As the clock ticks towards a new year, Ohio workers are looking at a slight bump in their minimum wage. Starting January 1, 2025, non-tipped employees will see an increase from $10.45 to $10.70 per hour, while their tipped counterparts will go up from $5.25 to $5.35 per hour. Dictated by the state's inflation rate, this change directly impacts business workers, raking in more than $394,000 annually.
The increase, although modest, continues Ohio's adherence to a constitutional amendment passed back in 2006, which indexes the state's minimum wage to inflation, specifically the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W). According to a statement from the Ohio Department of Commerce, the CPI-W swelled by 2.4% from September 2023 to August 2024, prompting this wage adjustment.
Yet, not all employees will feel this increase. Those working for smaller companies, with receipts at or below the $394,000 mark, and young workers aged 14 and 15 remain tethered to the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour. A number that hasn't budged without Congressional action since 2009 reflects a different economic reality, at once distant and magnified in our current financial climate.
For Ohio employers required to implement the new wages, materials like the 2025 Minimum Wage poster have been available on the Bureau of Wage and Hours section of the Ohio Department of Commerce's website. This poster serves not only a legal requirement, but as a visual reminder of the economic shifts that tangibly affix themselves to the lives of everyday Ohioans.
