Minimum wage hikes have varying effects across nation

Justin Ho Dec 31, 2018

Minimum wage hikes have varying effects across nation

Justin Ho Dec 31, 2018

Workers celebrate outside the Ronald Reagan State Building in downtown Los Angeles on April 4, 2016, after California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that will raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Starting in 2019, 20 states and 21 cities throughout the U.S. are hiking their minimum wages. But if the goal is reducing poverty, the minimum wage is a blunt instrument. Low-wage workers aren’t always poor, some are teens earning extra spending cash for example, but increasing the minimum wage can have outsized effects in states where the cost of living is lower.

Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Stories You Might Like

The upside (and downside) of an automatic raise

Could the federal minimum wage vary by the regional cost of living?

Tired of waiting for Congress, majority of U.S. states have raised their minimum wage

Minimum wage hikes to kick in across the U.S.

A new study out of Seattle shows the downside of minimum wage increases

There is a patchwork of minimum wages across the U.S.

We’re here to help you navigate this changed world and economy.

Our mission at Marketplace is to raise the economic intelligence of the country. It’s a tough task, but it’s never been more important.

In the past year, we’ve seen record unemployment, stimulus bills, and reddit users influencing the stock market. Marketplace helps you understand it all, will fact-based, approachable, and unbiased reporting.

Generous support from listeners and readers is what powers our nonprofit news—and your donation today will help provide this essential service. For just $5/month, you can sustain independent journalism that keeps you and thousands of others informed.