Minimum wage hike to go into effect for some across US
Workers in several states and cities will see minimum wage increases go into effect on January 1, 2025, as they continue to battle with high prices.
Arizona’s minimum wage is going up again.
Workers at the bottom of the pay scale will earn 35 cents an hour more starting Jan. 1, 2025, with a new level of $14.70 an hour compared with $14.35 in 2024.
Arizona’s minimum wage has climbed more than 80% since voters passed Proposition 206 in 2016, when the minimum stood at $8.05 an hour.
Arizona has one of the highest minimums in the nation, though the state still ranks near the bottom for overall incomes, despite a rising cost of living and a low unemployment rate.
The Arizona statewide minimum wage increases to $14.70 an hour in 2025. The rise of 35 cents an hour reflects a cost of living boost of 2.4%. Under state law, Arizona adjusts its minimum wage once a year to reflect inflation.
The new minimum-wage rate is equivalent to $30,576 in annual pay, based on a full year of employment and a 40-hour workweek. That will rise from $29,848 in 2024.
All that stems from Proposition 206, which was approved by voters in 2016, when Arizona’s minimum wage stood at $8.05 an hour.
The Industrial Commission of Arizona oversees and enforces the wage law, along with that for sick time.
The commission’s Minimum Wage Claim Form is used for complaints related to wages that were paid below the current minimum wage. It can be submitted electronically, by fax or by U.S. mail.
Relatively few people earn the minimum — only around 3% of Arizonans, according to one study by the Economic Policy Institute, which advocates for higher wages.
Yes. For example, employers can pay tipped workers up to $3 an hour less, and the minimum wage doesn’t apply in several other situations such as for babysitters, people working for a parent or sibling and those employed by various small businesses, along with those working for the state itself or the federal government.
Flagstaff has a higher minimum wage than the state. The current minimum bumps up to $17.85 from $17.40 on Jan. 1, 2025.
Arizona’s minimum has climbed more than 80% since voters passed Proposition 206 in 2016, when the minimum stood at $8.05 an hour. The measure sanctioned yearly increases reflecting inflation.
An especially big bump of $1 an hour happened in 2020, rising to $12 from $11 in 2019, and another large increase of $1.05 an hour came from 2022 to 2023.
Arizona’s minimum wage, which currently ranks 11th highest in the nation, compared with a federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour that still applies in roughly 20 states.
Despite the upcoming New Year’s Day increase, Arizona will drop to 16th place in 2025, with several other states boosting their minimums. Washington, D.C., will top the list at $17.50 an hour in 2025, followed by Washington state ($16.66), California ($16.50) and the New York City area ($16.50), according to Paycom.
There is no one state with the lowest minimum wage, as many states default to the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which has a minimum wage of $7.25.
States that have a $7.25 minimum wage include:
These 23 states are raising the minimum wage effective Jan. 1, 2025:
Both Arizona and metro Phoenix have been adding jobs and feature relatively low unemployment rates. The Arizona unemployment rate as of November stood at 3.7%, below the U.S. average of 4.2%. Arizona also generated a net 31,600 new jobs for the 12 months through November, continuing a cycle of growth.
The jobless number was better in metro Phoenix, with a 3.5% unemployment rate in November. Metro Phoenix accounts for about 72% of all employment in the state.
A from payroll processor ADP showed median pay in Arizona at $52,700 as of October, well below the national median of $59,200. Arizona ranked 41st overall in median pay but ahead of several neighboring states including Utah ($52,100, 44th place), Nevada ($50,500, 47th place) and last-place New Mexico at $40,200.
Washington, D.C., led the nation with median pay of $100,400, according to the ADP report, which was based on millions of payroll transactions. Massachusetts was second at $75,800 and Alaska third at $69,600.
That depends on many factors, including the occupation and industry that you’re targeting and the availability of benefits.
But one theme from the ADP report indicates that it often pays to job hop. According to the company’s report, median national pay for people who stayed put in their positions rose 4.8% over the past year, but job changers realized an average increase of 7.2%.
Arizona remains one of the fastest-growing states in the country, but new migration data suggests that growth is starting to level out.
According to the latest numbers from U-Haul, Arizona ranked number seven nationwide for growth in 2025. While that is down one spot from the year before, it marks the sixth consecutive year the state has remained in the top ten.
The rankings are based on more than 2.5 million one-way moving transactions for the Arizona-based company.
What stands out in the data is how close those numbers are.
In 2025, 50.3% of U-Haul’s one-way moves came into Arizona, while 49.7% moved out. In practical terms, that means for nearly every family moving into the state, there is another one packing up and leaving.
That does not mean Arizona is losing population. However, it does suggest the margin of growth is getting thinner than it has been in recent years.
Even with that shift, the greater Phoenix metro area continues to be a major driver of growth. Phoenix ranked fifth nationwide among U.S. metro areas, fueled by job creation and new housing across the Valley.
U-Haul leaders point to continued development tied to major employers, including chip manufacturing and data centers, as well as ongoing residential construction, as reasons Phoenix remains a top destination.
Experts who study migration trends say when in-migration and out-migration numbers get this close, it can be a sign that affordability pressures are starting to play a role, especially when it comes to housing.
The latest data does not point to a mass exodus, but it does show Arizona entering a period of transition, balancing opportunity and growth with affordability concerns.
The 2026 Arizona Legacy Races in Buckeye, Ariz., are ringing in a new year for futurity horses December 30 – January 6, at the Buckeye Equestrian & Events Center. Formerly known as the MVP Futurity and Greg Olson Futurity, these two races have been a staple in many professional trainers’ schedules for decades. This year, the two events boast $22,000 in added money.
Linzie Lindsey and Fame Dancin Yola claimed the Round 1 win with a 17.577 for $1,959. Barbara Merrill rode TKW Eye Am Tess to the 2D win.
After finishing out of the 1D money in Round 1, Loralee Ward and Dark Honey ran the fastest time of the futurity with a 17.030 to claim the Round 2 win. The duo also earned the Futurity Reserve Championship for $1,652.
Lindsey and Fame Dancin Yola finished second in Round 2 with a 17.164, adding $1,603 to their futurity earnings and claiming the Futurity Championship for another $2,019.
Jenna Duhon and PMC AintSheBeautiful earned the Round 2 2D win. In the 2D Average, it was Estella Martin and Quanahs Kingdom claiming the win.
Round 1 of a very tough Derby went to Jana Bean and Feature This Goodbye with a 17.268. 2025 futurity standout Blissful Version and Lora Nichols finished second in Round 1 with a 17.282, won Round 2 with a 17.032, and claimed the Average win.
“Buddy” and Nichols were in contention for the highest money-earning futurity horse of the previous season, before the cancellation of the last two major events of the season due to EHV-1. By $7 million sire Winners Version, Buddy banked over $300,000 in his futurity year.
Megan McLeod-Sprague and Seis Corona (“Jagger”) were hot off the 2025 National Finals Rodeo. The duo won the Roohide Hot Rod with a 17.004 for $1,368. They also earned the Friday Open 1D win for $1,083.
With the first 16-second run of the weekend, Sherry Cervi and MP Meter My Fame won the Saturday Open 1D with a 16.969.
Rita Cheeney and HP Dash Ta Fairfax ran the only other sub-17-second run of the weekend, with a 16.996 that took the top spot in Sunday’s Open 1D.
Nichols and Buddy doubled down on their derby earnings, placing deep in the Open 1D both days, as well as the Roohide Hot Rod, and Big Time Boss.
Youth competitor Tabitha Dyal also had an outstanding weekend, earning Open 1D money Friday, Saturday, and Sunday aboard Slym Shady. She swept the Youth 1D on Slym Shady and earned Open 1D, Open 2D, and Youth 1D checks on Promise Me Fame Guys and Smooth Operraider. Dyal wrapped up her weekend with several checks in the Big Time Boss.
Authorities say a prominent California agriculture heir is accused of traveling to Arizona to kill his estranged wife amid a bitter divorce, a case now drawing national attention for its cross-state trail and high-profile ties.
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