is the minimum wage meant to be a living wage 
a living wage is the minimum income deemed necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs the u s poverty level for a family of four was an income of 30 000 in 2023 which works out to 14 42 per hour well above the minimum wage at the federal level critics argue that the federal minimum wage has failed to keep up with the cost of living since the late 1960s 27the bottom linethe fair labor standards act flsa established the minimum wage which is 7 25 per hour as of january 2024 the government periodically assesses the federal minimum wage level but the rate has not increased since july 2009 individual states cities and localities can pass minimum wage requirements that are different from the federal rate as long as their rate is higher than the federal minimum wage 7