State Minimum Wages: An Overview

[Excerpt] This report begins with a brief discussion of FLSA minimum wage coverage. It then provides a summary of state minimum wage laws, followed by an examination of rates and mechanisms of adjustments in states with minimum wage levels above the FLSA rate (Table 1 provides summary data). Next, the report discusses the interaction of federal and state minimum wages over time, and finally, the Appendix provides detailed information on the major components of minimum wage policies in all 50 states and DC). It is important to note that the state policies covered in this report include currently effective policies and policies enacted with an effective date on or before January 1, 2015. Several states enacted legislation in 2014 with an effective date by the beginning of 2015. As such, the description and analysis in the report reflects the effects of legislative and ballot outcomes in 2014