Federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009. However, some states have taken it upon themselves to up the ante to retain higher quality workers.
According to a report done by USA Today, on New Year’s Day, three states will reach a $15 minimum wage for the first time, joining seven states already there, or above it.
Those three states are Illinois, Delaware and Rhode Island.
Two states, California and New Jersey, are going even higher for some occupations, pushing their minimum wage to $17 for some healthcare workers.
Since the feds aren’t making any moves on nationwide set minimum wage, and some of the states are moving slower, some local counties are even taking it upon themselves to enforce a minimum wage within county lines.
Burien, Wash., for example, will increase their minimum wage $21.16 for employers with 500 or more workers in King County, making it the nation’s highest pay floor.
People hear $21 an hour and they think that it’s enough money to make you rich. In reality, if working 30 hours a week that’s $32,760, which is an average salary in some parts of America, but by no means enough to support a whole family in today’s economy.
Each of the 23 states are handling their minimum wage increases differently and on a different timeline. You can see when and how much each state will increase their minimum wages here.
These increases are here to stay and will make workers more retainable. It’s a far cry from the $4.75 an hour that we got in the 1990s!
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