Effects of the Minimum Wage on Infant Health

NBER Working Paper No. 22373

Issued in June 2016, Revised in March 2018

NBER Program(s):Children, Health Care, Health Economics, Law and Economics, Labor Studies, Public Economics



The minimum wage has increased in multiple states over the past three decades. We examine the impact of the state minimum wage on infant health. Using data on the universe of births in the US over 24 years, we find that an increase in the minimum wage is associated with an increase in birth weight driven by increased gestational length and fetal growth rate. The effect size is meaningful and plausible. We also find an increase in prenatal care use and a decline in smoking during pregnancy, which are some channels through which minimum wage can affect infant health.

Acknowledgments

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Document Object Identifier (DOI): 10.3386/w22373

Published: George L. Wehby & Dhaval M. Dave & Robert Kaestner, 2020. "Effects of the Minimum Wage on Infant Health," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, vol 39(2), pages 411-443. citation courtesy of

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