The Slatest

19 States Set to Raise the Minimum Wage in New Year

A McDonald’s drive-thru worker hands an order to a customer Feb. 9, 2009, in San Francisco.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Trump administration appears poised to try to roll back any gains that have been made in paying low income Americans more fairly—a prospect accentuated by Trump’s selection of fast food exec Andrew Puzder as his labor secretary—but there’s still progress being made on the state level, as 19 states will mark the New Year with an increase in the minimum wage.

From the Associated Press:

Massachusetts and Washington state will have the highest new minimum wages in the country, at $11 per hour. California will raise its wage to $10.50 for businesses with 26 or more employees. New York state is taking a regional approach, with the wage rising to $11 in New York City, to $10.50 for small businesses in the city, $10 in its downstate suburbs and $9.70 elsewhere. Some specific businesses — fast-food restaurants and the smallest New York City businesses — will have slightly different wage requirements…

[Along with raises in California, Massachusetts, and New York] Voters in Arizona, Maine, Colorado and Washington approved increases in this year’s election. Seven other states, Alaska, Florida, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio and South Dakota, are automatically raising the wage based on indexing. The other states seeing increases are Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan and Vermont. Additional increases are slated for later in the year in Oregon, Washington, D.C., and Maryland…

The adjustments in New York, California and several other states are part of a series of gradual increases to a $12 or $15 hourly wage. The minimum wage will also go up this weekend in 22 cities and counties, including San Diego, San Jose and Seattle.

Despite efforts to raise the federal minimum wage, the national minimum wage has stood at $7.25 since 2009.