In 23 states, 75% or more of LTSS direct care workers would have higher pay if the minimum wage is raised to $15 an hour: Number and share of direct care workers in long-term services and supports who would benefit from the Raise the Wage Act of 2021, by state
| State | Share of LTSS direct care workers affected | Total LTSS direct care workforce | Total number of affected LTSS direct care workers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 84.8% | 37,000 | 31,000 |
| Alaska | NA | NA | NA |
| Arizona | 66.3% | 59,000 | 39,000 |
| Arkansas | 87.4% | 36,000 | 32,000 |
| California | NA | 471,000 | NA |
| Colorado | 55.1% | 44,000 | 24,000 |
| Connecticut | NA | 54,000 | NA |
| Delaware | NA | NA | NA |
| Washington D.C. | NA | NA | NA |
| Florida | 75.7% | 152,000 | 115,000 |
| Georgia | 80.7% | 61,000 | 49,000 |
| Hawaii | NA | NA | NA |
| Idaho | 78.2% | 19,000 | 15,000 |
| Illinois | 1.4% | 145,000 | 2,000 |
| Indiana | 79.6% | 66,000 | 52,000 |
| Iowa | 75.0% | 41,000 | 31,000 |
| Kansas | 83.5% | 34,000 | 29,000 |
| Kentucky | 80.4% | 32,000 | 26,000 |
| Louisiana | 89.3% | 54,000 | 48,000 |
| Maine | 67.6% | 22,000 | 15,000 |
| Maryland | NA | 53,000 | NA |
| Massachusetts | NA | 96,000 | NA |
| Michigan | 73.2% | 115,000 | 84,000 |
| Minnesota | 42.3% | 97,000 | 41,000 |
| Mississippi | 90.7% | 26,000 | 23,000 |
| Missouri | 84.4% | 77,000 | 65,000 |
| Montana | NA | NA | NA |
| Nebraska | 75.6% | 23,000 | 17,000 |
| Nevada | NA | NA | NA |
| New Hampshire | NA | NA | NA |
| New Jersey | NA | 90,000 | NA |
| New Mexico | 84.8% | 34,000 | 29,000 |
| New York | 16.1% | 423,000 | 68,000 |
| North Carolina | 83.3% | 98,000 | 82,000 |
| North Dakota | NA | NA | NA |
| Ohio | 82.1% | 146,000 | 120,000 |
| Oklahoma | 85.9% | 35,000 | 30,000 |
| Oregon | 44.4% | 54,000 | 24,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 78.1% | 187,000 | 146,000 |
| Rhode Island | NA | NA | NA |
| South Carolina | 82.3% | 43,000 | 36,000 |
| South Dakota | NA | NA | NA |
| Tennessee | 78.2% | 58,000 | 45,000 |
| Texas | 83.2% | 324,000 | 270,000 |
| Utah | NA | NA | NA |
| Vermont | NA | NA | NA |
| Virginia | 71.1% | 74,000 | 52,000 |
| Washington | 42.0% | 77,000 | 32,000 |
| West Virginia | 85.3% | 25,000 | 22,000 |
| Wisconsin | 77.5% | 87,000 | 67,000 |
| Wyoming | NA | NA | NA |
Notes: Long-term services and supports (LTSS) are health and social services provided to individuals who need assistance with daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, toilet care, shopping, preparing meals, housekeeping, and managing medications. We do not report data for states in which the total direct care workforce sample size is less than 250. We also do not report counts and shares of affected workers for states in which fewer than 1,000 workers are affected; this is the case for states in which the state minimum wage is already scheduled to reach $15 by 2025.
Sources: Campbell et al. 2021 and Economic Policy Institute Minimum Wage Simulation Model; see Technical Methodology by Cooper, Mokhiber, and Zipperer (2019).
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