Starting May 1, the minimum wage goes from $7.25 per hour to $9.50 per hour – a 31% increase.

It is the first of three scheduled increases that will raise minimum pay for most non-farm jobs in Virginia to $12 per hour by 2023.  And the rate is slated to go even higher – to $15 an hour – if the General Assembly approves.

Virginia joins several other states and big cities in raising the minimum wage above the federal rate of $7.25 an hour.

Opinions on what the increase will mean for Virginia’s economy vary dramatically. For some workers who earn at or a little above the minimum wage, the bump in pay is good, but not good enough to help them make a living wage.

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