First off, congratulations to every state that passed a state-level minimum wage hike in 2018. That way, New Jersey workers in the future will earn $15 per hour and their paychecks will be bigger. However, according to National Federation of Independent Business, more state-level minimum wage hikes are on the way because, as we said, the federal minimum wage is $7.25.
Not only that, but, according to the White House, 28 states already surpassed the federal minimum wage. At $7.25, that means the federal minimum wage is a paltry $15 per hour in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
What can you do with that? Here’s a look at what minimum wage laws in the lowest 20 states look like today:
Pay More Than $7.25
As we said, these states pay at least $7.25. To be exact, here’s the minimum wage today in states where you can make at least $7.25, where the minimum wage is expected to rise and where the minimum wage is going up this fall:
California: $10.50 an hour
Massachusetts: $11 an hour
Washington: $11 an hour
Ohio: $8.95 an hour
Indiana: $8.25 an hour
West Virginia: $8.25 an hour
Arkansas: $8.15 an hour
Wisconsin: $7.85 an hour
Michigan: $7.40 an hour
Read the BRIEF
And here’s the list of states with the lowest minimum wage. You can check out some of the lowest minimum wage states on AFSCME’s MoneyWire Website
Here’s a breakdown of the following states:
South Dakota: $7.50 an hour
Maine: $7.50 an hour
New Mexico: $7.25 an hour
Arkansas: $7.25 an hour
Louisiana: $7.25 an hour
Mississippi: $7.25 an hour
Indiana: $7.25 an hour
Nebraska: $7.25 an hour
Alabama: $7.25 an hour
Arizona: $7.25 an hour
Indiana: $7.25 an hour
Georgia: $7.25 an hour
Kentucky: $7.25 an hour
Louisiana: $7.25 an hour
Iowa: $7.25 an hour
Massachusetts: $7.25 an hour
Hawaii: $7.25 an hour
Illinois: $7.25 an hour
Florida: $7.25 an hour
Pennsylvania: $7.25 an hour
Nevada: $7.25 an hour
Colorado: $7.25 an hour
Rhode Island: $7.25 an hour
West Virginia: $7.25 an hour
Michigan: $7.25 an hour
Kansas: $7.25 an hour
New Mexico: $7.25 an hour
South Dakota: $7.25 an hour
Arizona: $7.25 an hour
Colorado: $7.25 an hour
Idaho: $7.25 an hour
Minnesota: $7.25 an hour
Mississippi: $7.25 an hour
Arizona: $7.25 an hour
Alabama: $7.25 an hour
New York: $7.25 an hour
California: $10.50 an hour
New Jersey: $15 an hour
Texas: $7.25 an hour
New Mexico: $7.25 an hour
Mississippi: $7.25 an hour
Louisiana: $7.25 an hour
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 10 million workers make less than $15 per hour. About 2.3 million workers make less than $10 per hour.
Number of States With the Lowest Minimum Wage