21 states kicked the year off by raising the minimum wage

To millions of Americans, January 1 meant a sore head, devising and revising resolutions, and maybe trying to make the most of a day off. For millions of others, it meant a New Year’s pay bump.

Welcome to the new wage…

According to figures from the National Employment Law Project, lawmakers across 21 states and 48 cities and counties marked the first day of the year by raising their minimum-wage floors, with 55 of those jurisdictions hiking pay rates to meet or exceed the $15 per hour that advocates have long set their sights on. Later in 2025, Florida and Oregon are also slated to join the list of states raising minimum hourly wages for workers, as legislators try to bump compensation for America’s lowest-paid employees after years of inflation.