Starting Jan. 1, 2026, minimum wage workers in 19 states will see a pay increase. The raises affect more than 8.3 million workers, including those directly earning minimum wage and others who see a ripple effect increase further up the pay scale, according to Axios.

Amid a record low number of new laws, the tax shifts and minimum wage hike are some of the biggest policy changes to hit pocketbooks Jan. 1.

Starting in 2027, increases to the state minimum wage will be linked to inflation. The increases will be determined by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for the Northeast region — a regional measure of inflation.

Michigan’s minimum wage jumped by $1.25 an hour on Thursday under a new state law that sped up planned base rate increases but scaled back a bigger bump for tipped workers. The minimum wage climbed from $12.

Ohio's minimum wage is set to increase starting Thursday, with non-tipped employees seeing a rise to $11 per hour and tipped employees to $5.50 per hour.This a

New Jersey is one of nearly two dozen states set to increase its minimum wage in 2026, and the only state in the Delaware Valley that will see a hike.