Pyke writes: "There were 260,000 Americans with bachelor's degrees earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or less in 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' newest annual snapshot of minimum wage workers."
Many college graduates already saddled with debt are working for the minimum wage. (photo: Wall Street Journal)
01 April 14
lmost half a million college graduates are working minimum-wage jobs, according to new government statistics.
There were 260,000 Americans with bachelor’s degrees earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or less in 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ newest annual snapshot of minimum wage workers. Another 200,000 associate’s degree holders also worked for that wage.
These figures are sure to understate the total number of people with higher education degrees who are working minimum wage jobs because data does not factor in state minimum wage laws that are higher than the federal floor. That means that likely thousands of workers in the 21 states with higher minimum pay rates are likely also degree-holders.
READ MORE: Half a Million People With College Degrees Are Working for Minimum Wage
