Over 20 States Increase Minimum Wage On January 1; Federal Stuck at $7.25

One of the good things about a new year is that new laws go into effect. On January 1, twenty states raised their minimum wage, with Washington state continuing to have the highest minimum wage in the country at $9.47 per hour. New York raised its minimum wage to $8.75 on December 31st. California's minimum wage is $9.00.

The Huffington Post reports:

Minimum wage workers in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia will all see their pay go up on Jan. 1. Minimum wage workers in Delaware and Minnesota are also expected to receive a pay hike in June and August 2015, respectively. 

For the first time a majority of states (29) have minimum wages higher than the federal minimum.