Minimum wage to top $15 in Portland for first time starting Saturday

Published 3:26 pm Thursday, June 29, 2023

Anyone working a minimum wage job in Oregon will soon see a little more money in their pocket.

The raises will take effect July 1, but they won’t be equal across the state.

All minimum wage workers will get a 70 cent hourly increase. In the Portland metro area, minimum wage will top $15 per hour for the first time, increasing from $14.75 to $15.45. Outside Portland, in the “standard” area, it will jump from $13.50 to $14.20. And in non-urban areas, minimum wage will rise from $12.50 to $13.20.

The Portland metro area includes Portland, Beaverton, Gresham, Tigard, Hillsboro and other nearby cities inside Metro’s urban growth boundary.

The standard area includes parts of Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah counties outside the UGB, as well as Benton, Deschutes, Hood River, Clatsop, Columbia, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk, Tillamook, Wasco and Yamhill counties.

Baker, Coos, Crook, Curry, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler counties are in the non-urban minimum wage area.

The standard minimum wage will continue to be adjusted annually on July 1 based on the increase, if any, to the U.S. City average Consumer Price Index, which is tied to prices paid by consumers. The Portland metro wage will be $1.25 more than the standard wage, and the non-urban wage will be $1 less than the standard wage.

Oregon is one of seven states that don’t allow a lower minimum wage for workers who earn tips. Some states allow employers to pay as little as $2.13 per hour, as long as tips bring the hourly wage up to at least the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour.

The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hours Division establishes the minimum wage across the country, but states can set their own minimum wages above the federal minimum. Oregon is one of only two states that don’t allow cities or counties to set their own minimum wages, but unlike many states, Oregon sets different minimum wages for different parts of the state.

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