Washington D.C. – Today, The Employment Policies Institute (EPI) is highlighting the 17 minimum wage increases set to take place on July 1, 2017. These include two states, the District of Columbia and 14 other municipalities, threatening to destroy job opportunities for young adults across the country. You can view the full list of increases in the table below.

Ten California cities and localities will see wage increases, with the general wage floor rising as high as $15.20. In Santa Monica, a union-negotiated loophole will raise the minimum wage for hotels to $15.37 an hour–unless the employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Numerous real-world stories of business closures, lost job opportunities, or fewer hours can be found at Facesof15.com, the home of EPI’s “Faces of 15” project which chronicles the victims of minimum wage hikes across the country.

Flagstaff, Arizona will see a reduced hike to $10.50 instead of $12 after concerns were raised about potential job losses. Over 50 Cook County suburbs have recently opted out of the county ordinance in preparation for the July1st minimum wage increase, prompted by fears of job loss. And the county executive in Montgomery County, MD, vetoed a proposed increase to a $15 minimum wage earlier this year, after concerns were raised about harm to the county’s small business.

In a recent op-ed, EPI explained the impacts of minimum wage hikes on historically low youth employment. You can read the op-ed here.

Wage Engage, EPI’s phone app, tracks such state-level wage hikes across the country during legislative sessions. Recently EPI launched the Android version of the app. You can download the app from Google Play here. The Apple version of the app is also available from the App Store here.

“This summer, small businesses and the people they employ will feel the heat from 17 different minimum wage increases,” said Michael Saltsman, EPI’s managing director. “The empirical and anecdotal evidence is overwhelming that these wage hikes will reduce workplace opportunities for the people they’re intended to help.”

 

July 1st, 2017 Minimum Wage Increases

State/County/City	Current Minimum Wage	July 1st, Minimum Wage
Washington, D.C.	$11.50	$12.50
Maryland	$8.75	$9.25
Oregon (1)	$9.75	$10.25
Chicago, Illinois	$10.50	$11.00
Cook County, Illinois	$8.25	$10.00
Emeryville, California (2)	$14.82	$15.20
Flagstaff Arizona	$10.00	$10.50
Los Angeles, California (3)	$10.50	$12.00
Los Angeles County, California (3)	$10.50	$12.00
Malibu, California (3)	$10.50	$12.00
Milpitas, California	$10.50	$11.00
Montgomery County, Maryland	$10.75	$11.50
Pasadena, California (3)	$10.50	$12.00
San Francisco, California	$13.00	$14.00
San Jose, California	$10.50	$12.00
San Leandro, California	$10.50	$12.00
Santa Monica, California (3)	$10.50	$12.00

 

1. Indicates “standard” minimum wage rate

2. Rate for businesses with 56+ employees

3. Rate for businesses with 26+ employees

 

For more information, visit EPIOnline.org. To schedule an interview, contact Sean Kumnick at  (202) 463-7650 or kumnick@epionline.org.
The Employment Policies Institute is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to studying public policy issues surrounding employment growth. In particular, EPI focuses on issues that affect entry-level employment. EPI receives support from restaurants, foundations, and individuals.

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