The Minimal U.S. Minimum Wage

In 2007, Congress approved a Federal Minimum Wage Bill. This bill allowed for a three-step increase in the federal minimum wage.

Before this 2007 bill was passed, the federal minimum wage had remained unchanged for a decade, at the rate of $5.15 per hour. The passage of the Federal Minimum Wage Bill, scheduled an increase in the federal minimum pay rate as follows: $5.85 per hour on 7/24/07, $6.55 per hour on 7/24/08, and $7.25 per hour on 7/24/09. These wage increases are not particularly in step with the rate of inflation in certain regions of the country.

Many states operate under a state minimum wage that is higher than the one set by the federal government. The above
diagram shows which states conform to the federal minimum wage, and which ones don't.

The color key for the diagram is:
Green=States with minimum wage rates higher than the federal minimum wage.
Red=States with minimum wage rates lower than the federal minimum wage.
Blue=States with minimum wage rates that are the same as the federal minimum wage.
Yellow=States that have no state minimum wage.
Orange=American Samoan areas that have a special minimum wage rate.