Millions in near-minimum-wage status

The millions of workers hovering just above minimum wages are similar demographically to those who earn the federal minimum wage, according to new data from the Pew Research Center.

{mosads}Pew said that roughly 20.6 million workers were in this near-minimum-wage status, accounting for roughly three out of every 10 hourly workers above the age of 18 who didn’t work for themselves.

Voters in Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota all approved minimum wage ballot initiatives on Tuesday. In Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota, voters also elected GOP senators, and a Republican leads the Senate race in Alaska. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and Democrats have pushed to raise it to $10.10 an hour.

About half of those making near minimum wage are under 30, and about three-quarters are white. A majority are women, and more than half also don’t have higher than a high school education.