Recent history of the minimum wage

Changes in minimum wage for non-farm employment for selected years from 1968 to 2012.

Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Times reporting. Note: Wage rates are as of Jan. 1 of each year except 1968 and 1972, for which the rates shown are as of February. Until the mid-70s, in states such as Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, Utah, and Wisconsin, the minimum rates applied only to women and minors. Applicability also varied in some states based on the number of employees of an enterprise. Some states have used tiered rates; each state's higher rate was used for this map. For example, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio and Oklahoma have tiered rates based on the employer's annual revenue. In the District of Columbia, a lower rate applies to the laundry and dry-cleaning industry.

Credits: Los Angeles Times