The wage rate will cross the $15 per hour threshold for the first time in six states on Jan. 1, 2026. But the biggest hike will be seen in Hawaii.
With the new year comes a round of minimum wage increases.
Nineteen states will see a wage bump on Jan. 1, 2026. And, for the first time, there will be more states with a minimum wage at or above $15 per hour than states adhering to the federal minimum of $7.25, according to the liberal-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
In the new year, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Missouri and Nebraska will cross the $15 per hour threshold for the first time.
Among the highest rates will be in Washington state, for example, where the minimum wage is set to increase to $17.13 per hour, from the current $16.66.
Connecticut will raise its wage to $16.94 from $16.35 per hour. And California’s minimum wage will step up to $16.90 from $16.50 per hour.
The District of Columbia has the highest minimum wage, however, with a rate of $17.95 per hour, which took effect in July. D.C. doesn’t have another inflation-adjusted increase scheduled until July 2026.
Minimum wage jobs are not meant to be able to support a family-they are entry level or first job as a teen wages, where you learn a work ethic, to perform a job, time management, etc.-skills that are to prepare you for a better job with higher wages. Signs in the window of Dunkin Donuts for up to $20 an hour-no wonder the coffee is so expensive and the donuts have become more expensive and smaller! This is a job killer.