The recent debate over raising the minimum wage has been contentious, with revelations about fast food worker’s struggles to survive on their wages striking a chord with many Americans. One of the proposed solutions is a nationwide increase to $ 15 an hour from the current federal floor of $ 7.25. 


Americans are nearly split on the issue. A recent survey of 10,686 people by compensation website PayScale found that 50.6% oppose such a large increase, and 49.4% support it.


There’s also a significant amount of variation between states. Many states have higher minimum wages already; Washington’s is the highest at $ 9.32 per hour. 


But the biggest supporters of an increase are states like New York and Hawaii that have the highest costs of living, and where those with low-paying jobs face greater difficulty getting by. 


Here’s the state-by-state breakdown from PayScale, excluding South Dakota and Wyoming, where the sample size was too small: 





Among the survey’s additional findings:


  • Women are more likely to favor the increase (57.3%) than men (42.7%).

  • MDs are most in favor of increasing the minimum wage to $ 15 per hour (63.6% support).

  • Workers with an MBA are the most opposed (37.6% support).