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How Does Your State Rank on the Minimum Wage?

Andrew Burton/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Up to 35 million workers—nearly a third of the U.S. workforce—would see their incomes increase with a raise in the minimum wage, according to a new study by The Hamilton Project that details the “ripple effect”: that an increase in minimum wage also tends to bump up pay for workers who earn slightly more than the minimum wage.

Less than 3 percent of workers are paid exactly minimum wage, but close to 30 percent earn equal to or below 150 percent of the minimum wage ($10.88 for states where the federal minimum wage of $7.25 is the base). The study uses data from 2012, when 18 states and Washington, D.C. fixed minimum hourly pay above the federal threshold of $7.25. (In 2014, that number rose to 21 states plus D.C.) The Hamilton Project estimates that 16 million workers in these states could gain from a minimum wage hike; the other 32 states could see up to 18.9 million workers earning more.

In Montana, where the minimum wage in 2012 was $7.65, the highest share of workers—37.2 percent—made equal to or less than 150 percent of the minimum wage. Where does your state stand? (Click to enlarge.)


Map courtesy of The Hamilton Project and Brookings Institute