---
title: "Real Federal Minimum Wage"
slug: the-floor
summary: "The real federal minimum wage fell to $2.16 in September 2026, in 1982-84 dollars"
category: "The Deal"
unit: dollars
frequency: monthly
direction: lower_is_worse
latest_value: 2.1558
latest_period: "2026-09"
trend: falling
last_updated: "2026-10-14T00:00:00Z"
source: "Computed (U.S. Department of Labor FEDMINNFRWG / CPI data retrieved via FRED)"
source_url: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FEDMINNFRWG
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-floor/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). Real Federal Minimum Wage [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-floor/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"Real Federal Minimum Wage.\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-floor/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"Real Federal Minimum Wage.\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-floor/."
---

# Real Federal Minimum Wage

Also tracked as The Floor.

> The real federal minimum wage fell to $2.16 in September 2026, in 1982-84 dollars

## Current Reading

As of September 2026, Real Federal Minimum Wage is **$2.2** (falling — worsening for households).

The $7.25 federal minimum wage deflated by the CPI-U into 1982-84 dollars, computed by American Default Research, down from $2.24 a year earlier.

## What Changed

- The real federal minimum wage fell to $2.16 (1982-84 dollars) in September 2026, from $2.17 in August 2026.
- Worth less than a year earlier, when it was $2.24.
- The lowest value since December 1949.

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2026-09 | $2.1558 |
| 2026-08 | $2.1698 |
| 2026-07 | $2.1784 |
| 2026-06 | $2.18 |
| 2026-05 | $2.1708 |
| 2026-04 | $2.1811 |
| 2026-03 | $2.195 |
| 2026-02 | $2.214 |
| 2026-01 | $2.2199 |
| 2025-12 | $2.2237 |
| 2025-11 | $2.2303 |
| 2025-09 | $2.236 |

## Historical Context

- Peak since 1947: **$4.7** in February 1968
- Low since 1947: **$1.6** in August 1948
- Pre-pandemic average (2015-01 – 2019-12): **$3**
- Post-pandemic average (2020-01 – 2024-12): **$2.5**

## Methodology

This indicator carries monthly observations and is interpreted as lower values indicate worse household conditions. Source: Computed (U.S. Department of Labor FEDMINNFRWG / CPI data retrieved via FRED).
Automation: collected automatically on the daily refresh pipeline, with no hand entry.

## Source

Computed (U.S. Department of Labor FEDMINNFRWG / CPI data retrieved via FRED) — [https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FEDMINNFRWG](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FEDMINNFRWG)

Data retrieved: 2026-10-14T00:00:00Z

## Related Indicators

- [cpi-inflation-rate-all-items](https://americandefault.org/indicators/cpi-inflation-rate-all-items/)
- [shop-floor-pay](https://americandefault.org/indicators/shop-floor-pay/)

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

- HTML page: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-floor/
- JSON: https://americandefault.org/api/indicators/the-floor.json
- CSV: https://americandefault.org/api/downloads/the-floor.csv
- BibTeX: https://americandefault.org/citations/the-floor.bib
- RIS: https://americandefault.org/citations/the-floor.ris

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). Real Federal Minimum Wage [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-floor/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "Real Federal Minimum Wage." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-floor/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "Real Federal Minimum Wage." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-floor/.

Use **American Default Research** as the institutional name in source lists, bibliographies, and press citations. **American Default** is the brand and URL form. **American Distress Index (ADI)** is the product name for the national composite score.