Nevada State

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

California State

Fortune

Despite running on Dunkin’ or lovin’ happy meals, America has a long history of underpaying the fast-food workers who make and deliver said iconic staples of the nation’s diet. But for some of the employees at Louisiana-based chicken chain Raising Cane’s, wages are no longer so poultry, or even paltry.

Raising Cane’s managers now make $175,000 as new laws and shortages push fast-food salaries to six figures

Snopes

An online article claimed, "McDonald's is reportedly considering a drastic measure – exiting the California market altogether."

Fact Check: McDonald's Is Considering Leaving California Due to State's Minimum Wage Increase?

Massachusetts State

If you're thinking of living on your own, you'll need to make about $45,000 per year in most states just to get by. That's roughly the median income needed to cover basic expenses, according to a new analysis by SmartAsset, which looked at estimates for housing, transportation, health care, taxes and other common expenses, as tracked by the MIT Living Wage calculator.

The salary a single person needs to make ends meet in every U.S. state

FinanceBuzz

Discover the relentless dedication it takes to perform these 14 arduous jobs and why a pay increase is long overdue.

14 Jobs Notorious for Underpaying Employees

Pennsylvania State

Business Insider

Lyft CEO David Risher often posts positively about driving for the rideshare service. But one gig worker said they're not even making minimum wage.

A Lyft driver says he isn't even making minimum wage driving full-time and it shows how much the job costs workers

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Kentucky Vibes.net

Disclaimer: This article was written with the help of A.I. software. Introduction A McDonald's franchisee worth $80 million, Scott Rodrick, initially attributed the closure of one of his branches to California's new $20 minimum wage law. However, recent revelations point to a leasing disagreement as the actual cause.

Owner of McDonald's worth $80 million says branch closure due to $20 minimum wage.

Inflation has been persistent for the past several years. The 2024 cost of living adjustment (COLA) for federal retirees was 3.2%. Some retirees were probably disappointed with the 2024 increase because of the larger increases in the two previous years. In 2023, the COLA was 8.7%, the highest in more...

Because of Inflation, 2025 COLA Estimates Going Up Every Month

Minnesota State

Across the country, Uber and Lyft drivers have pushed for laws to get a minimum wage. The companies have lobbied against those bills in states like California, Washington and Massachusetts. In Minnesota, drivers went toe-to-toe with the companies for two years. NPR's tech correspondent, Dara Kerr, reports the battle there offers a glimpse into the company's lobbying machine and how the drivers fought back.

Uber and Lyft are fighting minimum wage laws. But in this state, the drivers won

Ohio State

The Center Square

Come July 3, thousands of Ohio’s tipped workers could be staring down the barrel of job losses and severe cuts to their take home pay if a measure that would phase out the tip credit and raise the state’s minimum wage makes its way onto Novembers’ ballot.
                Ohio’s tipped workers aren’t naive. They’ve seen the data and know similar policies have cost jobs and earnings across the country. Now, they are worried they’ll see their own paychecks decimated.
       ...

Op-Ed: Listen to Ohio’s servers – they’re the ones whose jobs are on the line

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NewSantaAna

The FBI has seen a rise in scams targeting timeshare owners. In this kind of scam, criminals con these part-time property owners into shelling out hefty sums of cash, all under false pretenses related to their timeshare properties.

FBI warns that Mexican cartels are targeting Americans with timeshare scams

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

Wisconsin State

An unexpected company is now laying off hundreds in Wisconsin due to a significant decrease in consumer demand. Mercury Marine, a boat parts manufacturer in Fond du Lac County, is preparing to cut a total of 300 positions this summer, according to a spokesperson. The company said in a statement...

An Unexpected Company Is Now Laying Off Hundreds in Wisconsin

Alaska State

Alaska Department of Health Commissioner Heidi Hedberg gave an update on the backlog of food aid applications in the Division of Public Assistance at a news conference for Gov. Mike Dunleavy's proposed FY 2025 budget in Juneau on Dec. 14, 2023. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon) Alaska’s Department of Health...

USDA penalizes Alaska $12 million for overpaying food stamp benefits

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

HuffPost

A congressional resolution would kill a new Labor Department rule that would guarantee time-and-a-half pay for more workers when they log over 40 hours.

Republicans Try To Block 4 Million Workers From Getting Overtime Pay

Missouri State

Jefferson City, MO

Othel Moore died at the Jefferson City Correctional Center in December while restrained and in isolation (Caspar Benson/Getty Images). Four former Missouri correctional officers face murder charges and a fifth is charged with involuntary manslaughter for the December death of a man incarcerated at the Jefferson City Correctional Center. Othel...

Missouri corrections officers charged with murder in death of inmate in restraints

Georgia State

Coffee County, GA

Douglas, GA

Daily Coffee Press

A 49-year-old woman from Douglas was recently arrested for allegedly submitting a life insurance policy for her ex-husband without his knowledge. According to a Coffee County Sheriff’s Office incident report, detectives met with a man on May 7 at the Coffee County Law Enforcement Center concerning a reported case of insurance fraud.

Georgia woman charged for allegedly filing life insurance policy application on ex-husband

Texas State

Baytown, TX

A company in Texas is now laying off a whopping 4,000 employees as a giant company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Zachry Holdings, a conglomerate with subsidiaries in construction, energy, and other industries, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month. The move allowed the company to pursue a “structured...

Company in Texas is Now Laying Off Whopping 4,000 Employees

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

NewsBreak

Nevada’s minimum wage hits $12 an hour July 1. Now what?

Nevada's minimum hourly wage will be $12 beginning July 1, 2024. (Jetta Productions Inc./Getty Images) When Democratic lawmakers celebrated passing legislation in 2019 that would gradually...

Nevada’s minimum wage hits $12 an hour July 1. Now what?

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