Every year that the minimum wage does not increase, inflation causes the value of the minimum wage to decrease. In only 7 out of the last 60 years was the minimum wage worth less than it is now, and five of those years were in the 2000s.
*To calculate inflation, we used the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator and compared the value of the dollar in March of each year to March, 2019. In years where the minimum wage changed, we used the month the new wage was enacted to calculate inflation.