These Are The US States With The Most Low-Wage Workers
Low-wage work remains widespread across the United States. Even as the labor market continues to expand, wage gains have been uneven, leaving millions of workers earning less than $20 per hour, which is roughly $41,600 annually before taxes for full-time work.
This infographic, via Visual Capitalist's Niccolo Conte, ranks U.S. states by the share of low-wage workers earning less than $20 per hour, using data from the Economic Policy Institute as of July 2025.
Low-Wage Workforce by State
Nationally, three in 10 workers, or 45.2 million people, fall below the $20-per-hour mark. However, this distribution varies widely by state.
The table below shows the full ranking of states by the share and number of workers earning less than $20 per hour:
Texas tops the list in terms of the number of low-wage workers with nearly 5.1 million people below the $20-per-hour mark. California, the most populous state, follows with around 4 million workers, along with Florida (3.5 million) and New York (2.2 million).
Meanwhile, Mississippi leads in terms of the share of low-wage workers, with 52% of the state’s workers earning under $20 per hour. Other Southern states also rank high, including Louisiana (45%), Arkansas (43%), West Virginia (43%), and Kentucky (41%).
In contrast, the District of Columbia has the lowest share of low-wage workers at 11%, along with Washington (19%) and Massachusetts (18%). These states tend to have a larger share of workers employed in high-paying industries like professional services, health, and information (IT) as compared to states with more low-wage workers.
| State | Share of workers below $20/hr | Number of workers below $20/hr |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 38% | 5,089,000 |
| California | 24% | 4,002,000 |
| Florida | 38% | 3,481,000 |
| New York | 26% | 2,152,000 |
| North Carolina | 40% | 1,828,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 30% | 1,696,000 |
| Georgia | 37% | 1,662,000 |
| Illinois | 29% | 1,641,000 |
| Ohio | 32% | 1,627,000 |
| Michigan | 33% | 1,437,000 |
| Indiana | 36% | 1,108,000 |
| New Jersey | 26% | 1,052,000 |
| Virginia | 27% | 1,033,000 |
| Tennessee | 34% | 1,007,000 |
| Missouri | 37% | 1,005,000 |
| Arizona | 31% | 963,000 |
| South Carolina | 37% | 824,000 |
| Alabama | 39% | 821,000 |
| Wisconsin | 29% | 808,000 |
| Louisiana | 45% | 781,000 |
| Kentucky | 41% | 739,000 |
| Oklahoma | 42% | 735,000 |
| Minnesota | 25% | 659,000 |
| Washington | 19% | 639,000 |
| Maryland | 22% | 630,000 |
| Massachusetts | 18% | 605,000 |
| Mississippi | 52% | 581,000 |
| Colorado | 21% | 553,000 |
| Iowa | 37% | 547,000 |
| Arkansas | 43% | 541,000 |
| Nevada | 36% | 511,000 |
| Utah | 33% | 511,000 |
| Kansas | 35% | 474,000 |
| Oregon | 23% | 416,000 |
| Connecticut | 23% | 380,000 |
| New Mexico | 41% | 352,000 |
| Idaho | 36% | 311,000 |
| Nebraska | 32% | 298,000 |
| West Virginia | 43% | 293,000 |
| Hawaii | 32% | 181,000 |
| Maine | 29% | 171,000 |
| New Hampshire | 24% | 161,000 |
| Montana | 31% | 144,000 |
| South Dakota | 32% | 137,000 |
| Delaware | 30% | 135,000 |
| Rhode Island | 26% | 131,000 |
| North Dakota | 28% | 103,000 |
| Wyoming | 38% | 92,000 |
| Vermont | 23% | 67,000 |
| Alaska | 20% | 61,000 |
| District of Columbia | 11% | 41,000 |
Minimum Wage in the U.S.
The U.S. federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour since 2009. Adjusted for inflation, that wage now has significantly less purchasing power, making it even lower in real terms.
While more than half of U.S. states have enacted higher local minimum wages, the federal standard still applies in states without their own wage laws, many of which appear at the top of the low-wage workforce rankings.
The Raise the Wage Act, which proposes lifting the federal minimum wage to $17 over five years, has been introduced repeatedly since 2017 but has yet to pass.
If you enjoyed today’s post, see this graphic on Average Salary by State in the U.S. on Voronoi.