Washington’s Statewide Minimum Wage Rises 8.7% In 2023

OLYMPIA, WA — The minimum hourly wage for most Washington workers will rise to $15.74 in January, up from $14.49 in 2022, the state Department of Labor & Industries announced Friday. State law requires L&I to calculate each year’s minimum wage based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ consumer price index. Officials review year-over-year changes to the index each August.

The roughly 8.7 percent increase in the statewide minimum wage comes amid the largest surge in inflation in nearly 40 years, increasing the cost of consumer goods, including food and housing, across Western Washington.

Some cities, like Seattle and Seatac, have separate minimum wage laws, which are higher than the state’s baseline. Both cities will announce their new rates sometime in the fall.

Washington’s minimum wage applies to employees 16 and older. Workers who are 14 and 15 can be paid 85 percent of the minimum wage, amounting to $13.38 next year, L&I said.

New protections passed by the legislature this year requires minimum pay rates for rideshare drivers, which will be updated each September using the same price index.

In 2023, drivers working within Seattle city limits must earn at least 64 cents per passenger minute and $1.50 per mile, or at least $5.62 per trip if the calculated total is lower, according to L&I. Drivers working elsewhere in the state must be paid 37 cents per passenger minute and $1.27 per mile, or a minimum of $3.26 if the total is lower.

Updated overtime scales will also take effect next year, based on changes implemented in 2020, increasing the earning threshold for exemptions. Workers at companies with 50 or fewer employees can only be exempted from overtime if they earn at least $57,293.60 annually, while workers at large employers must earn at least $65,478.40.

L&I investigates all wage complaints, which workers can file online, by mail, or in person. More information about Washington’s minimum wage laws is available on L&I's website.