Fifteen states implemented minimum wage increases on June 1, with some states raising their floors by more than a dollar per hour. The increases will affect approximately 8 million workers across the country, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
California's minimum wage rose to $17.50 per hour, the highest of any state, while New York reached $17.00 and Washington State increased to $17.25. Several smaller states also implemented increases, with Florida raising its minimum to $13.00.
"These raises will directly benefit millions of workers and their families," said EPI Vice President Michael Reich. "The economic research is clear: modest minimum wage increases do not reduce employment and do raise workers out of poverty."
Business groups have expressed concern about the cumulative impact of minimum wage increases on small businesses. "The cumulative effect of wage mandates at the federal, state, and local levels is creating an unsustainable burden for small employers," said NFIB President Brad Close.
The increases come as the federal minimum wage remains frozen at $7.25 per hour, a level that has not changed since 2009. States have increasingly taken action to raise minimum wages in the absence of federal movement.