The minimum wage for workers will increase in 19 states and 49 cities and counties next month, with the wage floor reaching $15 per hour in dozens of localities, a new report found.
Though the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has not increased since 2009, many state and local governments continue to increase minimums through legislation or scheduled increases tied to inflation.
An annual report from the National Employment Law Project, a nonprofit advocating for workers’ rights, found that 88 jurisdictions will raise their minimum wages by the end of 2026.
In January, Nebraska’s minimum wage will increase from $13.50 to $15 per hour, while Rhode Island will see an increase from $15 to $16 per hour.
All workers in Denver will see the minimum wage increase from $18.81 to $19.29 in January and the minimum in Flagstaff, Arizona, will increase from $17.85 to $18.35 per hour.
The increases come as rising costs of housing, food and utilities are pinching more workers across the country, said Yannet Lathrop, senior researcher and policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project who authored the report. Those costs are particularly challenging for lower-income workers, who are most likely to be affected by minimum wage changes.
“They are really struggling right now,” she said. “These wages basically mitigate the effects of inflation, the effects of the rising cost of living, and the difficulties so many people are having paying for basics, for food, for housing, for...
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