Politics & Government

State's Minimum Wage to Increase 15 Cents, to $9.19, on Jan. 1

Washington state has the highest minimum wage in the country.

 

Washington’s minimum wage will increase to $9.19 per hour on Jan. 1, an increase of 15 cents. The current rate of $9.04 an hour is already the highest state minimum wage in the nation. That increased went into effect Jan. 1 of this year, an increase of 37 cents from $8.67 an hour.

(Check out a history of Washington state's minimum wage.)

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The Department of Labor & Industries calculates the state’s minimum wage each year as required by Initiative 688, which Washington voters approved in 1998.

The increase reflects a 1.67 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLI).

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BLI reports that about 80 percent of the increase was due to a jump in gasoline prices, which rose an average of 9 percent over the past 12 months.

Oregon has the second-highest minimum wage. It will increase 15 cents—1.7 percent—to $8.95 an hour on Jan. 1.

Washington's minimum wage applies to workers in both agriculture and non-agricultural jobs, although 14- and 15-year-olds may be paid 85 percent of the minimum wage, which is $7.81 in 2013.

A few cities, like San Francisco, have their own laws and have higher rates. San Francisco's current rate of $10.24 makes it the first city in the country to top a $10 minimum wage.

The federal minimum wage is $7.25.


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