The federal minimum wage in the United States would be $42 an hour today if it rose at the same pace as Wall Street bonuses in recent decades. But it hasn't. Monday marks 14 years since the last federal minimum wage increase—the longest stretch without a boost since the late 1930s, when the national wage floor was first established. Since 2009, the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour, pay that's currently not livable in any state in the U.S. While dozens of states, cities, and counties have raised their minimum wages since the Fight for $15 movement began in 2012, 20 states still have wage floors in line with the federal minimum, which is at its lowest value in nearly seven decades amid elevated inflation.read more