According to the Economic Policy Institute, with these changes, more workers across the country will have a baseline of more than $15 an hour than those that abide by the federal wage of $7.25, a number that has not changed since 2009.
Spectrum News
January 5, 2026
The pay increases will affect about 8.3 million workers, who will gain a combined $5 billion over the course of 2026, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, or EPI.
Beginning next year, the number of workers living in a state that guarantees a $15 minimum wage will exceed the number living in a state that offers the federal wage floor of $7.25 per hour, the EPI found.
ABC News
January 5, 2026
More than 8.3 million workers are expected to benefit from minimum wage hikes in 19 states, which will collectively add an estimated $5 billion in earnings nationwide, according to a December report by the Economic Policy Institute.
CNBC
January 5, 2026
When the calendar turns to 2026, workers who earn the minimum wage in more than a dozen states will see a bump in pay, according to a count from the Economic Policy Institute. And by the end of 2026, more states will have a minimum wage of at least $15 an hour than those where workers will continue to receive the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Some of those minimum wage increases will be big.
Marketplace
January 5, 2026
Features interview with Nina Mast.
CNBC
January 5, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute of Nebraska found the $1.50 an hour increase in minimum wage to $15 an hour will amount to an average annual wage increase of $980.
Nebraska Public MEdia
January 5, 2026
Putting more money in workers’ pockets is a good affordability policy, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The New Year’s Day pay bumps across the country will benefit more than 8.3 million workers.
Arizona Family
January 5, 2026
The report analyzed affordability in 160 major metro areas using cost estimates from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) and U.S. Census demographic data.
Minnesota Star Tribune
January 5, 2026
These are the 19 states are raising their minimum wage starting Jan. 1 and what they will raise it to, according to the Economic Policy Institute and the U.S. Department of Labor:
SunHerald
January 5, 2026
On January 1, 2026, Ohio’s minimum wage will increase by 30-cents to $11.00 per hour. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that approximately 103,800 Ohioans paid less than $11.00 will experience a direct wage increase, and 169,300 more Ohioans will likely see an increase in their wages as employers adjust their pay scales. The minimum wage for tipped workers will increase to $5.50, with direct or projected indirect effects on every one of the 97,100 Ohioans in tipped occupations.
Dayton Weekly
January 5, 2026