Nearly a third of Pennsylvania workers make less than $15 per hour - Axios

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Reproduced from Oxfam America via U.S. Census; Map: Axios Visuals

As employers raise wages to attract workers during one of the largest labor shortages across the country, nearly a third of Pennsylvanians still make less than $15 per hour, according to an Oxfam America analysis of census data.

Why it matters: Pennsylvania's minimum wage is at the federal minimum of $7.25, but a "living wage" in the state for an adult with no children is estimated to be more than double that.

More than 1.9 million workers would benefit from the state increasing its minimum wage to $15 an hour, according to Oxfam.

By the numbers: The data shows 31.2% of workers in Pennsylvania earn under $15 an hour. But there are also gender and racial disparities at the state level.

Nearly 40% of women workers make less than $15 per hour in Pennsylvania, compared to 23% of men.
For people of color, those figures jump to roughly 54% for women and 38% for men.

Zoom in: Philadelphia employees, contractors and subcontractors are on track to earn $15 an hour, starting July 1. And many companies in the city, such as the restaurant group behind HipCityVeg, have raised their minimum wages to $15 an hour.

What they're saying: Mike Shields, a research director at the Economic League of Greater Philadelphia, tells Axios that the pandemic, inflation and workers having more options has helped encourage higher wages.

"The pandemic showed this system couldn't continue and we've been suffering from wage stagnation for more than a decade," he says.
"If you pay based on what the living wage is, you're more competitive in attracting employment and retaining those employees in the long term," he adds.

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