From cost of living adjustments to legislative plans to reach a certain wage by a particular year, half of the U.S. states raised their minimum wages in 2024. And while the highest minimum wage in the nation ($17.50) can be found in Washington D.C. (which is not its own state), there are plenty of other states with wages well above the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour. See where the increases happened this year, and find out which state will be the last one of the year to introduce a hike.
Alaska
Current Minimum Wage: $11.73
2023 Minimum Wage: $10.85
Alaska’s minimum wage falls substantially short of the estimated living wage of $18.58 per hour for Anchorage residents, even after it was raised nearly $1 per hour in January 2024. In November 2024, voters in Alaska will decide whether they want to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027, edging closer to a figure deemed “livable.”
Arizona
Current Minimum Wage: $14.35
2023 Minimum Wage: $13.85
Arizona increased minimum wage at the beginning of 2024, also rising the minimum wage of tipped employees to $11.35 per hour, which is more than $4 more an hour for the federal minimum wage for non-tipped employees.
California
Current Minimum Wage: $16
2023 Minimum Wage: $15.50
California’s statewide minimum wage was boosted at the beginning of 2024, although several counties exceed the statewide minimum, all the way up to $19.36 per hour in Emeryville.
Colorado
Current Minimum Wage: $14.42
2023 Minimum Wage: $13.65
While the Colorado statewide minimum wage was raised to $14.42 per hour, areas including Denver ($18.29), Edgewater ($15.02), and Boulder County ($15.69) go beyond the statewide parameters.
Connecticut
Current Minimum Wage: $15.69
2023 Minimum Wage: $15
Connecticut’s minimum wage hike was more like a gentle bump, going up 4.6% from 2023.
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Delaware
Current Minimum Wage: $13.25
2023 Minimum Wage: $11.75
In 2022, Delaware’s minimum wage rate was $10.50 an hour, and the state announced its plan to increase the minimum wage in increments before reaching $15 per hour by 2025.
Florida
Upcoming Minimum Wage: $13
2023 Minimum Wage: $12
On September 30, 2024, Florida will become the 25th state to raise the minimum wage this year, jumping from $12 per hour to $13. This increase is part of a constitutional amendment approved by Florida voters in 2020, which introduces gradual wage increases until 2026 when the minimum wage will reach $15 per hour.
Hawaii
Current Minimum Wage: $14
2023 Minimum Wage: $12
As part of Hawaii’s scheduled minimum wage increases, the rate jumped from $12 to $14 in 2024. The state passed legislation to increase the minimum wage to $18 an hour by 2028.
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Illinois
Current Minimum Wage: $14
2023 Minimum Wage: $13
Your age determines your wage in Illinois. Workers who are 18 or older get $14 an hour for minimum wage while those 17 and under get $12 per hour.
Maine
Current Minimum Wage: $14.15
2023 Minimum Wage: $13.80
Maine’s minimum wage increase history has been quite gradual compared to other states, only rising by $3.15 from 2019.
Maryland
Current Minimum Wage: $15
2023 Minimum Wage: $13.25 for employers with 15 or more workers and $12.80 for smaller businesses
Maryland’s minimum wage structure used to be different depending on the size of the business, but with the bump to $15 per hour this year, the state also made its minimum wage the same for all employees, regardless of the size of their employer.
Michigan
Current Minimum Wage: $10.33
2023 Minimum Wage: $10.10
Workers making minimum wage in the Mitten got a 23-cent bump (more like a gentle nudge) for 2024. Michigander minors (17 and under), however, make $8.78 per hour for minimum wage.
Minnesota
Current Minimum Wage: $8.85 for small employers and $10.85 for large employers
2023 Minimum Wage: $8.63 for small employers and $10.59 for large employers
Minnesota bumped adjusted its minimum wages for inflation in 2024. The state offers different minimum wages depending on the employer’s size, with small companies coming in nearly $2 less per hour than large ones.
Missouri
Current Minimum Wage: $12.30
2023 Minimum Wage: $12
Missouri gave its minimum wage workers a 30-cent bump in 2024.
Montana
Current Minimum Wage: $10.30
2023 Minimum Wage: $9.95
Montana’s minimum wage finally crossed the $10 threshold in 2024 when the state minimum wage was raised by 35 cents.
Nebraska
Current Minimum Wage: $12
2023 Minimum Wage: $10.50
The 2024 minimum wage hike in Nebraska is part of the state’s larger plan to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026.
Nevada
Current Minimum Wage: $12
2023 Minimum Wage: $11.25
Nevada’s minimum wage increase was the final installment of a five-year plan to raise the minimum wage by 75 cents a year until it reached $12 per hour. This increase also raised daily overtime rates for Nevada workers.
New Jersey
Current Minimum Wage: $15.13
2023 Minimum Wage: $14.13
The minimum wage is $15.13 for most New Jersey employers, but seasonal and small employers with less than six workers have a $13.73 minimum wage.
New York
Current Minimum Wage: $16
2023 Minimum Wage: $15
New York’s minimum wage is now $16 for New York City, Long Island and Westchester, and $15 for the rest of the state.
Ohio
Current Minimum Wage: $10.45
2023 Minimum Wage: $10.10
Ohio bumped its minimum wage a gentle 3.47% to give workers $10.45 an hour rather than the former $10.10.
Oregon
Current Minimum Wage: $15.95 inside the Portland metro area
2023 Minimum Wage: $15.45 inside the Portland metro area
The minimum wage is now $14.70 an hour in urban counties outside the Portland limits. In rural counties, the minimum is $1 lower at $13.70.
Rhode Island
Current Minimum Wage: $14
2023 Minimum Wage: $13
Rhode Island residents saw a $1 increase in their minimum wage rate in 2024, and they can expect another $1 jump in 2025 as part of the state’s plan to reach $15 per hour by 2025.
South Dakota
Current Minimum Wage: $11.20
2023 Minimum Wage: $10.80
South Dakota increases its minimum wage each year according to the cost of living as it’s measured by the Consumer Price Index, rounding the bump to the nearest 5-cent increment.
Washington
Current Minimum Wage: $16.28
2023 Minimum Wage: $15.74
Washington is officially the state with the highest minimum wage in the nation, behind only Washington D.C. (which isn’t a state, we know) in terms of the overall highest rate for minimum wage in the U.S.
Vermont
Current Minimum Wage: $13.67
2023 Minimum Wage: $13.18
Minimum wage workers in Vermont make nearly 50 cents more an hour in 2024 compared to 2023.
