In this Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 photo, Shawna Green, waitress at Granny Shaffer's, prepares utensils for customers at the restaurant in Joplin, Mo. Wages will be increasing for millions of low-income workers across the U.S. as the new year ushers in new laws in numerous states. In Missouri and Arkansas, minimum wages are rising as a result of voter-approved ballot initiatives. (Roger Nomer/The Joplin Globe via AP)
Minimum wage workers in Vermont and Maine are getting raises along with the new year.
In Vermont, the minimum wage increased Tuesday from $10.50 per hour to $10.78. The Vermont wage is indexed to inflation. The minimum wage for tipped employees increased to $5.39 from $5.25.
[Analysis: Federal minimum wage fell by 14 cents this year, when adjusted for inflation]
In Maine, the minimum wage increased to $11 from $10, while the minimum wage for tipped employees increased to $5.50 from $5.
Across the country 20 states and nearly two-dozen cities increased the minimum wage.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25, which was last raised in 2009.
