State Minimum Wages

HOME
REGS & NUMBERS
IN THE NEWS
SUPPORTING: ARTICLES
SUPPORTING: RESEARCH
OPPOSING: ARTICLES
OPPOSING: RESEARCH
THE STATES
SUBMINIMUM WAGES
AROUND THE WORLD
IMMIGRATION
ENFORCEMENT
LIVING WAGE
INDEXING
RELIGION
BOOKS
RELATED
ABOUT SITE

                                                                                 

Minimum Wage Laws in the States. U.S. Department of Labor

A clickable map with up-to-date information on the states' minimum wages.

Changes in state minimum wages for selected years, 1968-2006. U.S. Department of Labor

A table covering a great deal of minimum wage history and variation among the states.

State Minimum Wage Legislation. The National Conference of State Legislatures

A table of state legislation related to the minimum wage as of October 2006.

 
                                                 Variations
 
State minimum wage laws make headlines most often for the news about increases and occasionally about indexing (annual adjustments for inflation).  But many state regulations include lesser-known and interesting provisions. Here is a guide to some of them.  (The detailed "wage orders" or "wage and hour laws" for each state can usually be found by entering those terms in a search engine.  On "Indexing," see the page on this site.)
 
NEW JERSEY, instead of indexing its minimum wage, has established a minimum wage commission to recommend annual changes.
ILLINOIS and MICHIGAN are among the few states that set sub-minimum wages for teenagers by age, regardless of whether or not they are students or apprenctices.
Most states follow federal law in allowing employers to pay a lower minimum wage to employees who receive tips, as long as this lower minimum plus the tips add up to the minimum wage or more.  As this table from the U.S. Department of Labor shows, the amount of the wage reduction--the tip credit--usually runs between 40 and 50 percent of the state's full minimum wage.  But some are  higher or lower, CONNECTICUT and NEW YORK have different tip credits for several different occupations, and seven states have no tip credit at all, allowing food servers to make a full wage plus tips.   
NEVADA'S 2006 constitutional amendment prescribes two minimum wages according to whether the employer provides health benefits or not. 
The federal minimum law does not cover workers in businesses with proceeds under $500,000 (unless the business is involved in interstate commerce).  Many states similarly exempt employees in small businesses.  But MINNESOTA, MONTANA, and OKLAHOMA have established separate, lower minimum wages for small-business employees. 
LOUISIANA, along with ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI, SOUTH CAROLINA, and TENNESSEE, have no minimum wage law of any kind.  Federal minimum wages and coverage are in effect.
MASSACHUSETTS, among other states, allows employers to reduce minimum wages if they provide meals and lodging for employees. 
AMERICAN SAMOA sets different minimum wages for 17 different industries, from stevedoring at the high end down to garment manufacturing.

                                                                                                

Legislation Pushed to Require Minimum Wage for Domestic Workers. Steven Greenhouse

From the New York Times, coverage of proposed New York State legislation to provide a $14 minimum wage and other labor protection for nannies and housekeepers.  June 2007

Let Justice Roll Hails New State Victories

A press release that also cites a growing list of business owners in all states who have signed on to support minimum wage increases.  April 2007

Cherokee Nation minimum wage in second phase. Sequoyah County Time

The minimum rises to $8.25 for employees of Cherokee Nation companies in Oklahoma.  October 2007

Restaurants challenge proposed tip credit change. Seacoastonline

In Maine, a proposed reduction in the share of the tips that restaurants can count toward paying their waiters prompts the owners to run the numbers as they show how unfair the change would be.  December 2007 

Higher Ed Groups Weigh In On Minimum Wage Debate. Charles Dervarics

Minimum wage increases for college students in conflict with fixed federal work-study funding.  From Diverse, April 2007

California: Traffic Court Community Service Violates Minimum Wage Law. thenewspaper.com

The rate at which traffic tickets are paid off through community work is contested.  January 2008

Florida Finds Little Trauma, Drama from Wage Hike. Frank Langfit

From National Public Radio, a visit to Florida two years after it raised and indexed its minimum wage finds that neither the disasters nor the benefits that were anticipated have materialized.  December 2006

Maine committee to consider two-step wage increase. Associated Press

To $8.40 in 2009.  November 2007

Vermont Livable Wage Legislation

From Vermont's Livable Wage Campaign, information about the process and the issues surrounding the minimum wage in a state that became the fourth to index it.

The Minimum Wage: Information, Opinion, Research