Are you up to date on state wages? Effective January 1, 2016, the minimum wage has increased in eleven U.S. states. A few states have adopted the federal minimum wage, while others have increased it due to cost of living increases, cost of wages, and /or economic competition in their state. Some states are implementing a multi-year approach to the minimum wage increase and are planning to hit their target rate at a later time.
The states that are increasing their minimum wage are as follows:
|
State |
2015 Minimum Wage |
2016 Minimum Wage |
|
Alaska |
8.75 |
9.75 |
|
Arkansas |
7.50 |
8.00 |
|
California |
9.00 |
10.00 |
|
Connecticut |
9.15 |
9.60 |
|
Hawaii |
7.75 |
8.50 |
|
Massachusetts |
9.00 |
10.00 |
|
Michigan |
8.15 |
8.50 |
|
Nebraska |
8.00 |
9.00 |
|
New York |
8.75 |
9.00 |
|
Vermont |
9.15 |
9.60 |
|
West Virginia |
8.00 |
8.75 |
Additionally, Colorado employers are required to increase the hourly pay of both tipped and non-tipped employees in accordance with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s Minimum Wage Order Number 32, effective January 1, 2016. The new rates were calculated as specified by Amendment 42 which states that the minimum wage must be adjusted for inflation based on Colorado’s Consumer Price Index. The new minimum wage for Colorado restaurant workers was adjusted for a 1% increase to $8.31 for non-tipped employees and $5.29 plus hourly tip capped at $3.02 for tipped employees.
For more information, visit your state’s Department of Labor.
