• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

3

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

3

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
PoliticsMinimum Wage

$15 minimum wage would cost 1.4 million jobs—but could lift 900,000 Americans out of poverty

Rey Mashayekhi
By
Rey Mashayekhi
Rey Mashayekhi
Down Arrow Button Icon
Rey Mashayekhi
By
Rey Mashayekhi
Rey Mashayekhi
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 8, 2021, 5:41 PM ET

The economic and political debate over a higher minimum wage sparked back into life on Monday, after a new study by Congress’s budget watchdog agency found that increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would cost the U.S. economy 1.4 million jobs while also lifting 900,000 Americans over the poverty line.

The study by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzes the economic impact of a higher minimum wage as proposed by President Biden and leading Democratic lawmakers, who are looking to more than double the current $7.25 hourly federal minimum wage over the next four years. Democrats are hoping to include the minimum wage hike in the President’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, which is currently being deliberated on Capitol Hill.

According to the CBO, Democrats’ proposal to gradually increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would directly impact 17 million workers—or 10% of the U.S. labor force—whose wages would otherwise be below that figure. It would also impact another 10 million workers who would have wages “only slightly higher” than $15 an hour and would stand to see their pay go up as well, per the study.

In addition to increasing employers’ costs and raising prices for consumers, the proposed minimum wage hike would reduce U.S. employment by 1.4 million jobs (or 0.9%), according to the CBO’s estimate. But it would also reduce the number of Americans living in poverty by an estimated 900,000, while affected workers would see their cumulative pay grow by a combined $333 billion between 2021 and 2031, per the CBO.

From a budget perspective, the minimum wage increase would grow the federal budget deficit by $54 billion over that 10-year period, the study says—a fairly minimal figure, considering that the U.S. government’s fiscal 2020 deficit ran north of $3 trillion. 

But the budget impact could be a boon for Democrats looking to include the minimum wage hike in the coronavirus stimulus package, which in lieu of Republican support will likely need to be passed via filibuster-proof budget reconciliation measures requiring only a 51-vote Senate majority. In order to pass via reconciliation, a bill must have a direct impact on federal spending, revenues, and debt, and President Biden recently cast doubt on whether the measure would “survive” the Senate’s budget reconciliation rules.

Already, proponents of the minimum wage increase have welcomed the CBO report. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, said the study indicates “that we can clearly raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour under the rules of reconciliation”—adding that Democrats “are never going to get 10 Republicans to increase the minimum wage” sans budget reconciliation.

While Congress last raised the minimum wage in 2009, many states have since taken measures to raise their own pay floors above the federally mandated level. In November, Florida voters passed a ballot initiative that will gradually hike the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026.

More politics coverage from Fortune:

  • Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen: The most prepared woman in Washington
  • Commentary: One of Biden’s first acts as President may have broken the law
  • 5 steps the U.S. government could take to tackle the crisis facing working women
  • Meet Joe Manchin—the U.S. senator who holds the keys to Biden’s agenda
  • Commentary: Biden wants government to “buy American.” Using Amazon could make that hard to do
About the Author
Rey Mashayekhi
By Rey Mashayekhi
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

f
PoliticsCongress
‘You kind of ruined it with your trans obsession’: House points fingers as Smithsonian Women’s museum funding fails
By Lisa Mascaro and The Associated PressMay 22, 2026
2 hours ago
kirk
North AmericaSocial Media
Fired bird conservationist settles with state of Florida over Charlie Kirk dispute for $485,000
By Hannah Schoenbaum and The Associated PressMay 22, 2026
2 hours ago
pizza
PoliticsRestaurants
‘Earth-shaking event for New York pizza’ looms as flour ban hits 80% of crusts citywide
By Jake Offenhartz and The Associated PressMay 22, 2026
2 hours ago
cox
CommentarySuccession
McKinsey studied 200 family business successions. The biggest problem wasn’t the heir — it was the outgoing CEO
By Acha Leke and Chaitali MukherjeeMay 22, 2026
6 hours ago
zohran
PoliticsWorld Cup
Mamdani’s campaign for cheap World Cup tickets delivers 1,000 for city of 8 million
By The Associated PressMay 21, 2026
22 hours ago
duggan
PoliticsElections
‘In 60 days there’s been a huge change in the attitudes of this country’: Former Detroit mayor says bipartisan approach in governor race is doomed
By Corey Williams and The Associated PressMay 21, 2026
22 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
1 day ago
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
Success
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
2 days ago
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
3 days ago
Pay transparency is exposing a bigger problem: Most companies can't explain why they pay what they pay
Workplace Culture
Pay transparency is exposing a bigger problem: Most companies can't explain why they pay what they pay
By Sydney LakeMay 20, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 21, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 21, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 21, 2026
1 day ago
McKinsey partner says up to 50% of work hours could be transformed within the next 5 years
AI
McKinsey partner says up to 50% of work hours could be transformed within the next 5 years
By Emma BurleighMay 21, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.