December is not the shortest month of the year, but it always seems to go by the fastest.
And with holidays and vacations, not to mention employees working remotely, it’s not unusual for matters to be put off until the new year -- or for a project or two to fall through the cracks.
Often times, there are no real consequences if a project gets pushed off into the new year.
But that’s not the case with new state or local wage-hour laws.
As reflected in the charts below, minimum wages increased in dozens of states and localities when the new year rang in on January 1, 2022 – and exempt salary thresholds also increased in some states effective January 1, 2022.
That means that employees need to be paid at those new rates effective January 1, 2022, irrespective of how busy things may have gotten in December.
Employers would be wise to confirm that their payroll and human resources departments in fact made the changes they needed to make to be ready to comply with the new state and local requirements.
Underpaying employees, or misclassifying them, because adjustments fell through the cracks during all of the end-of-year activities is likely to get very little sympathy from employees -- and just as little from the courts and from the state and local agencies that address wage-hour complaints.
New January 1, 2022 State Minimum Wages
| State | 2021 Minimum Wage | 2022 Minimum Wage |
| Arizona | $12.15 | $12.80 |
| Arkansas | $11.00 | TBD |
| California | $14 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees;
$13 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees |
$15 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees;
$14 per hour for employers with fewer than 25 employees |
| Colorado | $12.32 | $12.56 |
| Delaware | $9.25 | $10.50 |
| Illinois | $11.00 | $12.00 |
| Maine | $12.15 | $12.75 |
| Maryland | $11.75 (15+ employees)
$11.60 (14 or fewer) |
$12.50 (15+ employees)
$12.20 (14 or fewer) |
| Massachusetts | $13.50 | $14.25 |
| Michigan | $9.65 | $9.87 (unless the state’s unemployment rate for 2021 exceeded 8.5%, in which case the current $9.65 rate will remain in effect for 2022) |
| Minnesota | $10.08 for large employers;
$8.21 for small employers |
$10.33 for large employers;
$8.42 for small employers |
| Missouri | $10.30 | $11.15 |
| Montana | $8.75 | $9.20 |
| New Jersey | $12.00 for most employers
$11.10 for small employers (fewer than 6 employees) |
$13.00 for most employers
$11.90 for small employers (fewer than 6 employees) |
| New Mexico | $10.50 | $11.50 |
| New York | $12.50, eff. 12/31/2020 | $13.20, eff. 12/31/2021 |
| Ohio | $8.80 | $9.30 (for employers with annual gross receipts of $342k per year; otherwise, the federal minimum wage applies) |
| Puerto Rico | $7.25 | $8.50 |
| Rhode Island | $11.50 | $12.25 |
| South Dakota | $9.45 | $9.95 |
| Vermont | $11.75 | $12.55 |
| Virginia | $9.50, eff. 5/1/2021 | $11.00 |
| Washington | $13.69 | $14.49 |
New January 1, 2022 Local Minimum Wages
| City/County | 2021 Minimum Wage | 2022 Minimum Wage |
| Flagstaff, AZ | $15.00, or $2 above state minimum wage, whichever is greater | $15.50 or $2 above the state minimum wage, whichever is greater |
| Belmont, CA | $15.90 | $16.20 |
| Cupertino, CA | $15.65 | $16.40 |
| Daly City, CA | $15.00 | $15.53 |
| El Cerrito, CA | $15.61 | $16.37 |
| Emeryville, CA | $17.13, eff. 7/1/2021 | TBD |
| Los Altos, CA | $15.65 | $16.40 |
| Los Angeles City, CA | $15.00, eff. 7/1/2021 | TBD |
| Los Angeles County, CA | $15.00, eff. 7/1/2021 | TBD |
| Menlo Park, CA | $15.25 | $15.75 |
| Mountain View, CA | $16.30 | $17.10 |
| Oakland, CA | $14.36 | $15.06 |
| Palo Alto, CA | $15.65 | $16.45 |
| Petaluma, CA | $15.20 | $15.85 |
| Redwood City, CA | $15.62 | $16.20 |
| Richmond, CA | $15.21 | $15.54 |
| San Diego, CA | $14.00 | $15.00 |
| San Jose, CA | $15.45 | $16.20 |
| San Mateo, CA | $15.62 | $16.20 |
| Santa Clara, CA | $15.65 | $16.40 |
| Sonoma City, CA | $15.00 (26+ employees)
$14.00 (25 or fewer) |
$16.00 (26+ employees)
$15.00 (25 or fewer) |
| Sunnyvale, CA | $16.30 | $17.10 |
| Denver, CO | $14.77 | $15.87 |
| Cook County, IL | $13.00, eff. 7/1/2021 | TBD. |
| New York City, NY | $15.00 | $15.00 |
| Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, NY | $14.00 (increasing to$15.00 by Dec. 31, 2021) | $15.00, eff. 12/31/2021 |
| Seattle, WA | $16.69 (more than 501 employees);
$15.00 per hour if 500 or fewer employees, plus tips and/or benefits paid by employer), otherwise above rate |
$17.27 (more than 501 employees);
$15.75 per hour if 500 or fewer employees, plus tips and/or benefits paid by employer, otherwise above rate |
New January 1, 2022 State Exempt Salary Thresholds
| State | Salary Threshold |
| California | $62,400 for employers with 26 or more employees;
$58,240 for employers with 25 or less employees |
| Colorado | (1) $45,000 ($865.38/week) an exempt executive, administrative, or professional employee;
(2) $101,250 for those who meet the duties-requirements for HCE employees. See new exemption threshold. |
| Maine | Over $38,250 per year ($735.59/week) |
| New York | $58,500 ($1,125/week) for employers in New York City
$58,500 ($1,125/week) for employers in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties
$51,480 ($990/week) for employers in the rest of the state |
| Washington | $52,743.60 ($1,104.30/week)
$50.72/hour (Computer Professionals)
55 hours per week (Agricultural Workers) |
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