Happy New Year: Minimum Wage Up in 10 States

The new year brings with it minimum wage increases—from as little as 10 cents to as much as 35 cents—in 10 states, helping almost one million workers, NPR reports. Nine of the hikes were part of automatic cost-of-living adjustments, but in Rhode Island, the wage was upped for the first time in five years thanks to a new law. The increases also mean that the minimum wage gap is growing, the AP points out: Washington state, for example, bumped its minimum up to $9.19 per hour, while in neighboring Idaho, the lowest wage is almost $2 per hour less. (More minimum wage stories.)