Alaska voters approved in 2014 an annual adjustment to the Alaska minimum wage based on inflation and for 2023 Alaskans will see an increase of $.51 per hour to the Alaska minimum wage hourly rate.
The new Alaska minimum hourly rate will reach $10.85, up from $10.34 in 2022.
According to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Alaska Statute 23.10.065(a) requires the Alaska minimum wage to be adjusted using the Consumer Price Index for urban consumers in the Anchorage metropolitan area (Anchorage CPI-U) for the preceding calendar year. The Anchorage CPI-U increased 4.9 percent in 2021. As a result, the minimum wage will rise from $10.34 to $10.85 effective Jan. 1, 2023.
The Alaska minimum wage applies to all hours worked in a pay period, regardless of how the employee is paid — whether by time, piece, commission or otherwise. All actual hours worked in a pay period multiplied by the Alaska minimum wage is the very least an employee can be compensated by an employer unless the employer can clearly show that a specific exemption exists.
The highest state minimum wage currently can be found in California and New York at $15, followed by Washington ($14.49) and Massachusetts ($14.25).
Nineteen states maintain minimum wage levels equal to the federal minimum wage. The Federal Minimum Wage stands at $7.25 per hour and hasn’t been raised since 2009.
Table of State by State Minimum Wage: Click Here
