When does the minimum wage increase go into effect in more than 20 US states?
After high inflation for much of 2022, a number of states are offering minimum wage boosts to help low income households across the country.
The New Year has got off to a positive start for workers in the 23 states have announced increases to the minimum wage from 1 January 2023. While the federal minimum wage remains a paltry $7.25 per hour, most states have implemented their own regulations, often raising that figure considerably.
Increases in the minimum wage are considered vital in many areas due to the rampant inflation experienced during 2022. Recipients of Social Security support are receiving a 8.7% boost to their payments from January to help deal with inflation, and those on minimum wage in 23 states will also get a modest increase.
“The fact that there’s high inflation really just underscores how necessary these minimum wage increases are for workers,” EPI research assistant Sebastian Martinez Hickey told CNN.
The 23 states who are upping the threshold can broadly be split into two groups. The first are states who have pre-planned increases to the minimum wage, often on an annual basis; the second are states offering a proportion cost-of-living increase to specifically reflect high inflation.
States with scheduled minimum wage increases
Delaware: $10.50 to $11.75
Illinois: $12 to $13
Maryland: $12.50 to $13.25
Massachusetts: $14.25 to $15
Michigan: $9.87 to $10.10
Missouri: $11.15 to $12
Nebraska: $9 to $10.50
New Jersey: $13 to $14.13
New Mexico: $11.50 to $12
New York: $13.20 to $14.20 in Upstate New York; $15 in and around NYC
Rhode Island: $12.25 to $13
Virginia: $11 to $12
Cost of living increases
Alaska: $10.34 to $10.85
Arizona: $12.80 to $13.85
California: $14.50/$15 to $15.50
Colorado: $12.56 to $13.65
Maine: $12.75 to $13.80
Minnesota: $8.42 to $8.63 for small employers; $10.33 to $10.59 for large employers
Montana: $9.20 to $9.95
Ohio: $9.30 to $10.10
South Dakota: $9.95 to $10.80
Vermont: $12.55 to $13.18
Washington: $14.49 to $15.74
Four more states to up minimum wage in 2023
While all the states mentioned will see their minimum wage increased by 1 January 2023, there is also a small group of states who will introduce increases later on in the year. Those states, as of 1 January 2023, are:
Connecticut: $14 to $15 (1July)
Florida: $11 to $12 (September)
Nevada: $9.50 to $10.25 for firms that offer benefits; $10.50 to $11.25 firms without benefits (1 July)
Oregon: $13.50, increase to be defined by CPI report (1 July)