Washington’s minimum wage will increase by 13 cents to $9.32 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2014, the Department of Labor & Industries announced Monday.
The state minimum wage is based on a cost of living formula included in Initiative 688, approved by Washington voters in 1998. The 13-cent-per-hour increase, from $9.19 an hour, reflects a 1.455 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers over the last 12 months ending August 31, Labor & Industries said in a news release. The Consumer Price Index increase was announced earlier this month by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The CPI-W measures average price changes for goods and services purchased by urban wage earners and clerical workers. The goods and services it monitors include basic living costs such as food, clothing, shelter, fuels and services such as doctor visits.
Washington is one of 10 states, including Oregon, that adjusts the minimum wage based on inflation and the CPI. Washington has the highest minimum wage, followed by Oregon, which recently announced its 2014 minimum wage will rise by 15 cents, to $9.10 per hour.
