Oregon’s minimum hourly wage is second highest in the nation at $9.10 and due to go up another 15 cents to $9.25 on Jan. 1. Across the river, Washington sets the pace at $9.32 an hour, and a 15-cent increase will push the figure to $9.47. Both states have laws requiring an annual adjustment tied to inflation.
The federal minimum wage, currently $7.25 an hour, will rise to $10.10 for workers covered under federal contracts as a result of an executive order announced by President Barack Obama during his State of the Union address in January. The federal minimum wage hasn’t been raised since 2009 and is expected to affect dishwashers, food servers and construction workers, among others.
