The Minimum Wage the Year You Were Born, From 1940 to 2010

If you were born before 2008, the federal minimum wage has gone up since your name was printed on your birth certificate. 

Several states set their own minimum wage standards, but others follow the Fair Labor Standards Act; a law passed in 1938 that, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, "establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, record keeping, and youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and in Federal, State, and local governments."

For example, Tennessee has no minimum wage, so the federal minimum of $7.25 applies. In New York, the minimum wage is $17 in New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County, and Westchester County, and $16 throughout the rest of the state.

States with their own minimum wage laws typically have unique regulations on hours worked, tips, pay records, and more. For example, Rhode Island permits "time and one-half premium pay for work on Sundays and holidays in retail and certain other businesses" separate from the federal minimum wage law.

The current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour has remained the same since 2009. But what was it the year you were born? The following list shows the minimum wage for each year, adjusted for inflation to show how far that amount would stretch in today's economy, according to Cheapism.

THE MINIMUM WAGE THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN

1940

$0.30
$6.86 (adjusted for inflation)

1941

$0.30
$6.76 (adjusted for inflation)

1942

$0.30
$6.07 (adjusted for inflation)

1943

$0.30
$5.64 (adjusted for inflation)

1944

$0.30
$5.48 (adjusted for inflation)

1945

$0.40
$7.14 (adjusted for inflation)

1946

$0.40
$6.98 (adjusted for inflation)

1947

$0.40
$5.91 (adjusted for inflation)

1948

$0.40
$5.36 (adjusted for inflation)

1949

$0.40
$5.29 (adjusted for inflation)

1950

$0.75
$10.14 (adjusted for inflation)

1951

$0.75
$9.38 (adjusted for inflation)

1952

$0.75
$8.99 (adjusted for inflation)

1953

$0.75
$8.96 (adjusted for inflation)

1954

$0.75
$8.86 (adjusted for inflation)

1955

$0.75
$8.92 (adjusted for inflation)

1956

$1.00
$11.85 (adjusted for inflation)

1957

$1.00
$11.51 (adjusted for inflation)

1958

$1.00
$11.11 (adjusted for inflation)

1959

$1.00
$10.95 (adjusted for inflation)

1960

$1.00
$10.84 (adjusted for inflation)

1961

$1.15
$12.26 (adjusted for inflation)

1962

$1.15
$12.18 (adjusted for inflation)

1963

$1.25
$13.06 (adjusted for inflation)

1964

$1.25
$12.85 (adjusted for inflation)

1965

$1.25
$12.73 (adjusted for inflation)

1966

$1.25
$12.49 (adjusted for inflation)

1967

$1.40
$13.52 (adjusted for inflation)

1968

$1.60
$14.91 (adjusted for inflation)

1969

$1.60
$14.28 (adjusted for inflation)

1970

$1.60
$13.45 (adjusted for inflation)

1971

$1.60
$12.77 (adjusted for inflation)

1972

$1.60
$12.37 (adjusted for inflation)

1973

$1.60
$11.93 (adjusted for inflation)

1974

$2.00
$13.63 (adjusted for inflation)

1975

$2.10
$12.80 (adjusted for inflation)

1976

$2.30
$13.14 (adjusted for inflation)

1977

$2.30
$12.49 (adjusted for inflation)

1978

$2.65
$13.47 (adjusted for inflation)

1979

$2.90
$13.49 (adjusted for inflation)

1980

$3.10
$12.66 (adjusted for inflation)

1981

$3.35
$12.23 (adjusted for inflation)

1982

$3.35
$11.29 (adjusted for inflation)

1983

$3.35
$10.88 (adjusted for inflation)

1984

$3.35
$10.44 (adjusted for inflation)

1985

$3.35
$10.09 (adjusted for inflation)

1986

$3.35
$9.71 (adjusted for inflation)

1987

$3.35
$9.57 (adjusted for inflation)

1988

$3.35
$9.20 (adjusted for inflation)

1989

$3.35
$8.79 (adjusted for inflation)

1990

$3.80
$9.48 (adjusted for inflation)

1991

$4.25
$10.03 (adjusted for inflation)

1992

$4.25
$9.78 (adjusted for inflation)

1993

$4.25
$9.47 (adjusted for inflation)

1994

$4.25
$9.23 (adjusted for inflation)

1995

$4.25
$8.98 (adjusted for inflation)

1996

$4.75
$9.77 (adjusted for inflation)

1997

$5.15
$10.28 (adjusted for inflation)

1998

$5.15
$10.12 (adjusted for inflation)

1999

$5.15
$9.96 (adjusted for inflation)

2000

$5.15
$9.69 (adjusted for inflation)

2001

$5.15
$9.34 (adjusted for inflation)

2002

$5.15
$9.24 (adjusted for inflation)

2003

$5.15
$9.00 (adjusted for inflation)

2004

$5.15
$8.83 (adjusted for inflation)

2005

$5.15
$8.58 (adjusted for inflation)

2006

$5.15
$8.25 (adjusted for inflation)

2007

$5.85
$9.18 (adjusted for inflation)

2008

$6.55
$9.86 (adjusted for inflation)

2009

$7.25
$10.91 (adjusted for inflation)

2010

$7.25

Read More: