State-by-state minimum to median wage ratios

The data

Under “Downloads”, to your right, you will find the data used to create the interactive “Where does your state’s minimum wage rank against the median wage?”. Please cite the Washington Center for Equitable Growth if you use the data.

Methodology

The state-level minimum-to-median wage ratio is the ratio of the average of the state minimum wage to the state’s median wage in that year. The median wage is the median hourly wage in the Outgoing Rotation Group of the Current Population Survey of earners who work at least 35 hours per week and who are not self-employed. The national minimum-to-median wage ratio is the population-weighted mean of state minimum wages divided by the median national wage.