When we debate the minimum wage, we often picture a single adult. The data, however, tells a different story. In Oklahoma, the faces of poverty are often much younger.
Currently, one in five Oklahoma children is growing up in a household with an income below the federal poverty line. That is 20% of our state’s future starting the race from way behind the start line. Our new impact study about poverty and the cost of living in our state suggests that raising the state minimum wage to $15 isn’t just a labor policy—it is one of the most effective tools we have to change the trajectory for Oklahoma families.
Moving the Needle for the Next Generation
According to the report, a $15 minimum wage would have a transformative effect on the state’s youngest residents by lifting between 16,000 and 25,000 children immediately above the federal poverty threshold. Beyond those crossing the official poverty line, the study estimates that the families of 200,000 children would see an increase in total household income, which would be game changing during our current economic environment.
The “Deep Poverty” Crisis
The report also sheds light on a more painful reality: “deep poverty.” This is defined as living on less than 50% of the income considered to be the federal poverty line. In Oklahoma, families with five or more children face a poverty rate of 16.2%. This is more than triple the rate of households without children.
The simulation projects that 4,300 children would be lifted out of deep poverty entirely. When a family moves out of deep poverty, the impact is immediate: it means more consistent meals, stable housing, and fewer adverse childhood events (which make up a child’s ACE score) that can hinder a child’s brain development and long-term health.
When we offer this kind of immediate support to our youngest citizens, we are ensuring that our state’s future will remain bright.
Why Raising Wages is a Family Values Issue
For a parent earning $7.25 an hour, the “cost of living” represents a series of impossible choices. Do you pay for the inhaler or the utility bill? Do you work a second shift to buy school clothes, or do you stay home to help with homework? Parents who are forced to make those tough choices experience stress, health issues, and more as a result.
The Scioto Analysis findings show that a $15 wage would allow a standard full-time worker to meet a “household survival budget” in 36 hours a week rather than 74. For a parent, those “saved” 38 hours are more than just time; they are an investment in their child. It’s time spent at the dinner table and being an overall more present parent.
The Ripple Effect
As reported by the Economic Policy Institute, raising the wage would lift 16,000 children out of poverty and more than 200,000 children living with parents who would get a pay raise as result of passage of SQ 832.. When we achieve that, we aren’t just helping those kids today. We are reducing the future strain on our state’s healthcare system, improving graduation rates, and building a more robust workforce for tomorrow.
Raising the wage to $15 is a commitment to the idea that no child in Oklahoma should have their future limited by the hours their parents can work. It’s time to give Oklahoma’s families a strong foundation on which they can build.
Read the entire report here.
