Millions of Texan workers don't make a "living wage"
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Nearly 40% of all Texas workers make less than $15 per hour, according to an Oxfam America analysis of census data.
Why it matters: A huge swath of the population is living on less than the "living wage."
- The living wage for an adult with no children is $15.24 in Texas, as calculated by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology tool.
- The minimum wage in Texas, in keeping with the federal version, is $7.25.
Between the lines: In business friendly Texas, measures to raise the state minimum wage went nowhere in the last legislative session.
Details: About 5.7 million Texas workers would benefit from the state increasing its minimum wage to $15 an hour, per Oxfam, a nonprofit whose mission is "to advocate for economic justice."
By the numbers: Workers of color are more likely to make less than $15 per hour compared to their white counterparts in Texas.
- 48% of Black workers and 54% of Latino workers make less than $15 per hour, compared to 26.5% of white workers.
- 60% of Texas women of color earn less than $15 per hour, compared to the national average of 50%.
- 49% of women workers make less than $15 per hour in Texas, compared to nearly 42% of men.
Flashback: In January, we drilled down how minimum wage issues are playing out in Austin.
- Spoiler alert: Even as the cost of living skyrockets, especially in Austin, the floor for wages remains stagnant — causing special pain for people living on the margins and working low-paying jobs.