Seattle employees making the minimum wage will see a mandatory raise starting next year, making them the highest paid minimum wage workers in the country. Starting at the beginning of 2025, all employers regardless of size will be required to pay their employees at least $20.

Washington’s minimum wage will climb to $16.66 an hour next year, a 38-cent-an-hour increase, the state Department of Labor & Industries announced Monday. The change takes effect on Jan.1, 2025. Washington’s current rate,

Washington state law directs L&I to calculate the minimum wage for the coming year using the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and

Cities can set minimum wages higher than the state. Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton, Bellingham and Burien all will have higher wages in 2025.

The tip credit for restaurants with 500 or fewer employees is also expiring, raising the minimum wage for all of Seattle's small and large businesses in 2025.

The city of Seattle's minimum wage will increase starting January 2025. The Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) said an annual increase to the minimum wage is required by the Minimum Wage Ordinance.