Montana’s minimum wage is set to increase to $9.95 beginning Jan. 1.
The Montana Department of Labor and Industry in September wrote in its notice to employers that the 75-cent increase “is higher than the increases in the last several years due to higher inflation” as measured by the Consumer Price index.
State law requires minimum wage be adjusted each year based on inflation.
The increase represents a more than 8% hike over the current minimum wage of $9.20.
The AP reports there are an estimated 23,500 workers in Montana who received hourly wages less than $9.95 this year.
The federal minimum wage remains $7.25.