The paycheck of a worker making minimum wage goes further in Eastern Washington cities than anywhere else in the country, a new study by a personal finance technology company suggests.
The highest minimum wage in the nation, coupled with relatively low cost of living, make the Tri-Cities, Spokane and Yakima Nos. 1, 2 and 3 on the list of “real” minimum wages in 141 U.S. cities, according to SmartAsset. When the two are combined, Washington’s mandatory minimum of $9.47 an hour translates into buying power worth $10.02, $9.83 and $9.69, respectively, when compared with similar workers in other cities.
The survey ranks Tacoma at No. 10, Vancouver at No. 11. Seattle’s $11-an-hour wage puts it at No. 37 overall, but when combined with the higher cost of living there, that hourly wage has a purchasing power of only $8.38. The Seattle City Council approved a phased-in $15-an-hour minimum wage in 2014.
Cities where the federally mandated $7.25 an hour is the floor tend to be far down on the list, but there are some gaps in the survey that make it difficult to place other Inland Northwest cities.
