When it comes to raising the minimum wage, most of the action is in cities and states, not Congress
The $7.25 federal minimum wage is used in just 21 states, which collectively account for about 40% of all U.S. wage and salary workers.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Drew DeSilver
Senior Writer/Editor
Drew DeSilver is a senior writer at Pew Research Center.
Publications
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With fewer state governments divided by party than in years past, GOP has edge in redistricting
When legislatures get the data to draw new congressional maps, Republicans will drive that process in 20 states, versus 11 for Democrats.
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Boomers, Silents still have most seats in Congress, though number of Millennials, Gen Xers is up slightly
Even as younger generations gain representation in Congress, older generations still make up the majority of senators and representatives.
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U.S. Senate has fewest split delegations since direct elections began
Only six states now have U.S. senators of different parties – the smallest number of split delegations in more than a century.
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Turnout soared in 2020 as nearly two-thirds of eligible U.S. voters cast ballots for president
Americans voted in record numbers in last year’s presidential election, casting nearly 158.4 million ballots.
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Nothing lame about this lame duck: 116th Congress had busiest post-election session in recent history
No lame-duck session in the nearly 5 decades for which data is available has been as legislatively productive as that of the 116th Congress.
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A record number of women are serving in the 117th Congress
Women make up just over a quarter of all members of the 117th Congress – the highest percentage in U.S. history.
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Q&A: What we’ve learned about online harassment
79% of Americans think social media companies are doing an only fair to poor job when it comes to addressing online harassment or bullying.
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Biden’s victory another example of how Electoral College wins are bigger than popular vote ones
Looking back at presidential elections since 1828, the winner’s electoral vote share has, on average, been 1.36 times his popular vote share.
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It’s not just 2020: U.S. presidential elections have long featured close state races
Here’s a look back at some of the closest races of elections past and an assessment of just how common such races are.
