Have you ever delved extensively into the history of New York City? If yes, it is quite simple to notice the continuous changes that this city experiences through the progression of time. There are many major apparent discrepancies that exist between the copious decades. An essential aspect that pertains to such discrepancies is minimum wage. Dating back to 1964, the minimum wage existed to be $1.15. In our current year, 2017, the minimum wage exists to be $11.00. But what exactly influenced these profound changes on minimum wage throughout the progressed decades?

During the 1900’s, as inflation increased, the minimum wage trailed right behind it. During the more current decades, however, the increased cost of living and the demographic makeup of New York City have been the most prominent influences on the increase of minimum wage. As a vast majority of immigrants continue to collectively increase, so does the percentage of immigrant workers in the workforce. Not only was it estimated in 2003 that four out of the five minimum wage workers were non-native people of color but also eighty percent of these workers were twenty-five years of age or older. A significant amount of minimum wage workers depended and continue to depend on these very low incomes to support the financial living cost of not only themselves but also of their families. These incomes are not sufficiently stable enough for families to afford basic living necessities.

In 1964, a two-bedroom apartment in the Upper East Side was estimated to have a rent of $250 a month. Currently, the same apartment can go for at least $4,500. In 1974, the subway fare was $0.35. Currently, the same exact ride will cost a commuter $2.75. In 2015, a full-time minimum wage worker would make an annual earning of $18,200. However, the annual cost for an average adult living in New York City is $43,000. Despite the increased minimum wage throughout the decades, it is not held up to par with the immense increased living costs. Minimum wage jobs fail to offer families financial stability. The lack of solidity push families out into the margins. This is one of the many influences that result in a gap between the rich and the poor, therefore, increasing the city’s wealth inequality. A proposed solution to recede the gap between the rich and the poor is to increase the minimum wage. If the minimum wage increase and is up to par with the increased living costs, it will help enable many residents as they face their endeavor to afford the minimal costs that entail the necessities of a family.

This proposal, however, has been argued by many former and current politicians. There are multiple views and proposed solutions to this specific problem, some that don’t include increasing the minimum wage. To read more about the ongoing debates and proposed solutions, click on any of the tabs in this section.