Minimum wage goes up to $11

A brief issued in September by the Maine Center for Economic Policy showed that the minimum wage increase may have already had a positive effect in reducing poverty in Maine.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the brief showed that in 2017, wage growth in Maine was highest among workers with the lowest wages, and that income for the poorest Mainers rose quicker than for any other group.

“Compared to 2016, household incomes for the bottom quarter of Maine workers were 10 percent higher in 2017, even after adjusting for inflation,” wrote James Myall, a policy analyst with Maine Center. “This was significantly higher that the 2 percent real-terms increase for median household incomes in Maine.”

Click here to read the full story, published December 27, 2018, in The Ellsworth American.