CBS News: Workers Across the U.S. Are Set for Minimum Wage Increases in 2026. Here’s Where.

Some workers will receive pay boosts next year as higher minimum wage regulations take effect in 22 states and 66 cities and counties across the U.S., a change that could help low-income households grappling with an affordability crisis.

On Jan. 1, 2026, the minimum wage is set to rise in 19 states and 49 cities and counties, for a total of 68 jurisdictions, according to a report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), an advocacy organization for workers.

Later in the year, an additional four states and 22 cities will boost their baseline wages, providing more relief to the lowest-paid U.S. workers, according to the group’s analysis.

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On the one hand, the lack of affordability is about things costing too much, but on the other hand, it means people are not earning enough money to buy things.

Cost-of-living adjustments, raises designed to help workers’ pay keep up with inflation, are driving minimum wage increases in 13 states and 44 cities and counties across the U.S., according to the NELP report.

“In the face of federal inaction, these raises are indexed to inflation, so they match the cost of living,” NELP researcher Tsedeye Gebreselassie told CBS News.

She noted that several increases have been driven by worker-led organizing, kicked off by the Fight for $15, a national movement for better pay and working conditions, which began in 2012.

Some localities continue to have a $7.25 minimum wage. Many of them are in southern U.S. states.

“The contrast between states and cities that are raising wages every year and those that are stuck at $7.25 is really jarring,” Gebreselassie said. “On the one hand, the lack of affordability is about things costing too much, but on the other hand, it means people are not earning enough money to buy things.”

She added, “There is a lot of talk about the former, but we need to make sure we are not losing sight of the fact that workers’ wages need to go up.”

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Read the full story at cbsnews.com.