Minimum Wage & Federal Poverty

A living wage is the income required – working full-time and year-round without public assistance – to meet basic needs and have some ability to deal with emergencies and plan ahead. “It is not a poverty wage.” (Low Wage Nation, 2015)

Washington State’s 2014 minimum wage – $9.32 per hour – was the highest in the nation. But this was not a living wage, and was below the Federal Poverty Threshold ($24,008 for a family of 4 with 2 children).

• In 2014, workers who earned 2 times the Federal Poverty Threshold ($48,016) and those who worked full-time at minimum-wage jobs were still unable to afford basic necessities.

• A family of 4 with 2 adults working for minimum wage would fall more than $50,000 short of a living income. More than half of the second income (before taxes) would go to child-care expenses.