When you think of the servers at your local restaurant, do you ever wonder if they make enough to feed their children? I'd always assumed yes, but the data tell a different story. Depending on what state you live in, tipped workers can be paid as little as $2.13 an hour resulting in poverty rates that are THREE times the rate of the U.S. workforce.

PolicyLink and ROC United (Restaurant Opportunities Centers United) partnered to create an infographic describing the demographics of the tipped worker, the problem of low wages contributing to high poverty rates, and the solution of raising federal minimum wage to $10.10. 

I spent a fast-paced month and a half with a policy analyst from PolicyLink and the research director from ROC United to develop sketches around the narrative, which evolved weekly, as the team re-checked data and added new numbers.

Also on Upworthy.

Final product:

Sketches:

If you're interested in learning more about infographics, here's an Introduction to Infographics presentation I completed earlier this year.