How often does the minimum wage increase?
No regular increase schedule exists. The federal minimum wage was $5.15 per hour for 10 years until raised by Congress on July 24, 2007, to $5.85 per hour. Congress scheduled additional 70-cent increases for the same day each in 2008 and 2009. Most states have enacted their own minimum-wage provisions, several of which are higher than the federal rate. In any given state, the higher of the state or federal rate will apply to workers covered under both schemes and the state rate will apply to employees not subject to the federal law.
