APRIL 27, 2026
Wages and salaries change with the times: My father shared stories about working for $1 per day, but that did include room and board. That would have been approximately 1929 and he was grateful for the job as a hired hand for a local area farmer.
My first away from home job was detasseling corn. The payment was $0.65 per hour, with a dime bonus if I stayed throughout the entire detasseling season. That total check was in the range of $50. I purchased a pink portable radio that could also be plugged in and had an antenna, and a red and blue plaid pleated skirt that I wore to school the first day of junior high.
I was tall enough that I could easily pull the tassel out by hand while walking through the corn field. Pull, step, pull, step, pull, step. It was cool in the morning when the dew on the corn made a person wet, but as the sun crossed the sky, it became hot, dirty work, but it was my first earned money.
It was a great luxury when a rider machine was provided and the tassels came to us, almost like an assembly line. Pull, pull, pull until the end of the row. The machine turning and lining up into the next row was such a reprieve.
I compare that income and purchases now to the $7.25 minimum wage which is only 10 times the amount of 69 years ago.
The federal minimum wage was established by the U.S. Department of Labor but has not changed since 2009. As part of the New Deal reform during the Great Depression, the Fair Labor Standards Act was established in 1938 and the first minimum wage was set at $0.25. This same act introduced things like the 40-hour workweek and overtime pay.
While unlike some voices identifying “Affordability” as a newly coined term. it has long been described as the costs to afford basics like housing, food, transportation, and healthcare. Economists often connect affordability to “living wage.”
The living wage calculator estimates what people need to earn to cover basic expenses. Working 40 hours per week, for 52 weeks, equals 2,080 hours. The minimum wage would equal $15,080. In Iowa, affordability wages for 2026 are estimated for a single adult with no children at about $21-22 per hour, with two children about $44-$45 per hour.
For comparison, one pound of 90 percent ground beef at my local grocery store now costs $7.99.
With the minimum wage of $7.25 almost two gallons of gas may be purchased, as two gallons is $7.58.
Information from the National Conference of State Legislators indicates 16 states support the same minimum wage as Iowa, but the contiguous states are as follows: Minnesota $11.41; Illinois $15; Missouri $15; Nebraska $15; and South Dakota $11.85.
An informational surprise from Independent Sector about volunteer hours suggests seeking funding for grants or nonprofit reporting that Iowans can estimate $27-$30 per hour as a reasonable estimate.
I keep thinking about the wisdom of a female leader when she spoke of ROI, or Return on Investment. What can be gained, compared to what was spent.
I strongly believe it will be worth our investment to improve our minimum wage.
VIEW FROM MY WINDOW is shared by Mary Weaver of rural Rippey.
