As of January 1, 2012, eight states raised the minimum wage for workers. In Arizona ($7.65 per hour), Colorado ($7.64 per hour), Florida [pdf] ($7.67 per hour), Montana ($7.65 per hour), Ohio ($7.70 per hour), Oregon [pdf] ($8.80 per hour), Vermont ($8.46 per hour), and Washington ($9.04 per hour), workers will see an increase. These states have laws that increase the minimum wage at a rate tied to inflation. All employers in these states need to display updated posters with the new state minimum wage as required by state law.
Opinion is divided over who is benefited by raising the minimum wage as reported by Martin Kaste in Raising The Minimum Wage: Who Does It Help? However, it is clear that it will cost more for employers to pay entry lever workers in these states which affects approximately one million workers as reported by Catherine Rampell in Wage Floor is Increasing in 8 States in New Year.
The Federal minimum wage remains unchanged at $7.25 per hour. However, if your workers are in a state that has a minimum wage above the Federal rate, you must pay workers the higher rate. A complete list of minimum wage rates for all states can be found at the U.S. Department of Labor.
