Posts on social media claim minimum wage increases will take effect in nearly two dozen U.S. states on Jan. 1, 2024.
That’s led some people to wonder whether the federal minimum wage is also increasing in the new year, Google search data show.
THE QUESTION
Is the federal minimum wage increasing in 2024?
THE SOURCES
- U.S. Department of Labor
- Search of congressional legislation
- Ogletree Deakins, a law firm specializing in labor and employment counsel
- Economic Policy Institute (EPI)
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
- Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries
THE ANSWER
The federal minimum wage isn’t increasing and will remain at $7.25 an hour in 2024. However, the minimum wage in 22 states will go up on Jan. 1, 2024.
WHAT WE FOUND
The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since July 24, 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) says.
The DOL hasn’t published any updates about changes to the federal minimum wage. Ogletree Deakins, a law firm that specializes in labor and employment counsel, also said in a blog post that the federal minimum wage will remain at $7.25 an hour in 2024.
The only way the federal minimum wage can increase is through a bill passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, the DOL explains.
Some lawmakers have proposed increases to the federal minimum wage, but a search of congressional legislation shows none of the bills have been passed and signed into law.
However, 22 states are increasing their own minimum wages as of Jan. 1, 2024. Three other states are set to raise their minimum wages later in the year.
States can set their own minimum wages, which will trump the federal minimum wage if the state’s minimum wage is higher. Some local governments can also set their minimum wages even higher than their states’ minimums.
Twenty U.S. states still use the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) says.
- Alaska: $11.73
- Arizona: $14.35
- California: $16
- Colorado: $14.42
- Connecticut: $15.69
- Delaware: $13.25
- Hawaii: $14
- Illinois: $14
- Maine: $14.15
- Maryland: $15
- Michigan: $10.33
- Minnesota: $10.85
- Missouri: $12.30
- Montana: $10.30
- Nebraska: $12
- New York: $16 in New York City, and Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties; $15 in the remainder of the state
- New Jersey: $15.13
- Ohio: $10.45
- Rhode Island: $14
- South Dakota: $11.20
- Vermont: $13.67
- Washington: $16.28
Washington will have the highest state-level minimum wage as of Jan. 1, 2024.
Workers in three other states can expect minimum wage increases later in the year.
Nevada’s minimum wage is set to increase to $12 an hour as of July 1, 2024.
Florida’s minimum wage will increase to $13 an hour on Sept. 30, 2024, as part of a gradual increase to $15 an hour by Sept. 30, 2026.
Oregon adjusts its minimum wage annually in July based on any changes to the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is the most widely used measure of inflation. The state’s minimum wage is currently set at $14.20 an hour.
According to the EPI, 38 cities and counties will also increase their minimum wages as of Jan. 1, 2024. The full list is available at Table 3 on this EPI blog post.
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