A new study reveals that a potential increase of the minimum wage in the United States to $15 per hour could significantly impact infant mortality rates. Researchers from Syracuse University found that for every additional dollar added to the minimum wage, annual infant deaths in major U.S. cities decrease by approximately 1.8%.
The last increase in the federal minimum wage occurred 12 years ago in 2009. Currently, President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan calls for Congress to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour. It is important to note that discussing the issue is far easier than implementing it, as many past efforts to raise the minimum wage have stalled after individual states prevented local governments from increasing their minimum wages.
How does a higher minimum wage help save infant lives? Researchers state that a higher minimum wage reduces teen pregnancy rates, maternal smoking, obesity statistics, premature birth incidents (including low birth weight babies), and infant mortality rates. In this study, the authors analyzed infant mortality data from every U.S. county between 2001 and 2018, obtaining data from the National Center for Health Statistics and minimum wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. They then investigated how many children's lives could have been saved if the minimum wage had been raised earlier.
Their investigation led to some notable conclusions. Firstly, researchers believe that states increasingly prevent city and county governments from enacting new policies that benefit workers. Moreover, among the 25 states that seem to block minimum wage increases, researchers estimate that up to 600 children could be saved each year if local governments had the ability to raise the local minimum wage to at least $9.99. If those same areas could approve $15 as a minimum wage, over 1,400 children would still be alive annually.
It is worth noting that the primary argument presented by states against raising the minimum wage is that it would force some businesses to close and deter others from hiring low-income workers, such as teenagers or part-time employees. In response, researchers argue that one must ask what is more important: human lives or business profits? They add, "Those who oppose raising wages are concerned about a potential rise in unemployment; any such impact on unemployment must be weighed against the benefits of lifting people out of poverty and saving children's lives through more sustainable living wages. While maintaining the minimum wage may protect business profits and keep prices low for consumers, our findings indicate that the trade-off regarding human lives is extremely risky."
