Washington Minimum Wage
What are Minimum Wages in Washington?
What's the minimum wage in Washington? For entrepreneurs and small business owners with employees, it's important to know whether your state has a minimum wage law. Information on minimum wages can be tough to find so we've done the research for you. Here's the minimum wage for Washington.
As of January 1, 2021, minimum wage in Washington is $13.69.
Washington is one of 45 states that have enacted minimum wage laws. The minimum wage in Washington is $6.44 greater than the current Federal minimum wage rate of $7.25.
From 2000 to 2016, Washington's minimum wage increased because the state's minimum wage was tied to the Consumer Price Index.
Eventually, however, the state passed legislation to increment Washington's minimum wage to $11.00 per hour in 2017, with additional increases after that.
Separately, Seattle has garnered national attention for having raised the city's minimum wage to $15.00 an hour. Economists have been analyzing the results to inform the national debate on potential increases to the federal minimum wage to $15 or more.
There were 29,000 minimum wage workers in Washington, according to 2012 US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That equated to 1.70 percent of the hourly workforce.
Please realize that the Washington minimum wages cited above may have changed since we posted this minimum wage information. State minimum wages can change because new laws are enacted or because old laws contained scheduled increases. You should also be aware that state law often exempts particular company types, occupations and industries. To get the latest minimum wages for Washington, visit www.dol.gov.
Last Updated: January 4, 2021.
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