The portion of Chicagoans who are low-wage workers, defined as those who earn less than $12 an hour, increased from a quarter to a third of the workforce between 2001 and 2011, according to a study released yesterday from non-profits Action Now and Women Employed. The study found that 16.2 percent of these workers have college degrees, compared to 9.7 percent in 2001.

Action Now and Women Employed included teenagers who are working part-time jobs, yet still find that 94 percent of Chicago low-wage earners are 20 years or older.

The study was done by compiling U.S. Census Data information.