what was the minumin wage in the 60's and 70's?

Answer 1

When I started working in early-1977, it was $2.10

Answer 2

It went from $1.00 in 1960 to $2.90 by 1979. Here's the complete history of the dates and changes to the Federally mandated minimum hourly wage.

October 1938 $0.25
October 1939 $0.30
October 1945 $0.40
January 1950 $0.75
March 1956 $1.00
September 1961 $1.15
September 1963 $1.25
February 1967 $1.40
February 1968 $1.60
May 1974 $2.00
January 1975 $2.10
January 1976 $2.30
January 1978 $2.65
January 1979 $2.90
January 1980 $3.10
January 1981 $3.35
April 1990 $3.80
April 1991 $4.25
October 1996 $4.75
September 1997 $5.15

See the charts at this link (below) if you want to also see how the actual wage relates to inflation and today's purchasing power.

http://www.oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth484/minwage.html

I remember that my first full-time job in 1968 I only took home $1.00 an hour after taxes!

Answer 3

$1.60