Most of our neighbor states have raised the minimum wage above the federal, and the governor of Maine has endorsed raising the minimum there to $6.25. This would leave New Hampshire as the ONLY New England state whose minimum wage is not above the federal. (Vermont: $5.75; Massachusetts: $6.75; Rhode Island $6.15; Connecticut: $6.40)
The minimum wage is not keeping pace
In constant 1998 dollars the $5.15 minimum wage was worth $6.63 in 1978 and $7.50 in 1968 and only $4.90 in 2001. Until the early '90's the minimum wage tracked the tenth percentile, this would require a $1.50 increase in the minimum wage.
Increasing the minimum wage does not cause job loss
There is no evidence of job loss from the last minimum wage increase. A study done by the Economic Policy Institute failed to find any significant job loss associated with the last increase. A survey done after the last increase showed that 89% of small businesses said that their hiring was not affected by the increase.
New Hampshire has a precedent for a state minimum wage above the federal minimum wage
Governor Sununu signed a bill that increased the minimum wage three times - in 1987, 1988 and 1989. The federal minimum wage did not catch up until 1990.
The wage gap is increasing
In the 60's everyone's income grew at about the same rate annually: 2-3%.
In the 90's, the income of the top 20% grew more than 16%, while the income of the bottom 20% grew less than 1%. This means that the income of the top 20% grew more than the total annual income of someone earning minimum wage.
A minimum wage increase is well targeted to help workers who need it most
The NH Department of Employment Security said there were 39,000 workers (6% of the state workforce) in 2000 with hourly wages between $5.15 and $6.15. According to national statistics, 71% of this group are adults and 60% are women. Half work full-time and one-third work between 20-34 hours per week. Most of the gains from the last federal minimum wage increase went to the bottom 40% of the income scale.
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