ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. – This year, 27 states have raised or will raise their minimum wage, but North Carolina isn’t one of them. The state’s minimum wage is $7.25 and it’s been the same for 14 years.

It matches the federal minimum wage put into law in 2009. But after all that time, many are asking whether it's still enough.

What You Need To Know

• This year, 27 states have raised or will raise their minimum wages but North Carolina’s is still $7.25


• North Carolina’s minimum wage hasn’t changed in 14 years and it matches the federal minimum wage put into law in 2009


• An Orange County nonprofit say this year’s living wage is either $16.60 or $15.10, depending on whether the employer provides health insurance


• The owners of Big Spoon Roasters in Hillsborough are certified by the nonprofit because they pay a living wage

The Orange County Living Wage is a volunteer driven nonprofit. The organization calculated that a living wage in the county this year is $16.60 an hour if an employer doesn’t provide health insurance. However, if an employer does provide health insurance, it’s $15.10. That’s more than double the federal and state minimum wage.

The owners of Big Spoon Roasters in Hillsborough have decided to pay their employees more than the minimum wage.

“Big Spoon Roasters was founded in 2011. We make fresh roasted nut butters and bars that are made with our nut butters. So that's everything from peanut butters and almond butters to cashew butters,” Megan Overbay, the...

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