 |
| 1980s | 35.32 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 28.53 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 41.72 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.33 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 28.66 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 32.32 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.65 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 23.45 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 28.53 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.68 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 22.32 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 28.43 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.97 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 17.15 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 21.11 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.4 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.05 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 159,991 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 141,322 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers in United States?
- Minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers in United States was 17.15 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 42.4 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees in 1978.
- What is the lowest minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.15 Percentage of average wage of full-time employees in 2025.
- How does United States rank for minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers?
- United States ranks 23rd out of 23 countries with data for 2025.
- Is minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Minimum relative to average wages of full-time workers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
For cross-country comparisons, data on minimum wage levels are further supplemented with another measure of minimum wages relative to average wages, that is, the ratio of minimum wages to median earnings of full-time employees. Median rather than mean earnings provide a better basis for international comparisons as it accounts for differences in earnings dispersion across countries. However, while median of basic earnings of full-time workers - i.e. excluding overtime and bonus payments - are ideally, the preferred measure of average wages for international comparisons of minimum-to-median earnings, they are not available for a large number of countries. Minimum relative to mean earnings of full-time workers are also provided.