Effective minimum wage
The lowest hourly pay most workers in the state were owed on 1 January of the year: the state's minimum wage or the federal one, whichever was higher. Where the state had no minimum wage, or one below the federal rate, this is the federal minimum. Where the state set more than one rate, the highest is used, which is usually the rate for larger employers. For the whole country it is the federal minimum, from the US Department of Labor.
How it has moved
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Every state, every year
One row per state and one column per year, sorted by the latest value. It shows states, not counties: nobody can scan 3,222 rows, and the pattern only shows when it all fits on one screen.
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Where it comes from
US Department of Labor, state minimum wage history · DOL state minimum wage history, and the DOL federal minimum wage chart (1938 Act column)
The higher of the state's minimum wage and the federal one on 1 January, from the US Department of Labor. For the nation, the federal minimum.
Combining areas: it cannot be combined, so it is shown only where its publisher works it out.
What it goes with
The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 1 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match. These compare 51 states, not counties. With only about fifty places behind each figure, none of them is strong evidence on its own.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Median home valueLinked across states, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. | +0.63 | +0.29 |
| ObesityLinked across states, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. | -0.65 | -0.29 |
| Share of some other race, not HispanicLinked across states, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. | +0.54 | +0.26 |
| Per capita incomeLinked across states, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. | +0.68 | +0.25 |
| Share with a bachelor's degree or higherLinked across states, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. | +0.64 | +0.24 |
| Share of taxes from motor fuelLinked across states, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. | -0.56 | -0.23 |
| Median household incomeLinked across states, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. | +0.62 | +0.20 |
| Per capita personal incomeLinked across states, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. | +0.63 | +0.17 |
| Share never marriedLinked across states, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. | +0.51 | +0.17 |
| Median property tax billLinked across states, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. | +0.54 | +0.15 |
Population makeup
How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of states. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across states: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. States with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.
| Share of residents | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Share White, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. | -0.35 | -0.23 |
| Share Black, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. | -0.04 | -0.18 |
| Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. | +0.35 | +0.33 |
| Share Asian, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. | +0.35 | +0.20 |
| Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. | -0.04 | +0.19 |
Highest and lowest
Of 51 states reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.
Highest
- District of Columbia — 17
- Washington — 15.7
- California — 15.5
- Connecticut — 15
- Massachusetts — 15
The middle state reports 10.6. The middle half of states falls between 7.25 and 13.1 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
US States With the Highest Effective Minimum Wages · US States With the Lowest Effective Minimum Wages
All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works