State minimum wage increases overview:
- Who: The minimum wage increased in 22 states and 38 cities and counties Jan. 1.
- Why: The minimum wage increases will benefit approximately 9.9 million workers.
- Where: The minimum wage increased across the United states.
Twenty-two U.S. states raised their minimum wage in 2024, with the the raise adding up to almost $7 billion in pay per year for workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
The statewide minimum wage increases will benefit an estimated 9.9 million workers, according to the EPI, which notes minimum wage increases also took effect in 38 cities and counties across the United States.
“In the absence of federal action, states and localities continue to take the lead in advancing fairer wage floors via legislation, ballot measures and automatic inflation adjustments,” the EPI writes in a December blog post.
States with a higher minimum wage this year are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Washington, according to the EPI.
The minimum wage increases are a result of an inflation adjustment, legislation or ballot measures, according to the EPI, which notes more than half of workers getting an increase are in California, Hawaii and New York, which have a high cost of living.
State minimum wage increases most benefit women, Black, Hispanic workers, EPI says
Nearly 58% of workers who will benefit from the minimum wage increases are women, while the boost will also benefit both Black and Hispanic workers, which make up just over 11% and nearly 38% of affected workers, respectively, according to the EPI.
Almost 1 in 5 workers who will benefit from the minimum wage increases currently have incomes below the poverty line, while nearly half have incomes that come in below twice the poverty line.
The minimum wage will exceed $15 per hour for the first time in Maryland, New Jersey and upstate New York, which join California, Connecticut, Washington, Massachusetts and the rest of New York, the EPI states.
Seven additional states also passed legislation or ballot measures to have their minimum wage either reach or surpass $15 per hour in the years to come.
There are 17.6 million workers in the United States who still make less than $15 an hour, according to the EPI, which said nearly half of workers who make less than that amount work in one of the 20 states that continue to use the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
Last month, an appellate judge ruled food delivery companies Uber, Grubhub and DoorDash must adhere to a new rule that requires delivery workers in New York City to be paid at least $17.96 per hour.
Do you believe states should raise their minimum wage? Let us know in the comments.
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10 thoughts on22 states raise minimum wage
Oh wait, you literally mentioned it in the first sentence. Whooops.
Don’t forget about the City and County increases!
Please add me
It doesn’t matter. AI is slowly phasing out the human race. Pretty soon the robots will have all of our jobs.
These folks will get a very nice raise . . . after which many will get laid off and lose their job.
Add me
It needs to be raised here in Florida. They work us like dogs for $12 an hour. That doesn’t even cover rent. Everything is really expensive here
This is demeaning, distasteful and a not a good class act! The most majority of blacks and Hispanics are not in those states to up minimum wage. And I don’t know why a raise will help women now at a time like this.
That’s coz it’s not a class action…it’s an article about minimum wage being raised in 22 states. Smh
I think statistics reflect that more of those groups currently hold jobs that will be impacted by the increase.