State Minimum Wage Increases for 2017 (Map)
by Susan Prince
Tuesday, December 6th, 2016 - HR Daily Advisor
Minimum wage increases will affect numerous states across the country in
January 2017.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the current federal minimum wage
is $7.25 per hour, but the FLSA does not supersede any state or local laws that
are more favorable to employees. Therefore, if a state has a minimum wage that
is higher than the federal minimum, employers subject to the state minimum wage
law are obligated to pay the higher rate to employees working in that state.
The map below shows the states that are increasing their minimum wages,
including the new rate and amount of the increase. We also provide a listing of
the states increasing their minimum wages and the effective dates of the changes
below the map.
State minimum wage changes effective January 1, 2017
Alaska: $9.80 per hour.
Arizona: $10.00 per hour. The minimum wage is also scheduled
to increase to $10.50 per hour on January 1, 2018.
Arkansas: $8.50 per hour.
California: $10.50 per hour. The minimum wage is also
scheduled to increase to $11.00 per hour on January 1, 2018.
Colorado: $9.30 per hour. The minimum wage is also scheduled
to increase to $10.20 per hour on January 1, 2018.
Connecticut: $10.10 per hour.
Florida: $8.10 per hour.
Hawaii: $9.25 per hour. The minimum wage is also scheduled
to increase to $10.10 per hour on January 1, 2018.
Maine: $9.00 per hour. The minimum wage is also scheduled to
increase to $10.00 per hour on January 1, 2018.
Massachusetts: $11.00 per hour.
Michigan: $8.90 per hour. The minimum wage is also scheduled
to increase to $9.25 on January 1, 2018.
Missouri: $7.70 per hour.
Montana: $8.15 per hour.
New Jersey: $8.44 per hour.
New York:
- $9.70 per hour for Greater New York
- $10.00 per hour for Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties
- $10.50 for New York City (small employers)
- $11.00 for New York City (large employers)
Ohio: $8.15 per hour (gross receipts of $297,000 or more);
$7.25 per hour (gross receipts under $297,000)
South Dakota: $8.65 per hour.
Vermont: $10.00 per hour. The minimum wage is also scheduled
to increase to $10.50 per hour on January 1, 2018.
Washington: $11.00 per hour. The minimum wage is also
scheduled to increase to $11.50 per hour on January 1, 2018.
State minimum wage changes effective July 1, 2017
Washington D.C: $12.50 per hour on July 1, 2017. The minimum
wage is also scheduled to increase to $13.25 per hour on July 1, 2018.
Maryland: $9.25 per hour on July 1, 2017. The minimum wage
is also scheduled to increase to $10.10 per hour on July 1, 2018.
Minimum wage basics
The federal FLSA requires that a minimum wage be paid for all hours an
employee is gsuffered or permittedh to work and that an overtime wage be paid
for all hours gworkedh over 40 in a week. The FLSA does not specifically define
ghours workedh or place a limit on the number of hours an employee may work; it
requires only that overtime be paid for any hours worked over 40.
Generally speaking, work time includes all time that employees spend engaged
in the principal activities that they are employed to perform. Hours worked can
also include waiting time; travel time, other than time spent commuting to and
from the employeefs regular place of work; breaks or meal periods that are less
than 20 minutes long; and time the employee is required to spend in training, at
seminars, or in meetings.
Hours worked for purposes of the FLSA does not include time spent on call,
time spent waiting to work, or time when an employee is required to carry a
pager or cell phone, provided the employee is otherwise free to effectively use
the time for his or her own personal purposes. The FLSA does not obligate
employers to pay employees for holidays, vacation, or sick days.
Under the de minimis rule, employers may disregard insubstantial or
insignificant periods of time beyond the scheduled working hours, if, as a
practical administrative matter, such time cannot be precisely recorded. If
employees are checking e-mails for 2 or 3 minutes, employers will likely not
have to pay for this time. But if employees are spending 10 to 15 minutes after
work hours, employers will have to pay employees for this work time.
The rules are strict, but the penalties are stricter. Paying employees
properly now will help you to avoid expensive fines, claims, and lawsuits down
the line.
What state minimum wage changes have already taken place in
2016? See our previous minimum
wage map.