Throughout 2021, numerous national retailers increased their minimum pay rates. In 2022, more than half of the states in the U.S. will increase their own minimum wages.
Nationally, the federal minimum wage in the U.S. is $7.25, a rate that hasn’t been raised since 2009. As of fall 2021, 16 states have minimum wage rates at the federal level.
In the new year, 26 states will implement an increase to their minimum wage, according to payroll experts at Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.
The company’s report shows California will have the highest state rate at $15 an hour. Parts of New York, including New York City, will also have a $15 minimum wage.
Ten states have scheduled incremental increases to bring their minimum wage to $15 an hour within the coming years:
- California, Connecticut, and Massachusetts by 2023
- New Jersey by 2024
- Delaware, Illinois, Maryland (for large employers), and Rhode Island by 2025
- Florida and Maryland (for small employers) by 2026
Below is an interactive map showing which states will see an impact to their minimum wage in 2022:
Seven states will see an increase of $1 or more to their minimum hourly wage:
- California (from $13 to $14 for companies with 25 or fewer employees; to $15, for companies with 26 or more employees)
- Connecticut (from $13 to $14)
- Delaware (from $9.25 to $10.50)
- Florida (from $10 to $11)
- Illinois (from $11 to $12)
- New Jersey ($13 for most employees, up from $12)
- New Mexico ($10.50 to $11.50)
- Virginia ($9.50 to $11)
Other states raising their minimum wages during 2022 include Connecticut, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are five states that do not require a minimum wage: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee.