How Many Hours of Work per Week Does it Take to Exit Poverty?

What We’re Showing

This chart lists the hours of minimum wage work it takes to exit poverty while claiming guaranteed benefits from the government.

Data covers select countries as collected by the OECD, as of 2022.

Key Takeaways

• An American with no children will need to work at least 80 hours a week at the federal minimum wage to exit poverty.
• This is twice what a normal, 9–5 job requires, which results in a 40-hour workweek.
• Every other country within the OECD dataset is below the U.S., with Western European countries, France and the UK requiring about one-fourth the same amount.

What Could Explain This?

• A higher minimum wage and substantial government benefits will reduce the number of work hours required of an individual
• The poverty line is calculated at 50% of the median disposable income in the country, it can vary by economy, impacting the hours of work required