And at 16, I'm assuming you still lived at home? Therefore, no rent, no utilities, no food expenses (other than outside the house). Yet the average person working a minimum wage job will be between 25-40 (though over half are in the 16-24 range - we're talking average), female and probably the head of the household.

Are you purposely missing the point I was making? Minimum wage jobs were never intended to be a living wage for a family of four. They are meant to be a teenager's entry into the work force and for retired people who want to supplement their social security.