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On minimum wage, we're a lot like Greece

Here’s something the United States and Greece have in common: Our workers earn nearly the same minimum wage.Business Insider put together a table comparing the U.S. minimum wage with those of the various European countries.The chart, based on a European Commission report, puts the United States minimum wage of $7.25 per hour at No. 8, just below Greece and above Spain.Luxembourg ranks highest wh
Business Insider / Today

Here’s something the United States and Greece have in common: Our workers earn nearly the same minimum wage.

Business Insider put together a table comparing the U.S. minimum wage with those of the various European countries.

The chart, based on a European Commission report, puts the United States minimum wage of $7.25 per hour at No. 8, just below Greece and above Spain.

Luxembourg ranks highest while Bulgaria rounds out the bottom of the chart.

Of course, your salary could stretch further in Greece than in other countries.

Athens ranked 40th in consulting firm Mercer’s 2010 Cost of Living Survey, a ranking of the 50 most expensive city for expatriates. New York ranked 27th in the survey, which corporations use to determine the purchasing power of their employees when they move abroad.

Although the U.S. federal minimum wage is $7.25, many states require a higher minimum wage. The state of Washington has the highest minimum wage, at $8.67 per hour, according to the Department of Labor.

About 5 percent of U.S. workers, or 3.6 million people, earned at or below the minimum wage in 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are exceptions to the minimum wage law, so employers who pay below minimum wage aren’t necessarily breaking the law.