Starting this week, minimum wage workers in Washington, D.C., Nevada, and Oregon, along with various cities and counties across the country, will see an increase in their pay.
In Washington, D.C., the minimum wage has been raised to $17.50 per hour, surpassing all state-level minimum wages and standing $10.25 higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. The D.C. minimum wage is adjusted annually on July 1 based on inflation growth, typically linked to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, or CPI.
Most states have set their minimum wages above the federal minimum wage, which has remained unchanged since 2009 despite the increasing prices of goods and services.
Nevada has increased its minimum wage to $12, a $1.75 raise. Previously, businesses offering health insurance could pay a wage $1 lower than the state minimum, but this practice has now been discontinued.
Oregon, like D.C., adjusts its minimum wage based on inflation growth. However, the amount that minimum wage workers earn varies by region. Minimum wages have been raised by 50 cents, or approximately 3%, in each of the following areas:
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Non-urban rural areas of southern, central, and eastern Oregon: $13.70.
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Willamette Valley and Oregon coast counties: $14.70.
Local minimum wage increases
New minimum wage rates have also gone into effect in various cities and counties across the United States.
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Los Angeles County (unincorporated): $17.27.
Additionally, hotel workers in Los Angeles are now entitled to a minimum wage of $20.32.
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Cook County:$14.05 for non-tipped workers.
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Montgomery County (10 or fewer employees): $15.
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Montgomery County (11 to 50 employees):$15.50.
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Montgomery County (51 or more employees): $17.15.
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St. Paul (5 employees or fewer): $12.25.
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St. Paul (6 to 100 employees):$14.
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St. Paul (101 to 10,000 employees):$15.57.
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Renton (large employers 500 or more employees worldwide): $20.29.
The above wages are applicable to mid-sized employers (15 to 500 employees worldwide) or those with fewer than 15 employees but with over $2 million in gross revenue: