Minimum wage hikes traditionally have been aimed at helping low-paid workers afford the basics, such as food, medicine and housing.
But a growing number of states and localities are raising their pay floors to $15 an hour or above, providing workers a somewhat larger financial cushion so they can not only pay for essentials with less of a struggle but also make some discretionary purchases.
Twenty-one states and 48 cities and counties are set to raise their minimum wages on Jan. 1, according to a report provided exclusively to USA TODAY by the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy group. Other states and a few more cities and counties will raise their minimum wages later in 2025.
While the pay floor bumps mark an annual ritual, the report highlights an acceleration in the size of minimum wage increases in recent years.
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