On January 1, Missouri’s minimum wage was increased by 15 cents to $7.50 per hour, benefiting an estimated 104,000 low-wage workers in the state. The minimum wage for tipped workers in Missouri was increased by 12 cents to $3.75 per hour.
Missouri’s minimum wage increase means an extra $312 per year in wages for minimum-wage workers in the state, and the increased consumer spending generated by the minimum wage hike will boost economic growth by $11 million, according to an analysis of Census data by the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute.
Missouri’s minimum wage increase is the result of a state ballot initiative approved by a 3 to 1 margin by voters in 2006 that provides for annual rate adjustments to keep pace with the rising cost of living.