Low-Wage Jobs

Definition

Percentage of jobs in occupations with median annual pay below 100% poverty threshold for a family of four ($22,314), 2010.

Description

Wage rates are one of the most important aspects of job quality, and jobs with low wages also tend to lack other important benefits such as health insurance, paid sick leave and paid vacation. It is increasingly possible in the United States to work full-time and still earn an income that does not pay enough to lift a family out of poverty.

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Low-Wage Jobs

State	Percent of Low-Wage Jobs (%)	Rank
United States	21.5%
Alabama	33.1%	49
Alaska	6.8%	2
Arizona	24.3%	31
Arkansas	32.4%	48
California	17.2%	16
Colorado	14.6%	8
Connecticut	12.6%	6
Delaware	17.2%	17
District of Columbia	6.1%	1
Florida	27.2%	40
Georgia	26.7%	38
Hawaii	13.8%	7
Idaho	26.8%	39
Illinois	19.4%	20
Indiana	24.1%	30
Iowa	23.9%	29
Kansas	24.3%	32
Kentucky	24.8%	33
Louisiana	32.2%	47
Maine	20.9%	24
Maryland	15.8%	11
Massachusetts	10.0%	4
Michigan	20.7%	22
Minnesota	15.8%	10
Mississippi	36.0%	51
Missouri	25.9%	37
Montana	28.1%	41
Nebraska	25.1%	34
Nevada	18.7%	18
New Hampshire	16.7%	15
New Jersey	16.6%	14
New Mexico	31.0%	44
New York	15.7%	9
North Carolina	25.4%	35
North Dakota	22.8%	27
Ohio	23.8%	28
Oklahoma	32.1%	46
Oregon	15.9%	12
Pennsylvania	19.3%	19
Rhode Island	19.8%	21
South Carolina	28.6%	43
South Dakota	31.7%	45
Tennessee	25.9%	36
Texas	28.6%	42
Utah	21.3%	25
Vermont	11.4%	5
Virginia	21.3%	26
Washington	9.7%	3
West Virginia	33.3%	50
Wisconsin	20.7%	23
Wyoming	16.4%	13

Source

Occupational Employment Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010. Data calculated by The Working Poor Families Project for Economic Conditions in the States, Table 3.A.5a.