document_title: Blair Waldorf

question_text: who got pregnant in gossip girl season 5

text: Blair Waldorf

text: Character in print[edit]

text: Gossip Girl is a series of novels about socially prominent young adults in New York City. The story primarily follows Blair Waldorf and her best friend Serena van der Woodsen during their years in high school and college. Due to her fame on the Upper East Side, Blair is featured on the website of "Gossip Girl," an anonymous gossip blogger whose posts appear occasionally throughout the story.

text: Novel series[edit]

text: In the first book, Blair is introduced as a privileged, comically vain overachiever.[6] She is described as an alluring brunette,[7] and occasionally models her appearance and demeanor after famous actresses, including Marilyn Monroe and, most often, Audrey Hepburn.[8] In early novels, the character is also written as bulimic.

text: Blair is largely motivated by matters surrounding family, romance, and ambition. However, her tendency to overachieve can lead to feelings of paranoia, with dramatic or comical results. In a review for The New Yorker, Janet Malcolm remarked that Blair's issues made her "both a broader caricature and a more real person" than the other Gossip Girl characters.[6] In a 2009 interview, Gossip Girl creator Cecily von Ziegesar claimed to identify with Blair the most, stating, "She is so unpredictable and dramatic. Such a bitch, but we understand why she is a bitch and we like her anyway".[9]

text: Story lines[edit]

text: Throughout most of the series' run, Blair grapples with a number of changes within her family. Two years prior to the opening novel, Blair's parents divorced after her father ran off with another man. When her mother remarries, and her father leaves the country, Blair has difficulty accepting her stepfather, Cyrus Rose. In addition, her stress over these matters occasionally affects her other relationships.[10] However, Blair ultimately remains close to her father Harold, who she often turns to for comfort.[11] By contrast, she maintains a somewhat tenser relationship with her mother Eleanor. It is also revealed that Blair has struggled with bulimia.[12]

text: In the opening novel, Blair learns of an affair between her friend Serena and her boyfriend Nate. This marks the beginning of the story's primary love triangle, which recurs throughout the series.[13] Blair's romantic life has various effects on her character development. After Nate repeatedly hurts her, she eventually refuses to take him back until she believes in his ability to commit to her.[14] In pursuing Nate, however, Blair herself cheats on her new boyfriend Pete, which results in her losing both of them.[15] She eventually begins to acknowledge her mistakes, with her father's help.[16] She later grows closer to Chuck Bass (which initially occurred in the series' television adaptation), who she'd previously known for years, which leads them to briefly date one another.[16]

text: Blair is noted for an over-achieving nature, which often appears in humorous scenes. In a review for New York magazine, Emily Nussbaum lauded one of Blair's fantasies, which involves "joining the Peace Corps, getting a killer tan, winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and having dinner with the president, 'who would then write her a recommendation to Yale, and then Yale would fall all over themselves to accept her.' "[17] The New Yorker's Janet Malcolm remarked that unlike some of her forerunners in film and literature, "Blair already has all the money and position anyone could want. She is pure naked striving, restlessly seeking an object, any object, and never knowing when enough is enough."[6]

text: Blair encounters a setback during her interview at Yale by revealing the recent stress in her life, and then kissing her interviewer on the cheek upon dismissal. Her father then makes a donation to the school, though Blair is still wait-listed.[18] In the twelfth book, I Will Always Love You, it is revealed that she has been admitted to the university.[19]

text: In addition to her feelings for Nate, Blair is sometimes said to feel competitive with Serena in other areas, including matters of beauty and popularity.[20] This also leads to an occasional envy on Blair's part.[17] It is unclear how much of Blair's perception of Serena is in line with reality; the narrative describes both characters as "hands down the two hottest girls on the Upper East Side, and maybe all of Manhattan, or even the whole world."[7]

text: Manga series[edit]

text: In 2010, Yen Press began publishing a manga adaptation titled Gossip Girl: For Your Eyes Only, written and illustrated by HyeKyung Baek. This series adapts notable scenarios from the novel—including the triangle with Nate and Serena—but also features new material.

text: After losing her position as queen bee, Blair attempts to regain her former status while adjusting to a less privileged lifestyle.[21] In addition to this series, Blair also appears in a manga adaptation of the novel Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer, a parody of horror stories.[22]

text: Television series[edit]

text: In 2007, Gossip Girl was adapted for television. According to Cecily von Ziegesar, the television character is largely faithful to the original.[9] Among the aspects to be maintained are her admiration for Audrey Hepburn and her interest in Yale University. However, the series is also noted for its deviations from the source material,[6] including the exclusion of Blair's brother Tyler. The show also explores romances between Blair and multiple male leads, resulting in occasional love triangles. In the fifth season, Blair is revealed to be pregnant with Prince of Monaco, Louis Grimaldi's child. However the child later dies before birth after a car crash Blair and Chuck were in.[23]

text: Among fans and the media, Blair's bond with Chuck Bass was commonly known by the portmanteau "Chair", while her relationship with Dan Humphrey was referred to as "Dair". Her relationship with Chuck was greatly supported throughout the series by many fans and most were glad to see them marry in the finale. The nicknames and viewer interest in these relationships were recognized by the show's producers.[24]

text: Casting[edit]

text: They were like, 'Be bitchy and nice, ugly and pretty, young and old, stupid and smart, innocent and slutty, blond and brunette. Can you be all those things?'

text: To prepare for the part of Blair, actress Leighton Meester, a natural blonde, dyed her hair brown before auditioning, and also studied the first novel.[26][27] She has described the character as multi-faceted, labeling her "a little bit of everything which is pretty amazing."[27] Like von Ziegesar, Meester has also claimed to relate to Blair on certain levels. Prior to the show's debut in 2007, the actress stated that, "The only way to play Blair, or any character, and make her human, is to find what she is inside me. And I know I have my insecurities, too." She went on to say that, "The way Blair and I are not alike when it comes to insecurities is: She pays so much attention to hers!"[28] Meester's casting was described by Yahoo! as a star-making role which moved her "into the pop culture vanguard,"[29] while Cecily von Ziegesar has called her a perfect choice.[30]

text: In December 2010, Meester revealed plans to leave the show in 2012. E! Online and other outlets speculated that her departure would possibly mark the end of the series.[31]

text: Season 1[edit]

text: In Season 1 of Gossip Girl, Blair is introduced as the Upper East Side's beautiful and popular Queen B. She is the daughter of Eleanor Waldorf, a famous fashion designer. She is dating Nate Archibald, and is best friends with Serena van der Woodsen. She also finds a close companion in Nate's best friend and her childhood friend Chuck Bass, who becomes a partner for her schemes. When Serena returns home from boarding school, Blair learns from Nate that he lost his virginity to a drunken Serena over a year ago.[32] Blair retaliates by publicly revealing Serena's connection to a rehab hospital. She then learns that the actual patient is Serena's younger brother, Eric, who had been committed after a suicide attempt. Afterward, a remorseful Blair reconciles with Serena.[33][34]

text: After learning that Nate no longer loves her, Blair sleeps with Chuck, eventually falling for him. This leads to a heated affair and an eventual love triangle. Her inability to choose creates much of the first season's story line.[35] There are brief mentions of Blair's past struggle with anorexia-bulimia that are never mentioned again past the first season.

text: She also begins a brief power struggle with freshman Jenny Humphrey. After she unites with Chuck and Nate in order to save Serena from the scheming Georgina Sparks, Chuck realizes that his feelings for Blair are real and suggests that they spend the summer together in Tuscany. However, he is discouraged by his father at the last minute, and stands Blair up.[36]

text: Season 2[edit]

text: At the launch of the second season, Blair was described by creators as the queen at the center of the Gossip Girl chess game.[37] A large portion of her story line in Season 2 revolves around her love-hate relationship with Chuck Bass, which was labeled "the heart of GG" by People magazine.[26] While competing with Serena, Blair forms an unexpected friendship with Jenny, who states that they each work for everything they achieve, while Serena often glides through life. During their interviews at Yale University, Blair and Serena apologize for their ill feelings and resume their friendship.[38]

text: In the episode "O Brother, Where Bart Thou?", Chuck is devastated by news of his father's death, prompting Blair to offer her support while telling Chuck that she loves him. He initially shuns her advances, but later turns to her for comfort.[39] However, the two stop seeing each other due to Chuck's uncle, Jack Bass, convincing him he has an inability to commit to a relationship.[40] After being rejected by Yale, Blair finds unexpected encouragement from Nate.[41] She is later accepted into New York University, and her competitive relationship with Georgina is eventually renewed.

text: As the season ends, Blair crowns Jenny the new queen of Constance Billard School. In the season finale, it is discovered that Blair slept with Chuck's uncle Jack and that Chuck had slept with Vanessa Abrams. Chuck then departs for Europe. He later returns to New York and reconciles with Blair while declaring his love for her, and the two finally begin a committed relationship.[42]

text: Season 3[edit]

text: In the third season, Blair joins Vanessa, Georgina, and Jenny's brother Dan at NYU.[43] Much of her story line concerns her inability to attain her previous status at her new school. She finds emotional support from her mother, as well as Chuck. However, she and Chuck separate once again when Blair feels that he manipulated her while competing with his uncle (Chuck made a deal with Jack that Blair could sleep with him and in exchange, Chuck gets his hotel back that Jack initially stole to 'destroy Chuck').

text: She later transfers to Columbia University, and learns that an emotionally reformed Chuck was responsible for her enrollment.[44] They later team up as part of a role-playing scheme to help Serena's mother and Chuck's adopted mother, Lily. In the season finale, Chuck attempts to propose to Blair, but is interrupted by Dan, who reveals that Chuck had slept with Jenny. Two weeks later, Blair and Serena depart for Paris intending to spend the summer together.[45]

text: Season 4[edit]

text: In Season 4, Blair and Chuck become competitive once again, but eventually resume their sexual relations before recognizing their love for one another. When the relationship interferes with their business interests, she and Chuck break up once more. Chuck promises he'll wait for her, and both affirm their belief that their love will reunite them in the end.[46]

text: Blair then teams up with Dan when the two share common goals. They also end up working together at W. magazine, where friction develops between the two.[47] On Valentine's Day, she discovers that Chuck has romantic feelings for Raina Thorpe, the daughter of his business rival. Later, she and Dan spend the evening talking on their cell phones while watching Rosemary's Baby.[48] Blair later quits W. and is shown asleep with Dan in his Brooklyn flat. Later, upon growing curious of their feelings for one another, Blair and Dan share a kiss before the mid-season hiatus.

text: Blair eventually decides that she wants to be with Chuck, but shuns him once again after he tries to humiliate Dan.[49] She is later courted by a prince from Monaco named Louis. During a private confrontation, a drunken Chuck punches a window after he finds out Prince Louis has proposed to Blair, which cuts Blair's face as it shatters. Afterward, Blair chooses to accept a proposal from Louis.[50] Blair later attempts to warn Chuck about potential trouble in his family. She is then abducted by an enemy of the Basses, Raina's father Russell Thorpe. Chuck later rescues Blair and apologizes for his violent actions. Following a night out together, the two have sex before Chuck advises Blair to return to Louis, believing that she will be happier with him. However, the season ends with the revelation that Blair may be pregnant.[51]

text: Reaction to triangle[edit]

text:
Chuck and Blair are always going to be connected in their way, and Dan and Serena are always going to be connected in their way. But that doesn’t mean that there won’t be new roads to go down that might be different than what we initially anticipated.
—Joshua Safran, producer[52]

text: Amidst the fourth season, the romance between Dan and Blair became a polarizing topic among viewers[47] which also drew significant media interest. Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post applauded the development, feeling that Blair had "more chemistry" with Dan than with Chuck.[53] New York magazine's Chris Rovzar called Blair and Dan's story line "believable", citing their common ground in education and taste. Rovzar further stated, "Since they live in a world where both only seem to have half a dozen real friends (if that), is it so crazy they'd end up together?"[54] An article from The Huffington Post declared that "Dan and Blair together are like Harry Burns and Sally Albright reincarnated — the couple was obviously inspired by When Harry Met Sally." It further commented that the couple paralleled Pacey and Joey’s relationship from Dawson's Creek and concluded that Dan and Blair were "the most inspired storyline and couple of the show".[55] Entertainment Weekly stated that Dan and Blair were like stars in an "updated version of You've Got Mail".[56] Tierney Bricker of E! ranked all 25 Gossip Girl couples placing 'Dair' as the third best couple after Blair and Serena (#1) and 'Chair' (#2). Bricker stated that "[Dan and Blair], out of all the main characters, were the most well-suited for each other. In real life, they would've been 'endgame'."[57]

text: Dawn Fallik of The Wall Street Journal was less positive, asserting that "both characters have been so Blandified that there’s no fun left in the show."[58] A writer for E! Online's Team WWK labeled the Dan/Blair relationship "nomance nonsense".[59]

text: With regard to Chuck and Blair, Meester stated, "I can really relate to it—not necessarily because it's this dramatic, tumultuous relationship, but because the way they love each other is very real, and not for the sake of being dramatic. It's actual love. There's nobody for each other but them."[60] Meester also expressed fondness for Dan and Blair, however, stating, "I think they're good for each other in a lot of ways, in a way that Chuck and Blair aren't."[47] Badgley claimed that he thought "Blair [was] Dan’s soul mate"[61] and further stated that he thought the Blair and Dan storyline was "the most exciting for Dan as a person".[62] When Hollywoodlife.com asked Ed Westwick, who played Chuck Bass, which character he thought loved Blair more, Chuck or Dan, Westwick pointed to Badgley, saying "definitely him."[63]

text: Producers initially noticed chemistry between Blair and Dan in the Season 1 episode "Bad News Blair". According to producer Joshua Safran, the creators planned to revisit their relationship once the timing was right. Safran also stated that the outcome wasn't necessarily decided ahead of time. "One thing we are very conscious of—and I know some fans get upset about this—is we really try to treat the characters as living, breathing, well-rounded individuals. And we're often surprised by where their journeys take them; they open new doors for us all the time."[52]

text: Controversy[edit]

text: Following the twentieth episode of Season 4, Safran spoke on behalf of the series regarding the scene in which Chuck became violent with Blair.[64]

text: The way we viewed it, I think it's very clear that Blair is not afraid in those moments, for herself. They have a volatile relationship, they always have, but I do not believe—or I should say we do not believe—that it is abuse when it's the two of them. Chuck does not try to hurt Blair. He punches the glass because he has rage, but he has never, and will never, hurt Blair. He knows it and she knows it, and I feel it's very important to know that she is not scared—if anything, she is scared for Chuck—and what he might do to himself, but she is never afraid of what he might do to her. Leighton and I were very clear about that.

text: In response to these comments, Carina MacKenzie of Zap2it stated, "We're left wondering if Safran missed the part where she went home bleeding because Chuck was using physical intimidation to release his own emotions."[65] While reviewing the episode, Tierney Bricker of Zap2it felt that there were "really no excuses for Chuck Bass anymore."[66] MacKenzie concluded that Chuck's behavior throughout Season 4 fit the signs of an abusive relationship, citing examples from HelpGuide.org, a non-profit health resource. She noted Chuck's public humiliation of Blair, his attempt to pawn her during a business deal, and his use of physical intimidation. MacKenzie also called the show's explanation "disturbing, particularly given the young, female target demographic of Gossip Girl and The CW."[65]

text: In a review for the Los Angeles Times, Judy Berman addressed Safran's description of Blair during the scene. "Considering how terrified Blair looked at the end of their encounter, and how quickly she got out of there, the show is sending a mixed message at best." She went on to state, "We have no right to expect Gossip Girl to be a paragon of morality, or even realism, but the idea that true love requires taking a shard of glass to the face is disturbing even in this alternate, soap-opera dimension."[67]

text: Season 5[edit]

text: In the fifth season premiere, Blair continues to plan her wedding, but begins to encounter problems in her relationship with Louis. It is later revealed that she is pregnant.[23] Blair tells Chuck that the child is Louis', and states that part of her wanted Chuck to be the father.[68] Dan becomes Blair's confidante and is shown to be in love with her, though she remains oblivious to his feelings and states that there is nothing more than friendship between them.

text: Though she insists that she is in love with Louis, Blair begins to seek Chuck out as the season progresses. The two eventually declare their love for each other prior to a car accident in her limousine while being chased by paparazzi. Though both recover, Blair suffers a miscarriage from the crash. After the crash Blair decides that she must commit herself to Louis, converting to Catholicism and cutting off any connection with Chuck. At the wedding, Gossip Girl releases a recording of Blair confessing her love for Chuck. Nevertheless, Louis and Blair get married, making Blair a Princess of Monaco, though Louis informs her that they will have a loveless marriage of convenience.[69] She then receives support from Dan, leading them to share a kiss on Valentine's Day. Amidst these developments, Blair grows conflicted between her feelings for Dan and Chuck.[70] After taking steps to end her marriage, she chooses to begin a romantic relationship with Dan.[71] By the end of the season, however, after a debate about which love is the best—with Dan she feels safe, with Chuck she feels vulnerable—Blair declares that she is still in love with Chuck, and chooses to pursue him.[72]

text: Season 6[edit]

text: In the final season, Blair resumes her romantic relationship with Chuck, while Chuck and his father Bart—who is revealed to be alive in the previous season—become bitter rivals. Blair pursues her career as head of Waldorf Designs, with several mishaps, before staging a successful line.[73] In the penultimate episode, Bart falls to his death while trying to attack Chuck atop a building. Afterward, Blair and Chuck depart together. In the series finale, Blair marries Chuck which results in her not having to testify against him in his father's murder case. Five years later, Blair is shown to be running her mother's successful fashion line and she works with Jenny in a line called "J for Waldorf", and she and Chuck are shown to have a son named Henry.[74]

text: Reception[edit]

text: In print[edit]

text: While covering the book series, Janet Malcolm of The New Yorker labeled the character "an antiheroine of the first rank," and asserted that "the series belongs to awful Blair, who inspires von Ziegesar's highest flights of comic fancy." She also compared Blair to vintage film and literary figures such as Becky Sharp of Vanity Fair, and Lizzie Eustace of The Eustace Diamonds.[6] In addition, the character has drawn comparisons to notable contemporaries, including Lila Fowler of the Sweet Valley High series.[75]

text: In the 2007 book Children's Literature and Culture, writer Harry Edwin Eiss chastised the depiction of Blair's bulimia. "If handled properly, the inclusion of her illness could have provided a powerful lesson for young adult readers who worry about their weight and food consumption. Unfortunately, Cecily von Ziegesar, the author of the series, presents a seriously flawed treatment of the problem. In a failed attempt at humor, the writer regards Blair's sickness as just another source of gossip," he said.[76] Emily Nussbaum of New York magazine had similar comments, calling the bulimia "more of an icky weakness than a full-fledged pathology." However, she went on to commend Blair as "hilariously self-centered".[17]

text: Julie Opipari of Manga Maniac Cafe gave the initial Gossip Girl manga a negative review, citing displeasure with the characters and plot. However, she acknowledged that this gave her a greater appreciation for Blair in the second volume, noting that Blair "really had to learn how to rough it" after losing her privileged lifestyle. She went on to state that "Blair is one character that is fun to hate on. So imagine my surprise when I actually started to like her by the end of the book".[77]

text: On screen[edit]

text: The show's breakout character,[78] Blair Waldorf has garnered much media recognition. Yahoo! proclaims Blair a member of "television's pantheon of razor-witted, solipsistic high school Alpha females."[29] While commenting on Meester, New York magazine's 2008 cover story of the series states, "Her villain-you-want-to-root-for is the most sophisticated performance on the show."[79] In another 2008 article, People magazine commented that "Meester has burst out of this ensemble to stardom."[80] Variety described her performance as similar to that of "a predatory junior Joan Collins who practically breathes fire out of her pinched, perfectly WASP-ish nostrils."[80] FHM Online ranked the actress the "Hottest TV Star" of autumn 2008, stating that as Blair Waldorf, "Leighton Meester has stolen the spotlight with her mind-blowing good looks and amazing performance."[81] OK! magazine likened her character to Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of Holly Golightly.[82] The physical similarity was also noted by USA Today.[83]

text: In its 2009 "Hot List", Rolling Stone cited Blair as "the reason we love the back-stabby soap most."[84] Regarding the fictional fame of Blair's friend Serena, Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly asserted that "Serena may be the star of the media but Blair is quickly becoming the star of this show."[85] While citing Serena's long-revered allure, Glamour and its readers compared the two characters in 2008, with Blair being recognized as more beautiful than Serena.[86] In a review from The Atlantic, Blair and Serena's friendship was praised as "it offered a relationship whose depth and complexity approached Rory and Paris' [from Gilmore Girls]."[87]

text: In May 2009, Blair received attention from Forbes, which interviewed her via the series' writers.[88] Television Without Pity listed Meester in their "Golden Globes 2009: Overlooked TV Shows and Performances" article, labeling Blair "so multi-faceted, well-dressed and beautifully played that she elevates this teen soap to something we don't even feel guilty about admitting we love."[89] Meester won the Teen Choice Award for "Choice TV Actress Drama" in 2009,[90] and again in 2010.[91] In 2009, she was voted the "Best Mean Girl" in Zap2it's first poll of the best television characters in the 2000s.[92] In February 2012, Zap2it held another poll to determine TV's Most Crushworthy. Blair was elected TV's Most Crushworthy 1% Female over Temperance "Bones" Brennan.[93] The 1 percenters are people that "have everything going for them with their fantastic good looks and their opulent lifestyle".[94] Her relationship with Chuck Bass was included in TV Guide's list of "The Best TV Couples of All Time"[95] as well as Entertainment Weekly's "30 Best 'Will They/Won't They?' TV Couples".[96]

text: The character's wardrobe—credited to designers Abigail Lorick and Eric Daman[97][98]—was popular, earning mentions from periodicals such as InStyle[99] and New York,[100] along with recognition from websites.[101] TV Guide listed Blair among its "Best Dressed TV Characters of 2007".[102] Entertainment Weekly named Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass the "Most Stylish" characters of 2008.[103] Lifetime television ranks Blair first in its listing of "The Top 10 Best-Dressed TV Characters",[104] while Glamour has named her among its best-dressed TV characters of all time.[105] In a Vanity Fair interview, costume designers Eric Daman and Meredith Markworth-Pollack named Audrey Hepburn and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour as their inspirations when dressing Meester as Blair. The designers also cited New York socialites Tinsley Mortimer and Arden Wohl as influences.[106] TV Guide named her the sixth most fashionable TV character.[107]


document_title: Minimum wage in the United States

question_text: who has the lowest minimum wage in the united states

question_tokens: who has the lowest minimum wage in the united states

root

text: Minimum wage in the United States

text: History[edit]

text: 20th century[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2017)

tag: table

text: In 1912, Massachusetts organized a commission to recommend non-compulsory minimum wages for women and children. Within eight years, at least thirteen U.S. states and the District of Columbia would pass minimum wage laws, with pressure being placed on state legislatures by the National Consumers League in a coalition with other women's voluntary associations and organized labor.[5][6] The United States Supreme Court of the Lochner era consistently invalidated compulsory minimum wage laws. Advocates for these minimum wage laws hoped that they would be upheld under the precedent of Muller v. Oregon, which had upheld maximum working hours laws for women on the grounds that women required special protection which men did not.[6] However, the Court did not extend this principle to minimum wage laws, considering the latter as interfering with the ability of employers to freely negotiate wage contracts with employees.[5]:518

tag: p

text:
No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933[7]

tag: div

text: In 1933, the Roosevelt administration made the first attempt at establishing a national minimum wage, when a $0.25 per hour standard was set as part of the National Industrial Recovery Act. However, in the 1935 court case Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States (295 U.S. 495), the US Supreme Court declared the act unconstitutional, and the minimum wage was abolished. In 1938, the minimum wage was re-established pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act, once again at $0.25 per hour ($4.23 in 2015 dollars[8]). In 1941, the Supreme Court upheld the Fair Labor Standards Act in United States v. Darby Lumber Co., holding that Congress had the power under the Commerce Clause to regulate employment conditions.[9]

text: The 1938 minimum wage law only applied to "employees engaged in interstate commerce or in the production of goods for interstate commerce," but in amendments in 1961 and 1966, the federal minimum wage was extended (with slightly different rates) to employees in large retail and service enterprises, local transportation and construction, state and local government employees, as well as other smaller expansions; a grandfather clause in 1990 drew most employees into the purview of federal minimum wage policy, which now set the wage at $3.80.[10]

text: Legislation, 21st century[edit]

text: In 2006, voters in six states (Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and Ohio) approved statewide increases in the state minimum wage. The amounts of these increases ranged from $1 to $1.70 per hour and all increases were designed to annually index to inflation.[11] Some politicians in the United States have advocated linking the minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index, thereby increasing the wage automatically each year based on increases to the Consumer Price Index. So far, Ohio, Oregon, Missouri, Vermont and Washington have linked their minimum wages to the consumer price index. Minimum wage indexing also takes place each year in Florida, San Francisco, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.[citation needed]

text: The federal minimum wage in the United States was reset to its current rate of $7.25 per hour in July 2009.[10] Some U.S. territories (such as American Samoa) are exempt. Some types of labor are also exempt: employers may pay tipped labor a minimum of $2.13 per hour, as long as the hour wage plus tip income equals at least the minimum wage. Persons under the age of 20 may be paid $4.25 an hour for the first 90 calendar days of employment (sometimes known as a youth, teen, or training wage) unless a higher state minimum exists.[12] The 2009 increase was the last of three steps of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which was signed into law as a rider to the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007, a bill that also contained almost $5 billion in tax cuts for small businesses.

text: In April 2014, the U.S. Senate debated the Minimum Wage Fairness Act (S. 1737; 113th Congress). The bill would have amended the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to $10.10 per hour over the course of a two-year period.[13] The bill was strongly supported by President Barack Obama and many of the Democratic Senators, but strongly opposed by Republicans in the Senate and House.[14][15][16] Later in 2014, voters in the Republican-controlled states of Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota considered ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage above the national rate of $7.25 per hour, which were successful in all 4 states. The results provided evidence that raising minimum wage has support across party lines.[17]

text: Since 2012, a growing protest and advocacy movement called "Fight for $15", initially growing out of fast food worker strikes, has advocated for an increase in the minimum wage. On March 27, 2014, Connecticut passed legislation to raise the minimum wage from $8.70 to $10.10 by 2017, making it one of about six states to aim at or above $10.00 per hour.[18] In 2014 and 2015, several cities, including San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Washington passed ordinances that gradually increase the minimum wage to $15.00.[19][20] In 2016, New York and California passed legislation that would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 in each state.[21][22]

text: As of 2017, recent legislation was passed in multiple states to raise the minimum wage a certain amount in a certain amount of time. California is set to raise their minimum wage to $15.00/hour by January 1, 2023.[23] Colorado is set to raise their minimum wage from $9.30/hour to $12/hour by January 1, 2020, raising $0.90 per year.[24] Seattle passed legislation in 2015 for a raise in minimum wage; for employers of 500 or more employees without heath benefits, the minimum wage will be raised to $15.00/hour by 2017, for employees with heath benefits, the minimum wage will raise to $15.00/hour by 2018, for smaller employees the $15.00/hour wage will be reached at different times. Seattle is one of the first cities to put in place a plan that after $15.00/hour wage is reached, they will continue to increase minimum wage by a certain percentage every year based on inflation changes.[25] New York has also recently passed legislation to increase their minimum wage to $15.00/hour over time, certain counties and larger companies are set on faster plans than others.[26] As there have only been a few places mentioned, cities and states across the United States are putting in place certain legislation to increase the minimum wage for minimum wage workers to a livable wage. Time will only tell the effects on the economy and number of jobs in those cities and states.[27]

text: Local ordinances[edit]

text: On June 2, 2014, the City Council of Seattle, Washington was the first city to pass a local ordinance to increase the minimum wage of the city to $15.00 per hour,[28] which will be phased in over seven years, to be fully implemented by 2021.[29] Numerous cities have followed Seattle's example since. San Francisco is expected to become the first U.S. city to reach a minimum wage of $15.00 per hour on July 1, 2018.[30] New York City's minimum wage will be $15.00 per hour by the end of 2018.[31] The minimum wage in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., will be $15.00 per hour in 2020.[32][33] A growing number of California cities have enacted local minimum wage ordinances, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, Mountain View, Richmond, and San Jose.

text: In September 2014, the Los Angeles City Council approved a minimum salary for hotel workers of $15.37 per hour.[34] In April 2016, The Los Angeles Times reported that there is an exemption for unionised workers, and interviewed longtime workers at unionised Sheraton Universal who make $10.00 per hour, whereas non-union employees at a non-union Hilton a few feet away make at least the $15.37 mandated by law for non-unionised employees.[35] Similar exemptions have been adopted in San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, and Santa Monica.

text: On August 18, 2015, the El Cerrito City Council directed city staff to draft a local minimum wage ordinance based on a template provided by a coalition for a county-wide minimum wage effort. The details are not final, but the Council discussed an initial increase of roughly 28–36% ($11.52 – $12.25 or more) by January 1, 2016, with annual increases that will result in a $15.00 hourly wage rate by 2018–2020. The Council did not direct staff to create small business exemptions (or any other exemptions), but a slower phase-in rate may be considered for employees of small businesses. The city will have outreach for residents and business owners to discuss the details of the proposed ordinance. Staff hopes to present a draft for The Council's approval as early as October or November 2015.[36]

text: Union exemptions[edit]

text: As of December 2014, unions were exempt from recent minimum wage increases in Chicago, Illinois, SeaTac, Washington, and Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, as well as the California cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long Beach, San Jose, Richmond, and Oakland.[37] In 2016, the Washington, D.C. Council passed a minimum wage ordinance that included a union waiver, but Mayor Vincent Gray vetoed it. Later that year, the council approved an increase without the union waiver.[38]

text: Trends in purchasing power[edit]

text: Since its inception the purchasing power of the minimum wage has fluctuated. The minimum wage had its highest purchasing power in 1968, when it was $1.60 per hour ($11.49 in 2017 dollars).[8][1] From January 1981 to April 1990, the minimum wage was frozen at $3.35 per hour, then a record-setting minimum wage freeze. From September 1, 1997 through July 23, 2007, the federal minimum wage remained constant at $5.15 per hour, breaking the old record. From the United States Department of Labor. Employment Standards Administration. Wage and Hour Division, the source page has a clickable US map with current and projected state-by-state minimum wage rates for each state. Some government entities, such as counties and cities, observe minimum wages that are higher than the state as a whole. One notable example of this is Santa Fe, New Mexico, whose $9.50 per hour minimum wage was the highest in the nation,[39][40][41] until San Francisco increased its minimum wage to $9.79 in 2009.[42] Another device to increase wages, living wage ordinances, generally apply only to businesses that are under contract to the local government itself.

text: Since 1984, the purchasing power of the federal minimum wage has decreased. Measured in real terms (adjusted for inflation) using 1984 dollars, the real minimum wage was $3.35 in 1984, $2.33 in 1994, $1.84 in 2004, and $1.46 in 2014.[8] If the minimum wage had been raised to $10.10 in 2014, that would have equated to $4.40 in 1984 dollars.[43][44] This would have been equal to a 31% increase in purchasing power, despite the nominal value of the minimum wage increasing by 216% in the same time period.

text: Economic effects[edit]

text: The economic effects of raising the minimum wage are controversial. Adjusting the minimum wage may affect current and future levels of employment, prices of goods and services, economic growth, income inequality and poverty. The interconnection of price levels, central bank policy, wage agreements, and total aggregate demand creates a situation in which the conclusions drawn from macroeconomic analysis are highly influenced by the underlying assumptions of the interpreter.[45]

text: Employment and job creation[edit]

text: The law of demand states that—all else being equal—raising the price of any particular good or service will reduce the quantity demanded.[citation needed] Thus, neoclassical economics argues that—all else being equal—raising in the minimum wage will have adverse affects on employment.

text: Conceptually, if an employer does not believe a worker generates value equal to or in excess of the minimum wage, that worker will not be hired or retained.[46]

text: Empirical work on fast food workers in the 1990s challenged the neoclassical model. In 1994, economists David Card and Alan Krueger studied employment trends among 410 restaurants in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania following New Jersey's minimum wage hike (from $4.25 to $5.05) in April 1992. They found "no indication that the rise in the minimum wage reduced employment."[47] However, a 1995 re-analysis of the evidence by David Neumark found that the increase in New Jersey's minimum wage actually resulted in a 4.6% decrease in employment.[48] Neumark's study relied on payroll records from a sample of large fast-food restaurant chains, whereas the Card-Krueger study relied on business surveys.

text: Additional research conducted by David Neumark and William Wascher (which surveyed over 100 studies related to the employment effects of minimum wages) found that the majority of peer-reviewed economic research (about two-thirds) showed a positive correlation between minimum wage hikes and increased unemployment—especially for young and unskilled workers. Neumark's analysis further found that, when looking at only the most credible research, 85% of studies showed a positive correlation between minimum wage hikes and increased unemployment.[49]

text: In February 2014, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported the theoretical effects of a federal minimum wage increase under two scenarios: an increase to $9.00 and an increase to $10.10. According to the report, approximately 100,000 jobs would be lost under the $9.00 option, whereas 500,000 jobs would be lost under the $10.10 option (with a wide range of possible outcomes).[50]

text: A 2013 Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) review of multiple studies since 2000 indicated that there was "little or no employment response to modest increases in the minimum wage."[51] Another CEPR study in 2014 found that job creation within the United States is faster within states that raised their minimum wage.[52] In 2014, the state with the highest minimum wage in the nation, Washington, exceeded the national average for job growth in the United States.[53]

text: A 2012 study led by Joseph Sabia, professor of economics at the University of New Hampshire, estimated that the 2004-6 New York State minimum wage increase (from $5.15 to $6.75) resulted in a 20.2% to 21.8% reduction in employment for less-skilled, less-educated workers.[54] Another study conducted by Joseph Sabia, then an assistant professor at American University, found that minimum wages were ineffective at alleviating poverty for single mothers. The study further concluded that a 10% increase in the minimum wage was associated with an 8.8% reduction in employment and an 11.8% reduction in hours for uneducated single mothers.[55]

text: Research conducted by Richard Burkhauser, professor emeritus of Policy Analysis at Cornell University, concluded that minimum wage increases "significantly reduce the employment of the most vulnerable groups in the working-age population—young adults without a high school degree (aged 20-24), young black adults and teenagers (aged 16-24), and teenagers (aged 16-19)."[56]

text: A 2007 study by Daniel Aaronson and Eric French concluded that a 10% increase in the minimum wage decreased low-skill employment by 2-4% and total restaurant employment by 1-3%.[57]

text: The Economist wrote in December 2013: "A minimum wage, providing it is not set too high, could thus boost pay with no ill effects on jobs...Some studies find no harm to employment from federal or state minimum wages, others see a small one, but none finds any serious damage...High minimum wages, however, particularly in rigid labour markets, do appear to hit employment. France has the rich world’s highest wage floor, at more than 60% of the median for adults and a far bigger fraction of the typical wage for the young. This helps explain why France also has shockingly high rates of youth unemployment: 26% for 15- to 24-year-olds."[58]

text: Prices[edit]

text: Conceptually—all else being equal—raising the minimum wage will increase the cost of labor.[citation needed] Thus, employers may accept lower profits, raise their prices, or both.[citation needed] If prices increase, consumers may demand a lesser quantity of the product, substitute other products, or switch to imported products.[citation needed] Marginal producers (those who are barely profitable enough to survive) may be forced out of business if they cannot raise their prices sufficiently to offset the higher cost of labor. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago research from 2007 has shown that restaurant prices rise in response to minimum wage increases.[59]

text: Crime decrease[edit]

text: A 2016 White House report based on "back of envelope calculations and literature review" argued that higher hourly wages led to less crime.[60]

text: A report by the Council of Economic Advisers claimed that "raising the minimum wage reduces crime by 3 to 5 percent." To get those numbers, the study determined that "such a minimum wage increase would have no employment impacts, with an employment elasticity of 0.1 the benefits would be somewhat lower."[60]

text: However, In a 1987 journal article based on actual study data, Masanori Hashimoto noted that minimum wage hikes lead to increased levels of property crime in areas affected by the minimum wage after its increase.[61] According to the article, by decreasing employment in poor communities, total legal trade and production are curtailed. The report also claimed that in order to compensate for the decrease in legal avenues for production and consumption, poor communities increasingly turn to illegal trade and activity.[61]

text: Economic growth[edit]

text: Whether growth (GDP, a measure of both income and production) increases or decreases depends significantly on whether the income shifted from owners to workers results in an overall higher level of spending. The tendency of a consumer to spend their next dollar is referred to as the marginal propensity to consume or MPC. The transfer of income from higher income owners (who tend to save more, meaning a lower MPC) to lower income workers (who tend to save less, with a higher MPC) can actually lead to an increase in total consumption and higher demand for goods, leading to increased employment.[50] Recent research has shown that higher wages lead to greater productivity.[62]

text: The CBO reported in February 2014 that income (GDP) overall would be marginally higher after raising the minimum wage, indicating a small net positive increase in growth. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 and indexing it to inflation would result in a net $2 billion increase in income during the second half of 2016, while raising it to $9.00 and not indexing it would result in a net $1 billion increase in income.[50]

text: Income inequality[edit]

text: An increase in the minimum wage is a form of redistribution from higher-income persons (business owners or "capital") to lower income persons (workers or "labor") and therefore should reduce income inequality. The CBO estimated in February 2014 that raising the minimum wage under either scenario described above would improve income inequality. Families with income more than 6 times the poverty threshold would see their incomes fall (due in part to their business profits declining with higher employee costs), while families with incomes below that threshold would rise.[50]

text: Poverty[edit]

text: Among hourly-paid workers In 2016, 701,000 earned the federal minimum wage and about 1.5 million earned wages below the minimum. Together, these 2.2 million workers represented 2.7% of all hourly-paid workers.[64]

text: CBO estimated in February 2014 that raising the minimum wage would reduce the number of persons below the poverty income threshold by 900,000 under the $10.10 option versus 300,000 under the $9.00 option.[50]

text: Research conducted by David Neumark and colleagues found that minimum wages are associated with reductions in the hours and employment of low-wage workers.[65] A separate study by the same researchers found that minimum wages tend to increase the proportion of families with incomes below or near the poverty line.[66] Similarly, a 2002 study led by Richard Vedder, professor of economics at Ohio University, concluded that "The empirical evidence is strong that minimum wages have had little or no effect on poverty in the U.S. Indeed, the evidence is stronger that minimum wages occasionally increase poverty…"[67]

text: Federal budget deficit[edit]

text: The CBO reported in February 2014 that "[T]he net effect on the federal budget of raising the minimum wage would probably be a small decrease in budget deficits for several years but a small increase in budget deficits thereafter. It is unclear whether the effect for the coming decade as a whole would be a small increase or a small decrease in budget deficits." On the cost side, the report cited higher wages paid by the government to some of its employees along with higher costs for certain procured goods and services. This might be offset by fewer government benefits paid, as some workers with higher incomes would receive fewer government transfer payments. On the revenue side, some would pay higher taxes and others less.[50]

text: Commentary[edit]

text: Economists[edit]

text:
Effective Minimum Wage
Adjusted for Cost of Living
for Select U.S. Cities (2015)[68][69]

City
Effective
minimum wage

Seattle
$8.51

Denver
$7.57

Houston
$7.26

United States
$7.25

San Francisco
$7.03

Chicago
$7.01

Boston
$11.00

Washington, D.C.
$6.53

Los Angeles
$6.38

Atlanta
$5.15

New York City
$3.86

text: According to a survey conducted by economist Greg Mankiw, 79% of economists agreed that "a minimum wage increases unemployment among young and unskilled workers."[70]

text: A 2015 survey conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center found that a majority of economists believes raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour would have negative effects on youth employment levels (83%), adult employment levels (52%), and the number of jobs available (76%). Additionally, 67% of economists surveyed believed that a $15 minimum wage would make it harder for small businesses with less than 50 employees to stay in business.[71]

text: A 2006 survey conducted by economist Robert Whaples of a sample of 210 Ph.D. economists randomly selected from the American Economic Association, found that, regarding the U.S. minimum wage:[72]

text:
46.8% favored eliminating it
14.3% favored keeping it the same
1.3% favored decreasing it
5.2% favored increasing it by about 50 cents per hour
15.6% favored increasing it by about $1 per hour
16.9% favored increasing it by more than $1 per hour

tag: ul

text: In 2014, over 600 economists signed a letter in support of increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 with research suggesting that a minimum wage increase could have a small stimulative effect on the economy as low-wage workers spend their additional earnings, raising demand and job growth.[73][74][75][76] Also, seven recipients of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences were among 75 economists endorsing an increase in the minimum wage for U.S. workers and said "the weight" of economic research shows higher pay doesn’t lead to fewer jobs.[77][78]

text: According to a February 2013 survey of the University of Chicago IGM Forum, which includes approximately 40 economists:

text:
34% agreed with the statement that "Raising the federal minimum wage to $9 per hour would make it noticeably harder for low-skilled workers to find employment", with 32% disagreeing and 24% uncertain
42% agreed that "...raising the minimum wage to $9 per hour and indexing it to inflation...would be a desirable policy", with 11% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing and 32% uncertain.[79]

text: According to a fall 2000 survey conducted by Fuller and Geide-Stevenson, 73.5% (27.9% of which agreed with provisos) of American economists surveyed[How many?] agreed that minimum wage laws increase unemployment among unskilled and young workers, while 26.5% disagreed with the statement.[80]

text: Economist Paul Krugman advocated raising the minimum wage moderately in 2013, citing several reasons, including:

text:
The minimum wage was below its 1960s purchasing power, despite a near doubling of productivity;
The great preponderance of the evidence indicates there is no negative impact on employment from moderate increases; and
A high level of public support, specifically Democrats and Republican women.[81]

text: Major political parties[edit]

text: Democratic candidates, elected officials, and activists support an increase in the minimum wage.[82] In his 2013 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama called for an increase in the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour; several months later, Democrats Tom Harkin and George Miller proposed legislation to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10; and in 2015, congressional Democrats introduced a proposal to increase the federal minimum wage to $12 an hour.[83] These efforts did not succeed, but increases in city and state minimum wages prompted congressional Democrats to continue fighting for an increase on the federal level.[83] After much internal party debate,[84] the party's official platform adopted at the 2016 Democratic National Convention stated: "We should raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour over time and index it, give all Americans the ability to join a union regardless of where they work, and create new ways for workers to have power in the economy so every worker can earn at least $15 an hour."[85][86]

text: Most Republican elected officials oppose action to increase the minimum wage,[87][88] and have blocked Democratic efforts to increase the minimum wage.[89] Republican leadership such as Speakers of the House John Boehner[87] and Paul Ryan have opposed minimum wage increases.[90] Some Republicans oppose having a minimum wage altogether, while a few, conversely, have supported minimum wage increases or indexing the minimum wage to inflation.[87]

text: Polls[edit]

text: The Pew Center reported in January 2014 that 73% of Americans supported raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10. By party, 53% of Republicans and 90% of Democrats favored this action.[91] Pew found a racial difference for support of a higher minimum wage in 2017 with most blacks and Hispanics supporting a $15.00 federal minimum wage, and 54% of whites opposing it.[3]

text: A Lake Research Partners poll in February 2012 found the following:

text:
Strong support overall for raising the minimum wage, with 73% of likely voters supporting an increase to $10 and indexing it to inflation during 2014, including 58% who strongly support the action;
Support crosses party lines, with support from 91% of Democrats, 74% of Independents, and 50% of Republicans; and
A majority (56%) believe that raising the minimum wage will help the economy, with 16% believing it won't make a difference. Only 21% felt it would hurt the economy.[92]

text: List by jurisdiction[edit]

text: This is a list of the minimum wages (per hour) in each state and territory of the United States, for jobs covered by federal minimum wage laws. If the job is not subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, then state, city, or other local laws may determine the minimum wage.[93] A common exemption to the federal minimum wage is a company having revenue of less than $500,000 per year while not engaging in any interstate commerce.

text: Under the federal law, workers who receive a portion of their salary from tips, such as waitstaff, are required only to have their total compensation, including tips, meet the minimum wage. Therefore, often, their hourly wage, before tips, is less than the minimum wage.[94] Seven states, and Guam, do not allow for a tip credit.[95] Additional exemptions to the minimum wage include many seasonal employees, student employees, and certain disabled employees as specified by the FLSA.[96]

text: In addition, some counties and cities within states may observe a higher minimum wage than the rest of the state in which they are located; sometimes this higher wage will apply only to businesses that are under contract to the local government itself, while in other cases the higher minimum will be enforced across the board.

text: Federal[edit]

text:
Type
Min Wage ($/h)
Notes

Tipped
$2.13
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 has been requiring a minimum wage of $2.13 for tipped workers with the expectation that wages plus tips total no less than $7.25 per hour since September 1, 1991.[97] The employer must pay the difference if total income does not add up to $7.25 per hour.[98]

Non-tipped
$7.25
Per the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 (FMWA) since July 24, 2009.[99]

Youth
$4.25
The Fair Labor Standards Act has since September 1, 1996 allowed for persons under the age of 20 to be paid $4.25 for the first 90 calendar days of their employment .[100]

text: State[edit]

text: The average US minimum wage per capita (2017) is $8.49 based on the population size of each state and generally represents the average minimum wage experienced by a person working in one of the fifty US states. Cities, counties, districts, and territories are not included in the calculation.[citation needed] As of October 2016, there have been 29 states with a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum. From 2014 to 2015, nine states increased their minimum wage levels through automatic adjustments, while increases in 11 other states occurred through referendum or legislative action.[1] Beginning in January 2017, Massachusetts and Washington state have the highest minimum wages in the country, at $11.00 per hour.[101] New York City's minimum wage will be $15.00 per hour by the end of 2018.[102] |-

text:
State
Min Wage
($/h)[103]
Tipped
($/h)[a]
Youth/
Training
($/h)[b]
Automatic Indexed Adjustment
Notes

Alabama
None[c]

No

Alaska
$9.80
$9.80

Yes
Minimum wage increased to $9.80 on January 1, 2017.

Arizona
$10.00
$7.00

Yes
Minimum wage increased to $8.05 on January 1, 2015.[105] The state tipped minimum wage is $3 per hour less. Pursuant to Arizona Proposition 202 (2006), the rates are adjusted annually on January 1 based on the U.S. Consumer Price Index. This rate increase does not affect student workers in places such as libraries and cafeterias because those positions are given by universities, which are state entities.[106]

Arkansas
$8.50
$2.63

No
The 2014 rate applies to employers of 4 or more employees.[107]

California
$10.50[108]
$10.50

Yes
Minimum wage increased to $10.00 on January 1, 2016[109] and will increase to $15.00 by 2022.[110] Berkeley: $13.75 since October 1, 2017 and will increase to $15.00 by 2018. Emeryville: $15.20 for businesses with 56 or more employees; $14.00 for businesses with 55 employees or less, effective July 2017. Jackson Rancheria: $10.60 since January 1, 2014 on the Tribe's sovereign 1,500-acre reservation in Amador County. Oakland: $12.86 since January 1, 2017. Unions are exempt from Oakland's minimum wage law. Los Angeles: $10.50 since July 1, 2016 and will increase to $15.00 by 2020. Unions are exempt from Los Angeles's minimum wage law. San Francisco: $14.00 since July 1, 2017 and will increase to $15.00 by 2018.[111] Unions are exempt from San Francisco's minimum wage law.[37] San Jose: $12.00 since January 1, 2017. Unions are exempt from San Jose's minimum wage law.[37] El Cerrito: $12.25 since Januaury 1, 2017 and will increase to $15 by 2019 and thereafter increase based on local Consumer Price Index

Colorado
$9.30
$6.28

Yes
On January 1, 2017, the minimum wage was increased to $9.30 and will be increased annually by $0.90 until it becomes $12 in January 2020. Starting in 2021, it will be adjusted by cost of living increases.[112] The tipped wage is $3.02 less than the minimum wage[113]

Connecticut
$10.10
$6.59

No
On March 26, 2014, the state passed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 by January 1, 2017.[114] Connecticut's tipped minimum wage is 65.2% of the state minimum wage (tipped employees defined as $10/wk or $2/day in tips).[115]

Delaware
$8.25
$2.23

No
Minimum wage increased to $8.25 on June 1, 2015.[116]

Florida
$8.10
$5.08

Yes
Minimum wage is increased annually on September 30 (effective January 1 of the following calendar year) based upon a cost of living formula (the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, not seasonally adjusted, for the South Region or a successor index as calculated by the United States Department of Labor, using the rate of inflation for the 12 months prior to September 1).[117] Florida's minimum wage increased to $8.10 and the tipped minimum wage to $5.08 on January 1, 2017.[118]

Georgia
$5.15
[119][120]
$2.13

No
Only applicable to employers of 6 or more employees. The state law excludes from coverage any employment that is subject to the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act when the federal rate is greater than the state rate.[121]

Hawaii
$9.25
$8.50

No
Minimum wage increased to $8.50 on January 1, 2016, and will increase to $10.10 by January 1, 2018. Tipped employees earn 75 cents less than the current state minimum wage.[122]

Idaho
$7.25[123]
$3.35

No

Illinois
$8.25
$4.95
$7.75
No
Employers may pay anyone under the age of 18, or anyone for the first 90 days of employment, fifty cents less. Tipped employees earn 60% of the minimum wage (employers may claim credit for tips, up to 40% of wage). There is a training wage for tipped employees.[124] Chicago: $10.00 from July 1, 2015 and will increase to $13.00 by 2019.[125] Unions are exempt from Chicago's minimum wage law.[37]

Indiana
$7.25[126]
$2.13

No

Iowa
$7.25[127]
$4.35

No
Most small retail and service establishments grossing less than $300,000 annually are not required to pay the minimum wage.[127] A tipped employee who makes $30.00 per month or more in tips, can be paid 60% of the minimum wage, i.e. as little as $4.35 per hour.[127] Increased minimum wage laws in Johnson and Linn counties were nullified by the legislature.[128]

Kansas
$7.25[129]
$2.13

No
Kansas had the lowest legislated, non-tipped worker, minimum wage in the U.S., $2.65 per hour, until it was raised to $7.25, effective January 1, 2010.[130]

Kentucky
$7.25[131]
$2.13

No
Louisville: $8.10 from July 1, 2015 and will increase to $9.00 by 2017.[132][133] However, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that localities do not have authority to increase the minimum wage.[134]

Louisiana
None[c]

No

Maine
$9.00
$5.00

Yes
Tipped rate is half of the current state minimum wage.[135] On July 6, 2015, the city council of Portland voted 6-3 to raise the city's minimum wage to $10.10 beginning on January 1, 2016 – an increase of 34%.[136] Note: The tipped wage will return to being 50% of the regular minimum wage starting January 1, 2018; minimum wage will increase to $10 in January 2018, $11 in January 2019; $12 in January 2020.[137][138]

Maryland
$9.25
$3.63

No
Minimum wage is $8.75 per hour as July 1, 2016; $9.25 as of July 1, 2017; and $10.10 as of July 1, 2018.[139][140]
For employees working in Prince George's County, the minimum wage is $10.75 per hour, effective October 1, 2016, and increases to $11.50 on October 1, 2017.[139]
For employees working in Montgomery County, the minimum wage is $11.50 per hour starting July 1, 2017.[141] County Council bill 12-16 was enacted on January 17, 2017 to adjust the minimum wage to $15 and base future adjustments on the Consumer Price Index, but was later vetoed by the County Executive.[142][143]

Massachusetts
$11.00
$3.75

No
Minimum wage increased to $11.00 ($3.75 for tipped workers) on January 1, 2017, making it the highest minimum-wage in the country at the state level. Massachusetts is the only state in the country that mandates time-and-a-half for retail workers working on Sunday. With state minimum wage at $11 an hour the effective minimum wage for a retail worker working on Sunday is $16.50 an hour.[144] As of 2017, Massachusetts has the largest gap between the hourly minimum wage for tipped workers ($3.75) and the general minimum wage ($11).[145]

Michigan
$8.90[146]
$3.38 $8.90(tips included)
$4.25 (training) $7.57 (youth)
Yes
Minimum wage will increase to $9.25 by January 2018 and increase with the consumer price index yearly after 2018. Yearly increases, starting on February 1, 2019, shall not exceed 3.5%. There will be no increase in minimum wage if the unemployment rate rises to or above 8.5% in the previous year. Tipped workers must earn at least standard Michigan minimum wage once tips are included in their wages.[147][148]

Minnesota
$9.50[119]
$9.50
$7.25[149]
Yes
Small employers, whose annual receipts are less than $500,000 and who do not engage in interstate commerce, can pay their employees $7.25 per hour. Overtime applies after 48 hours per week.[149] Note: For large employers, the minimum wage became $9.00 on August 1, 2015; and $9.50 on August 1, 2016. For small employers the minimum wage became $7.25 on August 1, 2015; and $7.75 on August 1, 2016. Beginning January 1, 2018, all minimum wage rates will increase by the national implicit price deflator or 2.5%, whichever is lower.[150]

Mississippi
None[c]

No

Missouri
$7.70
$3.825

Yes
Minimum wage rate is automatically adjusted annually based on the U.S. Consumer Price Index rounded to the nearest five cents, and increased to $7.70 on January 1, 2017.[151] While a city ordinance was passed in St. Louis area to increase the minimum wage was set to $8.25 in 2015,[152] in October 2015 the law was voided by a new statewide bill barring cities from setting their own minimum wages.[153] The State Supreme Court ruled on 28 February 2017 that the ordinance was lawful and could go into effect, with the minimum wage rate set to rise to $11.00 an hour by 2018 in St. Louis.[154] However, on July 5, 2017, another law was passed to nullify the increase and to have a statewide minimum wage of $7.70.[155]

Montana
$8.15
$8.15

Yes
Minimum wage rate is automatically adjusted annually based on the U.S. Consumer Price Index, and increased to $8.15 on January 1, 2017. Income from tips cannot offset an employee's pay rate. The state minimum wage for business with less than $110,000 in annual sales is $4.00.[103]

Nebraska
$9.00[156]
$2.13

No
Minimum wage increased to $9.00 January 1, 2016.[107]

Nevada
$8.25
$8.25

Yes
The minimum wage has been $8.25 ($1 higher than the federal minimum) since July 1, 2010. Employers who offer health benefits can pay employees $7.25.[157] The rate is adjusted every July 1, based on the federal minimum or the accumulated inflation since 2006, whichever is higher, based on a 2006 Minimum Wage Amendment to the Nevada Constitution.[158]

New Hampshire
$7.25[159]
$3.27

No

New Jersey
$8.44[160]
$2.13

Yes
Minimum wage increased to $8.44 on January 1, 2017.[160]

New Mexico
$7.50
$2.13

No
Santa Fe: $10.84 since January 1, 2015.[161] Albuquerque: $8.75 since January 1, 2015.[162]

New York
$9.75[163]
Varies

Yes
The minimum wage rate increased to $9.00 on December 31, 2015.[164] As of July 24, 2009 there has been a minimum for exempt employees of $543.75 per week.[165] Tipped employee minimum ranges from $4.90 to $5.65 depending on industry.[104] Effective December 31, 2013, there have been different rules for the minimum cash wage for tipped employees outside of the hospitality industry, (e.g., in car washes and in salons). For workers earning more than $1.95 on average per hour in tips, the minimum cash wage has been $6.05 per hour; for workers earning between $1.20 and $1.95 in tips on average per hour, the cash wage has been $6.80.[166]
A 2016 law changed the minimum wage over the following six years. "Large" employers have 11 or more employees, and "small" have between 1 and 10. "Downstate" includes Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties.[167] NYC large employers: $11.00, NYC small employers: $10.50, Downstate employers: $10.00, Upstate employers: $9.70. As of December 31, 2017: NYC large employers: $13.00; NYC small employers: $12.00; Downstate employers: $11.00; Upstate employers: $10.40. As of December 31, 2018: NYC large employers: $15.00; NYC small employers: $13.50; Downstate employers: $12.00; Upstate employers: $11.10. As of December 31, 2019: NYC large employers: $15.00; NYC small employers: $15.00; Downstate employers: $13.00; Upstate employers: $12.50. As of December 31, 2020: NYC large employers: $15.00; NYC small employers: $15.00; Downstate employers: $14.00; Upstate employers: $12.50. As of December 31, 2021: NYC large employers: $15.00; NYC small employers: $15.00; Downstate employers: $15.00; Upstate employers: Set by Commissioner of Labor based on economic conditions, up to $15.00.
Tipped food service workers will be paid $7.50 per hour, or two-thirds of the applicable minimum wage rate rounded to the nearest $0.05, whichever is higher.[citation needed]

North Carolina
$7.25[168]
$2.13

No
The employer may take credit for tips earned by a tipped employee and may count them as wages up to the amount permitted in section 3(m) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.[168]

North Dakota
$7.25[169]
$4.86

No
Tipped minimum is 67% of the minimum wage.[104]

Ohio
$8.15
$4.08
$7.25 under 16 years old
Yes
The rate is $7.25 for employers grossing $299,000 or less.[170] The rate is adjusted annually on January 1 based on the U.S. Consumer Price Index[171] Ohio's minimum wage will increase to $8.30 ($4.15 for tipped employees) on January 1, 2018

Oklahoma
$7.25[172]
$2.13

No
Minimum wage for employers grossing under $100,000 and with fewer than 10 employees per location is $2.00.[173](OK Statutes 40-197.5).

Oregon
$10.00 (rural counties)
$10.25 (non-rural counties)
$11.25 (Portland metro)[174]
$10.00 (rural counties)
$10.25 (non-rural counties)
$11.25 (Portland metro)

Yes
On March 2, 2016, Senate Bill 1532 was signed into law, increasing minimum wage depending on the county. Beginning July 1, 2016 the minimum wage increased to $9.75 for non-rural counties and to $9.50 for rural counties, thereafter increasing each year by fixed amounts until June 30, 2022 when the minimum wage will be $14.75 for the Portland metro area, $13.50 for other non-rural counties, and $12.50 for rural counties. Thereafter, the minimum wage will be adjusted each year based on the U.S. Consumer Price Index.[175] Non-rural counties are defined as Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Deschutes, Hood River, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill counties.[176] Rural counties are defined as Baker, Coos, Crook, Curry, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wheeler counties.[176] The Portland Metro rate ($1.25 over the non-rural rate) applies to employers located within the urban growth boundary (UGB) of the Portland metropolitan service district.[174]

Pennsylvania
$7.25[177]
$2.83

No

Rhode Island
$9.60
$3.39

No
Minimum wage increased to $9.60 January 1, 2016.

South Carolina
None[c]

No

South Dakota
$8.65[178]
$4.325

Yes
Minimum wage increased to $8.65 on January 1, 2017, and is indexed to inflation.

Tennessee
None[c]

No

Texas
$7.25[179]
$2.13

No
Applies to all workers in the state, excluding patients of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation who have diminished production capacity and who work on behalf of the Department; their salary is calculated at the minimum wage times a percentage of their diminished capacity.

Utah
$7.25
$2.13

No

Vermont
$10.00
$4.80

Yes
Minimum wage increased to $10.00 on January 1, 2017,[180] will increase to $10.50 by January 1, 2018, and will be indexed to inflation beginning on January 1, 2019.[181]

Virginia
$7.25[182]
$2.13

No

Washington
$11.00[183]
$11.00[183]
$9.35[184]
Yes
Minimum wage increases annually by a voter-approved cost-of-living adjustment based on the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).[185] Seattle: $11.00 for businesses less than 500 employees, 15.00 for businesses with over 500 employees, and for all businesses by 2021.[186][187] SeaTac: $15.00 for airport-related businesses.[188] Union workshops are exempt from SeaTac's $15 minimum wage law.[189]

West Virginia
$8.75[190]
$2.62

No
Minimum wage increased to $8.75 on December 31, 2015.[191] The state minimum wage is applicable to employers of six or more employees at one location not involved in interstate commerce[103] and for tipped employees is 30% of the federal minimum wage.[104]

Wisconsin
$7.25[192]
$2.33

No

Wyoming
$5.15[119]
$2.13

No

text:
Jump up ^ Generally applies to employees who make over $30 in tips per month, unless otherwise noted.[104]
Jump up ^ Applies to persons under age 20, for the first 90 days of employment (per FMWA), unless otherwise noted.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e No state minimum wage law. Federal rates apply, although some small businesses exempt from FMWA may not be covered.

tag: ol

text: Territory[edit]

text:
Territory
Min Wage ($/h)[103]
Notes

American Samoa
$4.18–$5.59
Varies by industry.[193] On September 30, 2010, President Obama signed legislation that delays scheduled wage increases for 2010 and 2011. On July 26, 2012, President Obama signed S. 2009 into law, postponing the minimum wage increase for 2012, 2013, and 2014. Annual wage increases of $0.50 recommenced on September 30, 2015 and will continue every three years until all rates have reached the federal minimum.[194]

Guam
$8.25
Tipped employee minimum $6.55[195]

Northern Mariana Islands
$6.55
Since September 30, 2016. Wages are to go up $0.50 annually until reaching the federal $7.25 rate by 2018.[196] Bill S. 256 to delay the planned increases to the full rate until 2018 passed in Sept. 2013.[197]

Puerto Rico
$7.25
Following the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, Employers covered by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)[which?] are subject to the federal minimum wage and all applicable regulations. Employers not covered by the FLSA will be subject to a minimum wage that is at least 70 percent of the federal minimum wage or the applicable mandatory decree rate, whichever is higher. The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources may authorize a rate based on a lower percentage for any employer who can show that implementation of the 70 percent rate would substantially curtail employment in that business.
Puerto Rico also has minimum wage rates that vary according to the industry. These rates range from a minimum of $5.08 to $7.25 per hour.

U.S. Virgin Islands
$8.35
The Virgin Islands' minimum wage increased to $8.35 on June 21, 2016 for all employees, with the exception of tourist service and restaurant employees. It is scheduled to increase to $9.50 on June 1, 2017; $10.50 on June 1, 2018.[198]

text: Federal District[edit]

text:
Federal District
Min Wage
($/h)
Tipped
($/h)
Youth/
Training
($/h)
Notes

District of Columbia
$11.50
$3.47
None
As of July 1, 2017, the minimum wage is $11.50, and $3.47 per hour for tipped employees.[199]
In accordance with a law signed on June 27, 2016,[200][201] the minimum wage will be $12.50 per hour as of July 1, 2017; $13.25 per hour as of July 1, 2018; 14.00 per hour as of July 1, 2019; and $15.00 per hour as of July 1, 2020.[202] As of each successive July 1, the minimum wage will increase by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area for the preceding twelve months.[202]
The minimum wage for tipped-employees will increase to $4.17 per hour as of July 1, 2018; $4.87 per hour as of July 1, 2019; and $5.55 per hour as of July 1, 2020.[202]
The minimum wage established by the federal government may be paid to newly hired individuals during their first 90 calendar days of employment, students employed by colleges and universities, and individuals under 18 years of age.[203]

text: Jobs affected, 2006, 2009[edit]

text: The jobs that are most likely to be directly affected by the minimum wage are those which pay a wage close to the minimum.

text: According to the May 2006 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, the four lowest-paid occupational sectors in May 2006 (when the federal minimum wage was $5.15 per hour) were the following:[204]

text:
Sector
Workers Employed
Median Wage
Mean Wage
Mean Annual

Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
11,029,280
$7.90
$8.86
$18,430

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
450,040
$8.63
$10.49
$21,810

Personal Care and Service Occupations
3,249,760
$9.17
$11.02
$22,920

Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations
4,396,250
$9.75
$10.86
$22,580

text: Two years later, in May 2008, when the federal minimum wage was $5.85 per hour and was about to increase to $6.55 per hour in July 2008, these same sectors were still the lowest-paying, but their situation (according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data)[205] was:

text:
Sector
Workers Employed
Median Wage
Mean Wage
Mean Annual

Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
11,438,550
$8.59
$9.72
$20,220

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
438,490
$9.34
$11.32
$23,560

Personal Care and Service Occupations
3,437,520
$9.82
$11.59
$24,120

Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations
4,429,870
$10.52
$11.72
$24,370

text: In 2006, workers in the following 13 individual occupations received, on average, a median hourly wage of less than $8.00 per hour:[204]

text:
Occupation
Workers Employed
Median Wage
Mean Wage
Mean Annual

Gaming Dealers
82,960
$7.08
$8.18
$17,010

Waiters and Waitresses
2,312,930
$3.14
$4.27
$11,190

Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food
2,461,890
$7.24
$7.66
$15,930

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
401,790
$7.36
$7.84
$16,320

Cooks, Fast Food
612,020
$7.41
$7.67
$15,960

Dishwashers
502,770
$7.57
$7.78
$16,190

Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers
101,530
$7.64
$8.41
$17,500

Counter Attendants, Cafeteria, Food Concession, and Coffee Shop
524,410
$7.76
$8.15
$16,950

Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
340,390
$7.78
$8.10
$16,860

Shampooers
15,580
$7.78
$8.20
$17,050

Amusement and Recreation Attendants
235,670
$7.83
$8.43
$17,530

Bartenders
485,120
$7.86
$8.91
$18,540

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
230,780
$7.95
$8.48
$17,630

text: In 2008, only two occupations paid a median wage less than $8.00 per hour:[205]

text:
Occupation
Workers Employed
Median Wage
Mean Wage
Mean Annual

Gaming Dealers
91,130
$7.84
$9.56
$19,890

Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food
2,708,840
$7.90
$8.36
$17,400

text: According to the May 2009 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates,[206] the lowest-paid occupational sectors in May 2009 (when the federal minimum wage was $7.25 per hour) were the following:

text:
Sector
Workers Employed
Median Wage
Mean Wage
Mean Annual

Gaming Dealers
86,900
$8.19
$9.76
$20,290

Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food
2,695,740
$8.28
$8.71
$18,120

Waiters and Waitresses
2,302,070
$8.50
$9.80
$20,380

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
402,020
$8.51
$9.09
$18,900

Cooks, Fast Food
539,520
$8.52
$8.76
$18,230