Report: Nearly Half of American Workers Have Low-Wage Jobs

A Brookings Institution study estimated that 44 percent of U.S. workers are employed in low-wage jobs that pay median annual wages of $18,000, reports KNOE . This low-wage workforce is primarily comprised of post-college age adults and older Americans, including 19 percent aged 51 to 65. Twenty-three percent of low-wage employees have an associate's degree or more. The Job Quality Index charts a generally downward trend in job quality, which has slipped by 14.3 percent since 1990. The most recent upward trend started in 2012 but began declining again in 2017.