Oregonians Will Receive a Minimum Wage Increase On July 1

Across the state, workers will be getting a small boost in their paychecks, on track to earn $13.50 by 2022

(Abby Gordon)
By Abbey McDonald

On July 1, 2019, Oregon will increase its minimum wage by 50 cents, following 2016 legislation which will deliver the state's lowest paid workers annual pay increases through 2022.

That legislation divided the state into three zones for pay purposes.

The 2019 raise will give workers in the Portland Metro area $12.50 per hour, while rural counties will see $11.00. Other counties, such as Lane, Hood River and Josephine, will get the standard rate of $11.25. (These figures come from the Oregon Employment Department.)

The legislation included annual raises which will reach a standard $13.50 per hour in 2022. After that, the rate will be adjusted for inflation annually based on the Consumer Price Index.

Other states, including Washington D.C., Delaware and Michigan, will see rate increases in 2019. D.C. will have the highest rate in the nation at $14.00 an hour.

In Multnomah County, 7.1 percent of people work for minimum wage. This percentage varies from county to county, but it adds up to hundreds of thousands of paychecks across the state which will see a boost this July.

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