Chart courtesy of Statista: 

Questions:

• Why do you think there is such a difference in the minimum wage rates by state? 
• What is the minimum wage in your state? Is it different in your area? 
• What do you think determines minimum wage levels in a given market (city, town, county)? 
• Analyzing this chart, what would you guess the federal minimum wage is?
• Describe the typical worker that earns the minimum wage (education level, age, experience, type of job, industry)?
• What do you think determines when a min. wage worker gets a raise? 

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Looking for more graphs for your students to analyze? Be sure to check out NGPF's Data Crunches! 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.