The Top 5 US Cities With the Highest Minimum Wage
As of 2022, the federal minimal wage stands at simply $7.25 per hour, regardless of latest requires a $15 minimal wage. In line with our analysis, the highest 5 cities in the USA with the best minimal wage as of 2022 are as follows:
- Emeryville, Calif.
- Seattle, Wash.
- Mountain View, Calif.
- Sunnyvale, Calif.
- Palo Alto, Calif.
Moreover, a number of states have handed payments that can finally put all cities of their jurisdiction at $15 or extra per hour. Employees in a few of these cities should wait just a few years to implement the brand new minimal wage legal guidelines totally. For instance, Florida residents voted in November 2020 to extend the state’s minimal wage incrementally (starting at $10 per hour on Sept. 30, 2021) till it reaches $15 per hour in September 2026.
Different states have minimal wages above the federal stage, with 26 of these states rising their wages additional in 2022.
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Key Takeaways
- The minimal wage is the bottom quantity that an employer will pay a employee per hour.
- The federal minimal wage has been caught at $7.25 for greater than a decade, however there have been latest efforts to boost it to $15 per hour.
- The present federal minimal wage is inadequate to help oneself and, if relevant, a household, significantly within the dearer cities within the U.S.
- A number of cities have their very own minimal wages that exceed the federal stage. These with the best minimal wages embody Seattle, Emeryville, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Palo Alto.
Because of the 2022 midterm elections, a poll measure was handed in Nebraska that can enhance its minimal wage from $9 an hour to $10.50 in 2023, with gradual annual will increase to $15 an hour by 2026 and annual inflationary changes in future years. Votes are presently being tallied for the same poll measure to extend Nevada’s minimal wage.
The Push for Greater Minimal Wages
Since its peak in 1968, the minimal wage relative to inflation and the price of dwelling has fallen steadily. Previous to the early 2010s, few states and municipalities had minimal wages considerably increased than the federal minimal wage. This modified when minimal wage staff got here collectively to unfold consciousness about their plight.
These consciousness campaigns had been extremely profitable, drawing help from high-profile activists. These activists have since efficiently pushed native governments in a number of cities to mandate increased minimal wages that allow staff to be self-sufficient.
It’s mathematically not possible, even working full time, to help oneself, a lot much less a household, on a minimal wage job—particularly in costly cities. The cities listed beneath are among the many costliest within the U.S., with residents of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue space having an roughly 11% decrease way of life in 2018 than these dwelling in different American cities (when it comes to buying energy).
West Hollywood, Calif., truly has the next minimal wage than some other metropolis within the U.S, at $17.64 per hour. Nevertheless, that is solely obtainable to workers throughout the metropolis’s resort trade, however it would turn out to be citywide minimal wage for all companies on July 1, 2023.
SeaTac, Wash., has a minimal wage of $17.54 per hour that’s solely obtainable to workers throughout the metropolis’s hospitality and transportation industries. Apart from these staff, SeaTac’s normal minimal wage is similar because the state minimal wage: $14.49 per hour.
1. Emeryville: $17.68 per Hour
The minimal wage has since elevated additional, starting its rise in 2018, although it did not roll out for all staff citywide till 2021. As of 2022, each giant and small companies should pay a minimal of $17.27 per hour. Within the case of the latter, that is diminished to $15.75 if the employer pays $1.52 per hour towards medical advantages or the worker earns $1.52 per hour in ideas. Moreover, Seattle is the one metropolis on this record that isn’t positioned in California.
2. Seattle: $17.27 per Hour
There have been initially two minimal wages in Emeryville, Calif., when the town established its ordinance on July 2, 2015. These had been $12.25 per hour and $14.44 per hour for workers as much as 55 years outdated and people no youthful than 56 years outdated, respectively. Since then, these charges have been yearly adjusted based mostly on the Client Worth Index (CPI). By 2019, the age classes not utilized. As of July 19, 2022, Emeryville’s minimal wage is $17.68 per hour.
In June 2014, Seattle made historical past when its metropolis council signed into legislation a mandate to boost the minimal wage for all staff within the metropolis to $15 per hour. Town grew to become the primary within the U.S. with a $15 minimal wage. At that time, no different metropolis had a minimal wage that was even shut.
3. Mountain View: $17.10 per Hour
Mountain View, Calif., initially established its personal minimal wage on Jan. 1, 2015, at $10.30 per hour. It was set to rise by a specified quantity annually till it reached $15 in 2018. From 2019 onward, to fight inflation, the speed will enhance based mostly on any rise in the price of dwelling within the previous 12 months. As of Jan. 21, 2022, Mountain View’s minimal wage is $17.10 per hour.
4. Sunnyvale: $17.10 per Hour
Like Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Calif., additionally established an area minimal wage of $10.30 per hour on Jan. 1, 2015. When the ordinance was adopted, it included provisions to make sure that the speed would rise yearly by a set quantity till it reached $15 in 2019. Moreover, Sunnyvale established that every 12 months after 2019, the minimal wage will rise in response to any enhance in the price of dwelling, as much as a most of 5% yearly, within the 12 months prior. That is meant to make sure that inflation can’t scale back the speed’s worth. As of Jan. 21, 2022, the town’s minimal wage is $17.10 per hour.
5. Palo Alto: $16.45 per Hour
Palo Alto’s Minimal Wage Ordinance applies to all workers who work a minimal of two hours per week throughout the metropolis’s borders. Beginning in 2020, the town started rising the minimal wage every January 1 based mostly on the Bay Space Client Worth Index. As of Jan. 21, 2022, Palo Alto’s minimal wage is $16.45 per hour.
What States Have a $15 Minimal Wage?
Solely California has a minimal wage of $15, and that is just for companies with 26 or extra workers; nevertheless, within the subsequent few years, many states will probably be rising their minimal wage to $15.
Which State Has the Highest Minimal Wage in 2022? Which Metropolis?
In 2022, California has the best minimal wage at $15; nevertheless, when it comes to cities, Seattle has the best minimal wage at $17.27 an hour.
What US States Have the Lowest Minimal Wages?
5 states haven’t adopted a state minimal wage: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Two states, Georgia and Wyoming, have a minimal wage beneath $7.25 per hour. In all seven of those states, the federal minimal wage of $7.25 per hour applies.
The Backside Line
The federal minimal wage of $7.25 has not elevated since 2009 and is now too low for households to reside above the poverty line. As a consequence of calls for from staff, many states, cities, and municipalities have a minimal wage above the federal minimal wage. There’s a continued push to extend the federal minimal wage to $15, nevertheless it has been met with important resistance.
