Starting Monday, minimum wage workers in Washington, D.C., Nevada, and Oregon, as well as several cities and counties across the U.S., received a pay increase.
In Washington, D.C., the minimum wage is now $17.50 per hour, a 50-cent raise. This amount is higher than any state-level minimum wage and $10.25 more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Washington, D.C.’s 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 not increased since 2009 despite the rising prices of goods and services.
Nevada’s minimum wage has been raised to $12, a $1.75 increase. Previously, businesses offering health insurance could pay a wage $1 below the state minimum, but this practice has now been discontinued.
Oregon, like Washington, D.C., adjusts its minimum wage based on inflation growth. However, the actual amount earned by minimum wage workers varies by region. Wages have increased by 50 cents, or approximately 3%, in 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 wages have also taken effect in various cities and counties across the U.S.
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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 apply specifically to mid-sized employers (15 to 500 employees worldwide) or those with fewer than 15 employees but over $2 million in gross revenue.