By Kevin Hardy
Stateline, June 24, 2026

Workers in more than 20 cities and states will see the minimum wage increase next month as local governments continue to raise the wage floor amid federal inaction. ... Alaska and Oregon will see statewide increases in the wage floor July 1 ...

But proponents say that a higher wage floor is needed to keep up with rising costs and that workers tend to spend more as their wages go up, boosting the overall economy.

David Ottoson, who owns the retail store Rainbow Foods in downtown Juneau, Alaska...

By Alyssa Burr
Alaska Independent, June 9, 2026

Alaska workers will see their minimum hourly wage increase from $13 to $14 on July 1. The boost in hourly pay stems from a 2024 ballot measure approved by roughly 58% of Alaska voters. The measure amended Alaska labor law to phase in annual minimum wage increases until the state’s pay for hourly workers reaches $15 in July 2027. The minimum wage will increase to adjust for inflation in the years thereafter. This July also marks one year since employers were required to provide paid sick time...

By Sean Salai
Washington Times, April 13, 2026

... Under Ms. Spanberger, Virginia joins more than a dozen other states that pay service workers at least $15 an hour ... The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute projects that 17 states pay at least $15 an hour this year, from $15.15 in Arizona to $17.13 in Washington.

“I don’t agree that raising Virginia’s minimum wage will kill jobs or hurt the economy,” Holly Sklar, CEO of the advocacy group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, said in an email. “Minimum wage increases boost consumer spending, which boosts...

By Arun Venugopa
Gothamist, March 19, 2026

Supporters and opponents of a proposed $30-minimum wage for New York City are preparing for a battle a week after the measure was introduced in the City Council. ...

Some employers have proactively embraced higher wages for what they say are business reasons.

Aaron Seyedian, owner of Well-Paid Maids, a cleaning company that operates across the country, said its employees in New York were paid $27 an hour and received 24 paid days off each year.

Seyedian said his pay structure ensured turnover at his firm is 25%...

WNYC, Brian Lehrer Show, March 13, 2026

New York City Council member Sandy Nurse talks about her proposal for legislation that would increase New York City's minimum wage from the current $17 per hour to $30 per hour by 2030.

Councilmember Sandy Nurse: ... It's been a benefit to businesses and a lot of the sectors here in New York City when they have raised the wage. We actually have a small business owner in our coalition. He runs an organization called [Well-Paid Maids], and he actually came and advocated at our press conference recently...

By Chao Deng and Kate King
Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2026

... A bill introduced this week in the City Council would ... take the current minimum hourly wage from $17 to $30 by 2030 for large businesses; businesses that employ fewer than 500 people would hit the $30 mark by 2032. ...

Many businesses already pay well above $17-an-hour minimum wage to compete for employees. ...

Aaron Seyedian owns a cleaning business that starts its maids at $27 an hour in New York City. He said a phased increase to $30 is fair...

By Mack Rosenberg
1010 WINS News, March 11, 2026

New York City could have a nation-leading $30 an hour minimum wage. The city council is now considering the bill that would nearly double the current $17 an hour rate and supporters and opponents are hashing it out. Aaron Seyedian pays his workers at Well-Paid Maids $27 an hour plus benefits. "Fair wages don't limit business growth. They enable it. We don't have trouble hiring and retaining workers like many low-wage businesses do." ... 

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By Mack Rosenberg
1010 WINS News, March 11, 2026

Worker morale and productivity would go up. That's the argument from supporters like Aaron Seyedian who runs Well-Paid Maids and pays his workers $27 an hour plus benefits. "Why do some businesses struggle with constant turnover? Why is consumer spending weak? Too many people are not getting paid enough to live on." ...

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By Nicole Alarcon
PIX11 TV and Yahoo News, March 10, 2026

New York City officials are pushing to raise the minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030, according to a new campaign launched at City Hall on Tuesday.

Council Member Sandy Nurse introduced the “$30 for Our City” legislation alongside community groups, small business owners and other elected officials. Supporters said the proposal aims to address the growing gap between wages and the cost of living in the city. ...

City officials, workers, and leaders from ALIGN: The Alliance for a Greater New York...

By Jim Nintzel
Tucson Sentinel, January 8, 2026

Tucson’s lowest-paid workers started the year with raises. The minimum wage in Arizona rose by 45 cents, from $14.70 to $15.15 an hour. In Tucson, the minimum increased from $15 an hour to $15.45 an hour. Tucson’s minimum is higher than the state’s requirement because in 2021, voters approved the Tucson Minimum Wage Act ...

Pete Turner, who owns the Illegal Pete’s on University Boulevard west of the UA campus, said he’s happy to see the increase.

Turner, who started Illegal Pete’s in Colorado about three decades...

By Adam Uzialko
Business.com, Updated January 7, 2026

Paying a “living wage” requires more than meeting state and federal minimum wage requirements. Living in certain communities is more expensive and requires people to earn more to sustain basic life necessities. As an employer, paying a living wage can feel like a burden to the bottom line, but it can be a powerful investment in your people that positively affects business outcomes. ...

“When you’re setting something like the federal minimum wage, you want to consider the averages,” said Holly Sklar, CEO of Business for a...

By John Reitmeyer
NJ Spotlight News, January 5, 2026

Workers making the minimum hourly wage in New Jersey saw a raise on Thursday, Jan. 1, an increase that establishes a statewide rate close to $16 for many workers.

The 43-cents-an-hour pay hike to $15.92 occurred automatically because the state Constitution requires annual cost-of-living adjustments to ensure New Jersey’s minimum hourly wage keeps pace with annual rates of inflation. ...

New Jersey is one of more than a dozen states that have such indexing rules on the books, according to Business for a Fair Minimum Wage...

By Sean Salai
Washington Times, January 2, 2026

Hourly workers in 19 states will receive salary bumps in their next paychecks ...

“State and local minimum wage increases are crucial, wherever they are possible, as the federal minimum wage falls further and further behind the cost of living,” Holly Sklar, CEO of the advocacy group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, said in a statement shared Friday with The Washington Times.

Ms. Sklar said regular wage increases foster economic growth, reduce employee turnover and mitigate the rising costs of living for these workers.

Since 2009...

By Jelani Gibson | NJ Advance Media
NJ.com/ Star Ledger, January 2, 2026

The federal minimum wage has not increased in more than 15 years. But New Jersey just hiked its minimum pay — again. New Jersey’s minimum wage increased by 43 cents to $15.92 per hour on Jan. 1. ...

Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, an organization of business owners that supports the wage increase, said higher pay benefits everyone.

“Higher wages strengthen the economy — workers have more buying power and businesses see more consumer demand,” said Mitch Cahn, a member of...

By Jessica Roy
San Francisco Chronicle, January 1, 2026

Low-wage workers across California are set to get a raise in the new year. ... Starting Jan. 1, the minimum wage in California will be $16.90. ...

Some municipalities in California have higher wage floors. San Francisco is one of them: The hourly minimum wage in the city is $19.18 an hour and is not set to increase again until July. For some industries, California sets the wage floor higher as well: Certain California health care workers earn a minimum of $24 an hour, and fast...