Minimum wage will go up in 20 states in 2019

The minimum wage will rise in 20 states and nearly two dozen cities in 2019, including $1-an-hour increases for employers in Massachusetts and Maine and for California businesses with more than 25 workers, the Associated Press reports.

The big picture: The federal minimum wage has been set at $7.25 an hour since 2009, but 29 states and the District of Columbia have enacted higher wages since then. The new increases will raise 20 states to even higher levels.