evidence: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021, about 76 million workers aged 16 and older were paid hourly, representing 55.8% of all wage and salary workers. About 1.1 million or 1.4% of hourly paid workers are paid rates at or below the federal minimum wage[1]. [...] For the 2015 group, food preparation and service employment increased by an average of 3.8% the year after the minimum wage increased. That increase was 1.1 percentage points faster than the increase in food preparation and service employment in states that did not raise the minimum wage. [...] Workers that earn hourly wages below minimum wage include tipped employees, student-learners, and some individuals impaired by a mental or physical disability.