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%.
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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On today’s Digital Pregame Show presented by Little Caesars, J.B Long, D’Marco Farr, and Maurice Jones-Drew preview the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 18 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. The trio discuss key players to watch, game predictions, and more. Tune in for kickoff at 1:25pm PT on FOX.
Arizona State is bringing in Kentucky transfer quarterback Cutter Boley after he played 10 full games as a redshirt freshman in 2025, FootballScoop’s John Brice first reported with SunDevilSource’s Chris Karpman confirming.
He gives the Sun Devils a signal-caller with three years of eligibility who had major flashes as a young starter in the SEC, including a career-high 330 yards and five touchdown passes on 74.3% passing against Tennessee on Oct. 25.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Boley had 2,160 yards (65.8%), 15 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions on the season with 85 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
He was expected to take a two-day visit beginning on Saturday, but he committed before getting to the second day.
ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham extended an offer to Boley as a high school junior while he was the 24th quarterback in the 2024 class and the coach was serving as offensive coordinator at Oregon.
Dillingham took more of an active role in the offense during the Sun Bowl on Wednesday, and he said postgame recent changes in administration have allowed him to focus more on football. It would make sense the active role carries over to the development of Boley.
He gets to ASU after the departure of Sam Leavitt, who has fittingly been linked to Kentucky in what could be a 1-for-1 transfer swap of quarterbacks.
The youngest SEC quarterback to get substantial time this season, Boley played mostly as a game manager with quick passes behind or near the line of scrimmage.
His six big-time throws — tracked by PFF as passes with “excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tight window” — were tied for last among 15 qualified SEC passers.
His 18 turnover-worthy plays, another PFF-tracked stat, were tied for fourth out of 15.
Comparing the stats to ASU’s quarterbacks this season, Leavitt had 18 big-time throws and 12 turnover-worthy plays in seven games. Jeff Sims had eight big-time throws and nine turnover-worthy plays in eight contests.
Because he has three years of eligibility remaining, Boley could eventually have to compete with young ASU quarterbacks Cam Dyer and Jake Fette, who will be redshirt and true freshmen, respectively, in 2026.
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