Arizona is getting a raise: New year brings an increase in the minimum wage

The wage hike of $12 an hour is a 9% increase from the $11 an hour that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. It's also the fourth consecutive annual increase.

Minimum wage workers will get a slight wage hike in the new year to $12 an hour. That's a 9% increase from the $11 an hour minimum wage that went into effect on New Year's Day 2019. It's also the fourth consecutive annual increase and one that will give the state the fifth-highest minimum wage in the United States.

In this story published Dec. 31, 2019, on azcentral.com:

The wage increases indeed put more purchasing power in the hands of combined food-preparation and serving workers, including waiters and waitresses, but there were fewer jobs to be had.

– Lee McPheters, research professor of economics and director of ASU’s JPMorgan Chase Economic Outlook Center