BURST(NEXSTAR) — While the federal minimum wage has been unchanged since 2009, more than 20 states are set to see an increase in 2025.
After the new rates take effect, nearly a dozen states will have minimum hourly wages at or above $15 statewide.
Another 21 states will see no increase. And in all but one, the minimum wage matches or falls below the federal rate of $7.25 an hour.
Which states are raising minimum wages?
Effective January 1, 2025, the minimum wage will rise in 21 states. In Oregon and Florida, wage hikes are expected in July and September, respectively. The District of Columbia will also likely see an increase come July.
With the exception of the District of Columbia — where the current minimum wage is $17.50 — the state of Washington will have the highest minimum hourly rate of $16.66 in 2025. California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York will also continue to offer above $15 an hour. In Delaware, Illinois, and Rhode Island, the statewide minimum hourly rate will reach $15 for the first time.
There is no minimum wage increase scheduled for Maryland and Massachusetts in 2025, but both are already at $15.
It's worth noting that some cities and counties within the states mentioned above have higher rates than the statewide wage, and some industries may have higher (or in the case of tipped workers, lower) hourly pay.
The interactive map shows where the minimum wage is — and isn't — rising in 2025, and what the rate will be in each state.
As of December 2024, five states do not have a minimum wage: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina. In Georgia and Wyoming, the minimum wage is $5.15.
In all seven of those states, employers that are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Will the federal minimum wage increase in 2025?
It's unclear whether that rate will be raised anytime soon. Trump said in early December that the current rate of $7.25 is a "low number."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has long fought to raise the minimum wage, said he is hopeful he can work with president-elect Donald Trump to raise the federal wage. Speaking with Kristen Welker of NBC's "Meet the Press" earlier this month, Sanders said $7.25 per hour "is an absolute disgrace."
"We have millions of people in this country who are working for starvation wages that cannot afford housing, that cannot afford to adequately feed their kids," he said, adding that he would "suggest [it] to be 17 bucks an hour, but I hope that we can work in a bipartisan way to finally accomplish that goal.”