mi fast facts: Poverty v. Minimum Wage in Wisconsin

This recent news article tells of a series of policy proposals put forward by David Riemer that aim to cut Wisconsin’s poverty rate in half.  Riemer directs the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute in Milwaukee and one of the positions he advocates is to increase the state’s minimum wage to $8 per hour.

As this graphic indicates, increases in the state’s minimum wage have not historically altered the numbers of Wisconsinites in poverty. In fact, the argument can be made that such increases often lead to fewer low wage workers being employed, thus leading to the corresponding overall increase in people in poverty.