In 2025, the federal minimum wage is officially a “poverty wage.” The annual earnings of a single adult working full-time, year-round at $7.25 an hour now fall below the poverty threshold of $15,650 (established by the Department of Health and Human Services guidelines). The limitations of how the federal government calculates poverty understate how far…
technically you’re not allowed to work at 12, but most companies, especially smaller ones that don’t get checked that strictly ignore those laws if a 12 year old approaches them and asks them for a job.