As The Ball Drops, The Minimum Wage Rises In 42 States and Municipalities

 

With January 1, 2017 around the corner, 42 states and municipalities are poised to ring in the New Year with extreme minimum wage increases. 
Nineteen states are raising their starter wages on New Year’s Day and some of the numbers are shocking. Arizona (24 percent increase), Maine (20 percent), and Washington state (16 percent) will see the largest increases. Meanwhile, twenty-three localities, including 12 cities in California, are also ringing in the New Year with starter wage increases. See the full table of New Year’s minimum wage increases below.
 
However, New York State and California provide employers with a dizzying maze of minimum wage increases. 
 
In New York State, where starter wage increases are dependent on business size, location, and type; small businesses and their employees are facing 14 different government dictated wage rates taking effect on December 31st.  View a full table of New York State’s patchwork of wage increases, published by the New York State Restaurant Association, here.
 
In California, 12 different cities are increasing their minimum wage on New Year’s Day in addition to the state-level hike. Cupertino, Los Altos, and San Mateo, which are all raising their starter wages by 20 percent to $12 an hour. Mountain View and Sunnyvale are both raising their starter wages by 18 percent to $13 an hour.
Labor unions and their activist allies may be popping the champagne on New Year’s to celebrate minimum wage increases, but businesses and their employees are the ones that will feel the hangover effects of business closures, lost jobs, and reduced hours.

New Year’s Minimum Wage Increases

State

Current MW

 2017 MW

Percent Increase

Alaska

$               9.75

 $            9.80

1%

Arizona

$               8.05

 $          10.00

24%

Arkansas

$               8.00

 $            8.50

6%

California¹

$             10.00

 $          10.50

5%

Colorado

$               8.31

 $            9.30

12%

Connecticut

$               9.60

 $          10.10

5%

Florida

$               8.05

 $            8.10

1%

Hawaii

$               8.50

 $            9.25

9%

Maine

$               7.50

 $            9.00

20%

Massachusetts

$             10.00

 $          11.00

10%

Michigan

$               8.50

 $            8.90

5%

Missouri

$               7.65

 $            7.70

1%

Montana

$               8.05

 $            8.15

1%

New Jersey

$               8.38

 $            8.44

1%

Ohio

$               8.10

 $            8.15

1%

South Dakota

$               8.55

 $            8.65

1%

Vermont

$               9.60

 $          10.00

4%

Washington

$               9.47

 $          11.00

16%

New York² (12/31)

$               9.00

 $          9.85

9%

Cities/Counties

Current MW

 2017 MW

Percent Increase

Albuquerque, New Mexico

$               8.75

 $            8.80

1%

Bernalillo, New Mexico

$               8.65

 $            8.70

1%

Cupertino, California

$             10.00

 $          12.00

20%

El Cerrito, California

$             11.60

 $          12.25

6%

Johnson County, Iowa

$               9.15

 $          10.10

10%

Las Cruces, New Mexico

$               8.40

 $            9.20

10%

Linn County, Iowa

$               7.25

 $            8.25

14%

Los Altos, California

$             10.00

 $          12.00

20%

Mountain View, California

$             11.00

 $          13.00

18%

New York City, NY³

$               9.00

 $          10.75

19%

Oakland, California

$             12.55

 $          12.86

2%

Palo Alto, California

$             11.00

 $          12.00

9%

Portland, Maine

$             10.10

 $          10.68

6%

Richmond, California

$             11.52

 $          12.30

7%

San Diego, California

$             10.50

 $          11.50

10%

San Mateo, California

$             10.00

 $          12.00

20%

San Jose, California

$             10.30

 $          10.50

2%

Santa Clara, California

$             11.00

 $          11.10

1%

Seattle, Washington

$             13.00

 $          15.00

15%

SeaTac, Washington

$             15.24

 $          15.35

1%

Sunnyvale, California

$             11.00

 $          13.00

18%

Tacoma, Washington

$             10.35

 $          11.15

8%

Wapello County, Iowa

$               7.25

 $            8.20

13%

¹ 25 or fewer employees, remains at $10
² Different tiers, $9.85 is avg. of two non-NYC rates
³ $10.50 for small businesses, $11 for large, $12 for fast food
⁴ $11 to $15 depending on size/type of employer