The U.S. minimum wage currently stands at $7.25, as it has done since 2009. Due to this lack of updates, workers today get paid less in real dollars than their counterparts from 50 years ago. [1] Perhaps, as a result, there is bipartisan support from the American public to raise the minimum wage. [2] Various evidence backs such as sentiment. A higher minimum wage would reduce poverty, help vulnerable groups, and improve the economy. Therefore, the United States should raise the Federal minimum wage. The struggling households in the U.S. need a higher minimum wage. Right now, a single adult American needs at least $31,200 every year for an adequate standard of living. That baseline applies to all of America, not just the wealthy coastal areas. The individual would have to earn at least $15 an hour to reach that threshold, twice the current baseline. Therefore, a hypothetical gradual increase of minimum wage to $15 could have a significant impact. Around 21% of the U.S workforce, a total of 32 million, would benefit from the policy. The percentage increases to 59% workers with family income below the poverty line. The extra wage would greatly benefit workers such as cashiers or healthcare aides, who currently do not earn sustainable wages. [1] The benefit could also reduce people’s dependency on welfare programs and improve their self-sufficiency. [3] Thus, a higher minimum wage in the U.S. would have an overwhelmingly positive impact on struggling families. While an increased minimum wage generates general benefits, it would particularly help vulnerable groups. Women would constitute more than half of the potential beneficiaries of the change. Approximately 32% of African Americans and 26% of Latino Americans would see higher wages. With the intersection of the two identities, women of color will also receive significant help. [1] These groups have historically received unfairly low wages due to various discriminations. As a result, a higher minimum wage would particularly help their economic standings in American society. From this perspective, there is an equity and social justice argument behind a higher minimum wage. Thus, a higher minimum wage could help those most in need in the status quo. A higher minimum wage will leave the national economy in no worse, if not better, shape. A common argument against a higher minimum wage is its negative effect on employment. That assertion breaks down under scrutiny. Research has discovered no meaningful impact of minimum wage hikes on employment rates. [4] On the contrary, the policy has produced several positive economic effects. A higher minimum wage could increase worker morale and decrease expensive workplace turnovers. [5] Workers with a higher income would also lead to an increase in consumption. This consumption boost becomes more important during the current pandemic recession. 6] Thus, a higher minimum wage would strengthen rather than weaken the national economy in the U.S. For these reasons, the United States should raise the Federal minimum wage. [1]. Economic Policy Institute. 2021. "Why The U.S. Needs A $15 Minimum Wage". Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/publication/why-america-needs-a-15-minimum-wage/. [2]. Kinder, Molly. 2020. "Even A Divided America Agrees On Raising The Minimum Wage". The Avenue. The Brookings Institute. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/11/13/even-a-divided-america-agrees-on-raising-the-minimum-wage/. [3]. Jacobs, Ken, Ian Eve Perry, and Jenifer MacGillvary. 2021. "The Public Cost Of A Low Federal Minimum Wage". UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education. https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/The-Public-Cost-of-a-Low-Federal-Minimum-Wage.pdf. [4]. Wolfson, Paul, and Dale Belman. 2019. "15 Years Of Research On US Employment And The Minimum Wage". LABOUR 33 (4): 488-506. doi:10.1111/labr.12162. [5]. Dube, Arindrajit, T. William Lester, and Michael Reich. 2016. "Minimum Wage Shocks, Employment Flows, And Labor Market Frictions". Journal Of Labor Economics 34 (3): 663-704. doi:10.1086/685449. [6]. Alonso, Cristian. 2020. "Beyond Labor Market Outcomes". Journal Of Human Resources, 0518-9524R2. doi:10.3368/jhr.58.1.0518-9524r2.

**TL;DR - Increasing the minimum wage would help, not hurt, the economy, especially in the long run.** Martha C. White (2020) reported that experts are of a similar opinion saying that, in not increasing the minimum wage it will only lead to more unsustainability for the people relying on it. Now US President Joe Biden felt the same way since he campaigned (while he was still a democratic nominee) for the minimum wage to be raised from its current $7.25 to $15. Apparently, this has been a long-term goal union-backed advocacy groups, with the Democratic Party even making a $15 minimum wage part of its platform ahead of the 2016 election season. And while a handful of states in America, as well as some cities, have adopted laws that will raise the minimum wage to $15 over time, people feel that enough is not being done to address this issue. I mean, why does the issue of this being done bring up the same sort of generic response? Namely, that raising the minimum wage will have a negative impact on businesses and therefore as a whole on the economy, etc. White does provide us with an example of this, where business groups have argued that raising the minimum wage will force business owners to fire workers. However, she also points out that the reality is more complex than this. Especially since proof has been found showing that evidence of job loss is inconsistent in comparison to this, and the benefits are accrued by some of the country’s most vulnerable populations. Additionally, more proof has been brought to light by the Congressional Budget Office who conducted a report in 2019. They found that a $15 minimum wage would increase the income of 27 million workers, 17 million of whom currently earn below the $15 amount. While the remaining 10 million earn just over $15 an hour, all of whom would see their wages rise due to what economists call the “spillover effect.” So while there are a host of other benefits that I can mention, the bottom line is, raising the minimum wage in the US will have so many benefits for not just the economy, but most importantly for the people. After all, the people are the very foundation upon which a country is built - sometimes this just tends to be overlooked, but not forgotten though. Increasing the minimum wage would help, not hurt, the economy https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/increasing-minimum-wage-would-help-not-hurt-economy-n1244586 [accessed January 28, 2021].

The real minimum wage is always zero. Developed countries without a minimum wage usually have higher average wages anyway.