21 States To Raise Minimum Wage For 2025

Successful ballot initiatives and statehouse bills are driving a record number of minimum wage increases this coming year.

Millions of workers can expect a raise in the new year as state and local governments around the country increase their minimum wages.

Twenty-one states and more than 40 U.S. cities and counties will bump up their wage floors for 2025, most of them adjusting rates to account for inflation. Eight states will meet or exceed a minimum wage of $15 per hour.

Another five states and 23 cities and counties will hike their minimums later in the year, according to the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group that published an analysis of the scheduled increases.

The group says the number of increases across the U.S. is a record, driven by successful legislation and ballot measures in recent years. Most new laws tie the wage rate to an inflation index so that it rises with the cost of living.

The idea of raising the minimum wage is immensely popular with voters, including in conservative states. Missouri and Alaska just approved measures in November to hike their wage floors to $15 by 2026 and 2027, respectively, even though President-elect Donald Trump easily won both states.