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The Minimum Wage: Information, Opinion, Research
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, 1968-2010. U.S. Department of Labor
A table covering a great deal of minimum wage history and variation
among the states.
Raise the Minimum Wage -- State Campaigns. The National Employment Law Project
A guide to drives to strengthen the minimum wages in several states, with bill summaries, polls,
and press clips for each. June 2011
2010 State Minimum Wage Bills. The National Conference of State Legislatures
Summaries of the year's state minimum wage bills as of September 2010.
Lower Living Standard Income Level Guidelines
Unlike the federal poverty threshholds that are set by family size
for the nation as a whole, the LLSIL numbers show the family low-income threshholds for different regions. The guidelines,
taken here from the Federal Register, are used to establish eligibility for workforce training programs and are
informative about not only regional but urban-vs-rural costs of living.
The Self-Sufficiency Standard
The home page for a series of state reports analyzing the current
living costs by county for families of different sizes with children of varying ages.
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, ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI, SOUTH CAROLINA, and TENNESSEE have no state minimum wage law of any kind.
Federal minimum wages and coverage are in effect. Under "minimum wage," Louisiana's state web site simply lists the federal
Department of Labor page.
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.
In August 2011, New Hampshire dropped its state minimum wage. Since
that wage was at the same level as the federallly-required minimum wage, $7.25, there was no actual change in payments. Here,
two reactions to the debate. August 2011
Maryland senators propose increasing minimum wage. Cumberland Times-News
State progressives back a proposal to raise the state minimum wage to $10 per hour by 2013 to boost spending.
February 2011
Missouri House passes legislation capping minimum wage. washingtonexaminer.com
The bill reverses a measure approved by voters in 2006 to link the state minimum wage to inflation. March
2011
Groups sue for minimum wage increase. highlandstoday.com
The suit challenges Florida's accuracy concerning small but legally-required adjustments for inflation to
the state minimum wage. February 2011
New York State's Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights helps nannies, home
caregivers, and housekeepers. 2010-2011
Minimum wage to raise pay of 100,000 Nevadans. Las Vegas Sun
Increases in an unusual state: Nevada assigns different minimum
wages depending on whether or not the employer provides health coverage; in addition, tips here don't offset the minimum wage.
March 2010
The Florida Minimum Wage After One Year. H. Luke Shaefer and Bruce Nissen
Florida ACORN commissioned this 2006 report that finds mostly benefits in the state's minimum wage increases.
Minimum Wage Indexing Costs Jobs. Employment Policies Institute
The hardships posed by recent increases. January 2009
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