22 states raising minimum wages this week

The federal minimum wage in the United States has remained unchanged at $7.25 an hour for more than 14 years. But 22 states and 40 cities raised their own minimum wages to start the new year.

As of January 1st, Washington, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland.

Six additional states have approved phased-in increases to $15 an hour. Oregon’s minimum wage is currently $14.20 and is adjusted for inflation on July 1 of each year.

Voters are increasingly approving ballot measures to raise the minimum wage in their states.

Thanks to a November 2020 voter referendum, Florida’s $12 minimum wage will increase to $13 on September 30th and increase by $1 on the same date every year until 2026, reaching $15 an hour. . Hawaii’s minimum wage schedule is similar, reaching $16 an hour in 2026 and $18 an hour in 2028.

Later this year, voters in Ohio, Oklahoma and Michigan could decide on $15-an-hour proposals in statewide elections.

Meanwhile, California will enact industry-specific hourly wages in 2023, with fast food workers set to have a minimum wage of $20 an hour starting in April and health care workers earning at least $25 an hour by 2026.

At the same time, 20 states, including Pennsylvania, still have a standard minimum wage of $7.25.

“It’s very embarrassing that Pennsylvania is the only state in the world that has raised the minimum wage every year for the past several years,” the state’s Senate Democrats said. “There is,” he said. Leader, Jay Costa.

Some major cities have their own minimum wages separate from the federal and state levels. The minimum wage in New York City and nearby Long Island and Westchester County is $16, while the minimum wage in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area is $15.45.

And as of Jan. 1, dozens more cities and counties have raised their minimum wages, most of them in California. Cupertino, home of Apple (AAPL), will raise its minimum wage by $0.55 an hour to $17.75 an hour. San Diego’s new minimum wage will be $16.85 an hour, while Sunnyvale’s minimum wage will be $18.55.

story continues

Outside of California, Denver’s new minimum wage is $18.29 an hour and Minneapolis’ new minimum wage is $15.57 an hour, both adjusted for inflation. Boulder County had the highest pay increase of all cities and counties, with hourly wages increasing by $2.04 to $15.69.

Finally, three Washington cities, SeaTac, Seattle, and Tukwila, are all raising hourly wages due to inflation. Tukwila’s new minimum wage is $20.29, the highest of the three companies.

Adriana Belmonte is a reporter and editor covering politics and health policy at Yahoo Finance. You can follow her on Twitter @adrianambells Please contact adriana@yahoofinance.com.