Seattle Announces New Minimum Wage, Blasts Through $22 Threshold for First Time in U.S. History
Seattle has announced a new minimum wage rate that will make it the city with the nation’s highest pay floor in 2027.
The city’s Office of Labor Standards announced Monday that the minimum wage will rise to $22.14 per hour beginning on Jan. 1.
Seattle’s minimum wage is currently $21.30 per hour, which is the third-highest in the state of Washington behind Burien, which has a $21.63 per hour rate, and Tukwila, which has a minimum wage of $21.65 per hour.
Seattle calculates its minimum wage based on the Consumer Price Index for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area.
Seattle’s rate will be America’s highest unless another city acts before the end of the year, according to Fox News.
A full-time minimum wage job in Seattle will pay just over $46,000 per year.
Washington state is also upping its minimum wage, which will rise by 60 cents to $17.73 in 2027 — the largest jump in recent years, according to the Seattle Times.
The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009.
Other states are also increasing minimum wage rates.
“Operators are making less money than ever and are charging more than ever,” said Anthony Anton, CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association. An individual working full time on Seattle’s minimum wage will make just over $46,000 annually — but restaurant owners say the cascading…
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) September 30, 2026
California’s minimum wage will be $17.40 per hour starting Jan. 1, according to KABC-TV.
As noted by CBS News, New Jersey is also increasing its rate for 2027 to $16.48 per hour.
Seattle is set to raise its minimum wage again in 2027, potentially giving the city the highest wage floor in the country.
The increase comes as the local economy faces mounting strain: 450 restaurants closed in the first half of 2025, job postings in the metro area were down… pic.twitter.com/MqTuYULhkM
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) September 30, 2026
New York state, which has been increasing its minimum wage annually, will not be doing so yet, according to the Albany Times-Union.
That’s because the law that established the formula for annual increases also allowed for a wage freeze if the New York economy falters.
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she wants to change that, but it will be next year before the state legislature can pass a law allowing rates to climb.
New York state’s minimum wage rate is currently $17.00 per hour in New York City, Westchester County, and on Long Island, and $16 per hour for the rest of the state.
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