Workers who toil for the federal minimum wage have not seen their pay increase in 13 years. Despite repeated attempts at hiking the lowest pay allowed by law, legislation that would boost the minimum wage remains stalled in Congress — but that doesn’t mean that the whole country is stuck at a paltry $7.25 an hour.
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In 2022, half of the states in America raised their minimum wages. Here’s a look at how the lowest-paid workers in America fared in their respective states in 2022.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, workers in 21 states got a raise on New Year’s Day in 2022. Minimum wage increases ranged from $0.22 to $1.50 an hour, adding between $458 and $3,120 to the annual earnings of full-time minimum wage workers.
The following nine states saw increases through previously scheduled inflation-based adjustments:
Arizona: $0.65 increase from $12.15 to $12.80
Colorado: $0.24 increase from $12.32 to $12.56
Maine: $0.60 increase from $12.15 to $12.75
Minnesota: $0.25 increase from $10.08 to $10.33
Montana: $0.45 increase from $8.75 to $9.20
New York: $0.70 increase from $12.50 to $13.20
Ohio: $0.50 increase from $8.80 to $9.30
South Dakota: $0.50 increase from $9.45 to $9.95
Washington: $0.80 increase from $13.69 to $14.49
Another 12 states increased their minimum wages through...
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