This state has the lowest minimum wage in America
When it comes to hourly pay, this state will leave you wanting more
Since the bill was passed on June 25, 1938, under President Franklin D.Roosevelt, the minimum wage, coming under the Fair Labor Standards Act, has been a regular bone of contention for politicians, unions and the general population alike.
Each state has interpreted what a minimum wage is differently. This can be driven by politics as well as and the cost of living, but not necessarily by inflation.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., joins fellow Democrats and activists seeking better pay as the House approved legislation to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 per hour.
This sum has remained the same since the last increase on July 24, 2009, when it rose from $6.55 to $7.25, the last step of a three-step increase approved by Congress in 2007.
Previous to this, the minimum wage had stalled at $5.15 per hour for 10 years.
Many states also have minimum wage laws in place. In situations where both the state and federal minimum wage laws apply, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages.
WOULD HIGHER MINIMUM WAGE BE A DISADVANTAGE FOR AMERICAN FARMERS?
The state currently with the lowest minimum wage requirements as stated in data from the DOL is Georgia. Paying just $5.15 per hour, Georgia has a minimum wage of more than $2.00 below the federal mark of $7.25.
The state with the second-lowest wage is Wyoming with a minimum hourly pay rate of $5.17. And at the other end of the spectrum, the state with the highest minimum hourly wage is California at $12.