Asheville, NC

Columbus, OH

New Jersey State

Upworthy

Public discourse about minimum wage and living wages has been ongoing for years, with people debating whether the government should mandate a minimum hourly pay for workers.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the first federal minimum wage law in 1938, setting the lowest wage a worker could be paid at 25 cents per hour. Nearly a century later, the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr, holding steady since 2009, with people lobbying to raise it to at least $15/hr for over a decade. However, in addition to federal law, each state has its own laws, a handful of which establish a state minimum wage higher than $15, a handful of which don't have a set minimum wage at all and everything in between.Cost of living has also been a hot topic as inflation has squeezed everyone's wallets and certain cities and states have become utterly unaffordable, especially for people in low-wage jobs or who who are just starting out in their careers. So how do minimum wage and cost of living correlate state-by-state? Are there any sweet spots with a high(er) minimum wage and low(er) cost of living? 

6 states where the minimum wage and cost of living offer the best bang for your buck

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released its final rule, updating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)’s overtime pay requirements. The rule increases the minimum salary threshold to US$43,888 on July 1 and then to $58,656 on January 1, 2025. This significant change will profoundly impact both business...

Employers Face Major Changes with New Overtime Pay Requirements

Oregon State

California State

California is about to pass the state’s first rules to protect workers inside from high heat. These rules could go into effect later this summer. The new rules for the workplace were approved by a standards board at the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) on Thursday. That means they will be sent to the state’s Office of Administrative Law for a quick final review. If all goes well, the standards could be in place by the beginning of August.

California is Going to Be the Third State to Require Indoor Workers to Wear Heat-protecting Gear

Alabama State

GOBankingRates

The beginning of 2024 brought good news to certain minimum wage workers, as 22 states and 38 cities and counties raised their own minimums above the federal minimum. As CBS News reported, the pay...

How Much Minimum Wage Will Go Up Every Year Through 2028

The United States job market in June 2024 presents significant challenges for many Americans seeking employment. Despite some positive indicators like job growth, the increasing unemployment rate and various economic factors make it difficult for job seekers to secure positions. The current jobs report looks good on the surface, but...

Why Are So Many Americans Unable To Find A Job?

Money

A new federal overtime pay rule went into effect Monday, expanding the protections to and earnings potential for about 1 million salaried workers. U.S. government officials have said that the overtime expansion, one of the largest in recent history, means more workers will now be compensated for the extra hours they spend at work and away from their families. An estimated 4 million people will benefit from the changes to overtime pay once they’re fully in effect come 2025. Specifically, they'll now be entitled to one-and-a-half times pay for time they put in over the standard 40-hour week.

1 Million More Workers Just Became Eligible for Overtime Pay

Washington, DC

Apple Valley News Now

Minimum wage workers got a pay bump beginning Monday in Washington, D.C., Nevada and Oregon, as well as in some cities and counties across the U.S.

State and Local Minimum Wage Hikes Kick In Around U.S.

South Carolina State

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Florida State

Atlanta, GA

National Weather Force

Severe thunderstorms are forecast across parts of the Southeast, including North Florida, Georgia, and coastal South Carolina, with risks of damaging winds and hail. Check below for further details, timing and much more information.

Severe Thunderstorms with Damaging Winds and Hail Expected in the Southeast; July 1, 2024

Newark, NJ

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Morristown Minute

NEWARK, N.J. – Eight individuals associated with the "793 Bloods" street gang, a subset of the national Bloods gang, have been charged for their roles in a Newark-based drug trafficking organization, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Eight '793 Bloods' Gang Members Charged in Newark Drug Network

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) announced new minimum wage and overtime pay requirements for executive, administrative, and professional employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that partially went into effect July 1, 2024. Expected to impact upward of 4 million workers across the United States, the rule increases the salary standard for minimum wage and for when overtime kicks in.

Potential Paycheck Changes

Josue Torres

Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a collaborative effort with the state legislature to restrict students’ use of smartphones during school hours. This initiative follows a warning issued on Monday from Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy about the detrimental effects of social media on children’s mental health.

California governor moves to ban smartphone use in schools

Missouri State

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CJ Coombs

According to Shakey's website, this pizza parlor is only in California, North Carolina, and Washington state in the U.S. now. This was my family's go-to pizza joint when my father was stationed with the Air Force outside of Omaha, Nebraska. We liked it so much, that when we were transferred again, it was hopeful we'd find another one.

Shakey's Pizza Parlor and nostalgia: the first franchised pizza restaurant also landed in Missouri

Los Angeles Times

Fast-food lobbyists say the higher California minimum wage law led to a loss of nearly 10,000 jobs. The claim is baseless.

The fast-food industry claims the California minimum wage law is costing jobs. Its numbers are fake

UPI News

July 4 cookout costs will be greater this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Fourth of July market basket survey. The survey measures average costs across the United States.

Fourth of July cookout costs rise to record high $7.12 per person

San Mateo County, CA

(CNN) — A California man accused of deliberately driving himself, his wife and two children off a cliff on a coastal highway in January 2023 was granted a mental health diversion, meaning the criminal trial is now suspended, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s office said in a news release Thursday.

Man accused of driving family off California cliff granted mental health diversion program, district attorney says

Alameda Post

California regulators just stopped AT&T from pulling the plug. California’s Public Utilities Commission on June 20 rejected AT&T’s application to stop providing landlines and other services in areas where there is no other option.

Still Need Your Landline?

Ali Carney, 46, of Newark, received a 65-month prison sentence for conspiring to distribute narcotics, including fentanyl and heroin, and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

Gang Member Sentenced to 65 Months for Drug Trafficking

San Diego, CA

A massive company is now laying off 500 employees in California after a year where the industry has seen numerous job cuts. Dexcom will lay off a total of 535 employees in California, adding to the medical device industry’s long list of job cuts this year. The expected first...

Massive Company Is Now Laying Off 500 Employees in California

Arizona State

Flagstaff, AZ

According to a recent article in USA Today, Arizona is the third most affordable state to live in the United States. Another study, however, found that the cost of living in the Grand Canyon State is...

See Why These Arizona Cities Have the Highest and Lowest Cost of Living So Far in 2024

Weaverville, NC

Swannanoa, NC

Alexander, NC

Candler, NC

Arden, NC

Leicester, NC

Fairview, NC

Fletcher, NC

Barnardsville, NC

Montreat, NC

Mills River, NC

Gerton, NC

Black Mountain, NC

Canton, NC

Hendersonville, NC

NewsBreak

Possibility of Mission nurses’ strike rises as labor contract expires

Mission Hospital and the Mission Nurses United union didn’t reach a deal on a new labor deal by midnight July 3, the expiration date for the...

Possibility of Mission nurses’ strike rises as labor contract expires

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