The Potential of Minimum Wage Increases to Reduce Youth Homicide Disparities: Diminishing Returns for Black Youth

• Published in: Prevention science 2024-08, Vol.25 (6), p.891-897
• Main Authors: Woods-Jaeger, Briana, Jahangir, Tasfia, Ash, Marcia J., Komro, Kelli A., Belton, Imani J., Livingston, Melvin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Black people; Black white differences; Black white relations; Black youth; Caregivers; Child and School Psychology; Diminishing returns; Disease control; Earnings; Family income; Gun violence; Health Psychology; Homicide; Households; Low income groups; Marginality; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Minimum wage; Poverty; Prevention; Public Health; Racial differences; Racial discrimination; Social mobility; Systemic racism; Upward mobility; Vital statistics; Wages & salaries; Youth
• ISSN: 1389-4986; 1573-6695; 1573-6695
• DOI: 10.1007/s11121-024-01714-6

We examine and compare the relationship between minimum wage increases and youth homicide rates in three groups: all youth, White youth only, and Black youth only. Using 2001–2019 mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) for all 50 states and Washington DC, we apply a difference in differences (DD) design to compare the change in youth homicides across states with varying changes in the state-specific minimum wage. With the inclusion of state-specific linear time trends, we find that a $1 increase in minimum wage leads to a significant 4% reduction (RR = 0.96, 95%CI [0.92, 0.99]) in homicides among White youth, but no significant reduction among Black youth (RR = 0.98, 95%CI [0.91, 1.04]). Findings are consistent with research on marginalization-related diminished returns for Black youth. While minimum wage increases are a promising step to reduce youth homicides overall, reducing homicide disparities experienced by Black youth requires additional components. Future research should examine policies with the specific intention to dismantle structural racism.