The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has stayed the same since 2009. But with the majority of states already enforcing minimums beyond that amount, there’s a growing debate about whether the federal rate is overdue for an increase.
That debate came into stark focus last year as the “Fight for $15” movement gained traction across the country. The push for this increased pay minimum was highly polarizing, with supporters publicly rallying around the increase and those in opposition decrying the proposal as inevitably harmful to the lowest-earning workers.
