State Minimum Wage Increases

There has been considerable press coverage given to the failure of Congress to inact an increase to the Federal Minimum Wage. Did you know that twenty states and the District of Columbia currently have local minimum wages set higher (in some cases considerably higher) than the federal minimum of $5.15 per hour?

Effective October 1, 2006, four states increased their minimum wage. They are:

• Arkansas $6.25
• Maine $6.75
• Michigan $6.95
• New Jersey $7.15

January 1, 2007 will see further increases in nine states. They are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

A state by state listing of current minimum wage levels is published at the HomeWork Solutions' website.