A new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that year-over-year inflation hit 2.9% in August, a near half percentage point jump from July.
In 2016 voters approved a law that ties the minimum wage to inflation. The new federal report means that the minimum wage statewide will jump 45 cents in the new year and cross over $15 an hour for the first time.
The city of Tucson already has a $15 an hour minimum wage and Flagstaff’s is at 17.85, both of which will also climb come January.
The state Office of Economic Opportunity says there are about 230,000 Arizonans whose earnings are below the $15 mark.
Inflation in the Phoenix area was more than a percentage point lower than the national average over the same period.
