On Monday, Delaware Gov. John Carney became the 10th governor to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The Delaware minimum wage is currently $9.25 per hour and will increase incrementally over the next four years, starting with a raise to $10.50 on Jan. 1, 2022, followed by $11.75 in 2023, $13.25 in 2024, and $15 in 2025. The state’s last minimum wage increase was in October 2019, an increase of $1 an hour from the $8.25 wage passed in 2015.
“One of my goals since being administrative official […] has been to lift up those lower wage workers so that they can provide the same opportunities for their children that the rest of us can as well,” Gov. Carney said during Monday’s press conference during the signing of the bill.
The minimum wage raise was passed along party lines in June, with pushback from conservative lawmakers and business advocacy organizations like the Delaware Restaurant Association, before it headed to the governor’s desk.
But not all businesses are against raising the minimum wage:
“This is a great day for Delaware and small businesses across the state who advocated raising the minimum wage to boost the economy,” Alissa Barron-Menza, vice president of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage said in a statement. “Workers will be able to spend more at local businesses and fairer pay will bring lower employee turnover and increased productivity. Raising Delaware’s minimum wage will help businesses and communities thrive.”
The other states/territories that have enacted a $15 minimum wage or have one in the works include:
- California – Current minimum wage: $14; $15 effective Jan. 1, 2022
- Connecticut – Current minimum wage: $12; $15 effective June 1, 2023
- Washington, D.C. – Current minimum wage: $15 an hour, effective July 1, 2021
- Florida – Current minimum wage: $8.65; $15 an hour effective Jan. 1, 2026
- Illinois – Current minimum wage: $11; $15 an hour effective Jan. 1, 2025
- Maryland – Current minimum wage: $11.75; $15 an hour effective Jan. 1, 2025
- Massachusetts ‑ Current minimum wage: $13.50; $15 an hour effective Jan. 1, 2023
- New Jersey – Current minimum wage: $12; $15 an hour effective Jan. 1, 2024
- New York – Current minimum wage: $12.50; rate is adjusted annually for inflation until it reaches $15 an hour
- Rhode Island – Current minimum wage: $11.50; rate is adjusted annually until it reaches $15 an hour on Jan. 1, 2025
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