Minimum Wage: Should It Vary Across the United States?

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For many years there has been a debate about what the minimum wage rate should be. As inflation has risen through the years, minimum wage has not. Personally I believe minimum should not be set for one rate for the whole country. Depending on where you reside in the United States determines your cost of living. It is quite simple, the cost of living in New York City is a lot higher than the cost of living in Cleveland, TN. Thus, the rate of minimum wage in New York City should be higher than the rate in Cleveland. The thought that minimum wage should rise as inflation has risen and as productivity increases is a good thought. According to an article on the Huffington Post, “minimum wage should have reached $21.72 an hour in 2012 if it kept up with increases in worker productivity”. The article also stated had …show more content…

The first factor is where you reside. In simpler terms, if you live in a city where the cost of living is high then the minimum wage should be higher than if you live in a city with a lower cost of living. The second factor to determine the minimum wage should be what skills and labor are required. The simpler jobs that require no education and minimal labor should have a lower minimum wage than jobs that require an education and more labor, such as manual labor. However, in the end inflation should also affect what the minimum wage should be. A state or city should still have to raise their minimum wage as inflation goes up. It should not be set and left at that rate for many years. The minimum wage should be reconsidered at least every other year. The national minimum wage should be abolished and each state should set the minimum wage based upon the cost of living and the skills required for each job. Employers should have some say as to what is reasonable for the skills and labor required for a specific job in that said

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