Bill could make federal minimum wage $15: The states paying less than that

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has introduced legislation that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour as early as next year, replacing the current rate of $7.25 an hour. For the states that already have minimum wage rates at or above $15 an hour, the change likely won’t be as significant.

In 2025 alone, more than 20 states saw an increase in their minimum wage.

With the exception of the District of Columbia, where the current minimum wage is $17.50, the state of Washington has the highest minimum hourly rate of $16.66...