Summary of January 1, 2019, state minimum wage increases and their estimated effects on workers
| State | Current minimum wage | New minimum wage as of Jan. 1, 2019 | Increase | Type of increase | Estimated wage-earning workforce | Estimated workers directly benefiting | Share of state workforce directly benefiting | Total increase in annual wages | Average increase in annual earnings of full-time workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $9.84 | $9.89 | $0.05 | Inflation adjustment | 302,500 | 11,500 | 3.8% | $1,005,800 | $90 |
| Arizona | $10.50 | $11.00 | $0.50 | Ballot measure | 2,856,500 | 443,400 | 15.5% | $329,781,700 | $740 |
| Arkansas | $8.50 | $9.25 | $0.75 | Ballot measure | 1,207,400 | 81,000 | 6.7% | $74,720,300 | $920 |
| California | $11.00 | $12.00 | $1.00 | Legislation | 16,151,100 | 2,560,100 | 15.9% | $3,345,224,400 | $1,310 |
| Colorado | $10.20 | $11.10 | $0.90 | Ballot measure | 2,580,300 | 254,600 | 9.9% | $273,050,500 | $1,070 |
| Delaware | $8.25 | $8.75 | $0.50 | Legislation | 424,000 | 14,900 | 3.5% | $10,010,700 | $670 |
| Florida | $8.25 | $8.46 | $0.21 | Inflation adjustment | 8,756,800 | 159,200 | 1.8% | $59,849,800 | $380 |
| Maine | $10.00 | $11.00 | $1.00 | Ballot measure | 573,000 | 87,200 | 15.2% | $90,755,900 | $1,040 |
| Massachusetts | $11.00 | $12.00 | $1.00 | Legislation | 3,249,600 | 372,300 | 11.5% | $440,491,000 | $1,180 |
| Minnesota | $9.65 | $9.86 | $0.21 | Inflation adjustment | 2,699,300 | 92,600 | 3.4% | $24,791,400 | $270 |
| Missouri | $7.85 | $8.60 | $0.75 | Ballot measure | 2,639,800 | 107,100 | 4.1% | $66,261,900 | $620 |
| Montana | $8.30 | $8.50 | $0.20 | Inflation adjustment | 420,900 | 5,000 | 1.2% | $1,636,300 | $330 |
| New Jersey | $8.60 | $8.85 | $0.25 | Inflation adjustment | 3,912,400 | 67,300 | 1.7% | $26,135,200 | $390 |
| New York** | $10.40 – $13.00 | $11.10 – $15.00 | $0.70 – $2.00 | Legislation | 8,449,400 | 464,200 | 5.5% | $282,159,000 | $610 |
| Ohio | $8.30 | $8.55 | $0.25 | Inflation adjustment | 5,041,200 | 67,300 | 1.3% | $19,569,500 | $290 |
| Rhode Island | $10.10 | $10.50 | $0.40 | Legislation | 482,800 | 19,800 | 4.1% | $12,476,600 | $630 |
| South Dakota | $8.85 | $9.10 | $0.25 | Inflation adjustment | 380,300 | 6,000 | 1.6% | $1,598,100 | $270 |
| Vermont | $10.50 | $10.77 | $0.27 | Inflation adjustment | 287,500 | 10,300 | 3.6% | $3,388,000 | $330 |
| Washington | $11.50 | $12.00 | $0.50 | Ballot measure | 3,151,400 | 337,100 | 10.7% | $258,186,300 | $770 |
| Total | 63,566,200 | 5,160,900 | 8.1% | $5,321,092,400 | |||||
| Michigan ballot initiative* | $9.25 | $10.00 | $0.75 | Ballot measure | 4,227,200 | 318,800 | 7.5% | $290,760,700 | $910 |
| Michigan legislation (April 1 increase) | $9.25 | $9.45 | $0.20 | Legislation | 4,227,200 | 136,100 | 3.2% | $37,108,500 | $270 |
* In September 2018, the Michigan legislature adopted, by legislation, a ballot initiative that had been scheduled to be on the November ballot that would have raised the state minimum wage to $10.00 on January 1, 2019, with subsequent increases raising it to $12 by 2022. The measure would have also established automatic inflation adjustment after 2022, and would have gradually raised and eliminated the lower minimum wage for tipped workers. By adopting the initiative, the legislature removed the measure from the ballot, denying the state’s citizens the opportunity to vote on the proposal. Then, after the November election, the legislature watered down the legislation so that the minimum wage will instead reach $12 by 2030—eight years more slowly—with no further automatic inflation adjustments and only a $0.07 increase to the tipped minimum wage. As a result of the amended legislation, the increase to Michigan’s minimum wage will take effect in April, not January 1.
** The New York minimum wage changes take effect on December 31, 2018.
Population growth between the data period and January 2019 estimated using state-specific projections for growth in the total population or the population ages 15–69, where available. Nominal wage growth between the data period and January 2019 estimated using the midpoint between national inflation as measured by the CPI-U from the first three quarters of 2017 to the first three quarters of 2018, and the 3-year average of nominal wage growth of the bottom 20 percent of wage earners in each state from 2014 to 2017. A full methodology is available in Appendix B of Raising the Minimum Wage to $15 by 2024 Would Lift Wages for 41 Million American Workers.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata 2017 and state population projections from various state agencies and demography centers