The Minimum Wage Study is a research effort dedicated to providing rigorous analysis of the impact of minimum wage ordinances in metropolitan regions and states. We seek to provide insights that will be useful for policymakers and scholars. As more states and localities move forward with plans to raise the minimum wage, this research will infuse the debate with data on the effects on workers, households, employers, and the local economy. We focus our analysis on the impacts of the recently passed ordinance in Seattle.
For an overview of the project components of the minimum wage study please click here
Publications and Working Papers
- Public Health Nutrition: Seattle’s minimum wage ordinance did not affect supermarket food prices by food processing category
- City of Seattle: Report on Employer Adjustments, Worker Experiences, and Price Changes
- Child Development Perspectives: How Will Higher Minimum Wages Affect Family Life and Children's Well-Being?
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: The Impact of a City-Level Minimum-Wage Policy on Supermarket Food Prices in Seattle-King County, 2017.
- National Bureau of Economic Research: Minimum Wage Increases, Wages, and Low-Wage Employment: Evidence from Seattle, 2017.
- two page overview of the findings
- City of Seattle: Report on Nonprofit Response to Minimum Wage , 2017.
- City of Seattle: Report on the Impact of Seattle's Minimum Wage Ordinance on Wages, Workers, Jobs & Establishments Through 2015, 2016.
- City of Seattle: Report on Baseline Employer Survey and Worker Interviews, 2016.
Popular Writing
- Seattle Times: Lessons from Seattle’s courageous minimum-wage experiment
- New York Daily News: About that raise: Take it from Seattle, a $13 minimum wage won't necessarily boost pay
- Seattle Times: Follow the pho: An update on Seattle’s minimum-wage impact
- Seattle Times: Digging into data to find impact of Seattle’s $15 minimum wage
Seattle’s Minimum Wage
In January 2014, Mayor Ed Murray formed an Income Inequality Advisory Committee to address the growing public call for a meaningful increase in the compensation for Seattle workers. This committee included representatives from Seattle City Council, local businesses, unions, and the Chamber of Commerce. After the committee reached an agreement on a recommendation, it was proposed as a plan by the Mayor, and then passed as legislation by the Seattle City Council. The minimum wage ordinance (Ordinance 124490), which when approved was the highest minimum wage in the country, provides for an increase in the minimum wage in the City of Seattle to $15 an hour, phased on over time. The rate at which it increases depends on the size of the company, and whether or not they pay toward their employee’s medical benefits plan.
In December 2014, after issuing a public request for proposals, the City of Seattle contracted with our team to conduct this evaluation.
Our Research Questions
- What is the impact of a higher minimum wage on workers, their families, employers, and the community?
- Does a higher minimum wage affect employment and earnings among low-wage workers?
- Does the higher minimum wage affect overall employment, business longevity, or the mix of firms that do business in Seattle?
- How do businesses adapt to higher labor costs?
- How does the higher minimum wage affect consumer prices?
- Does a higher minimum wage improve quality of life measures, including health, nutrition, and family daily life?
- Does the minimum wage affect public assistance program eligibility and benefits received?
- Do nonprofit service organizations respond to higher wage rates by cutting back on services to vulnerable families?
- How do low-income families and employers experience the implementation of the policy and how do they perceive its benefits and costs?
Project Components
The Minimum Wage Study involves several different project components, including employer surveys, an in-depth study of workers with children in Seattle, a study of child care centers and health outcomes, a study of regional pricing, and analysis of administrative and census data.
The research project will continue for at least five years, providing regular updates to the City of Seattle as increases are implemented. It's funding began as a contract with the City of Seattle and has expanded with grants from multiple foundations, including the Laura and John Arnold Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation.
Project Team
- Jacob L. Vigdor: Principal Investigator, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, UW
- Jennifer Romich: Co-Principal Investigator, School of Social Work, UW
- Mark C. Long: Co-Principal Investigator, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, UW
- Scott W. Allard: Co-Investigator, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, UW
- Scott Bailey: Co-Investigator, Washington Employment Security Department
- Heather Hill: Co-Investigator, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, UW
- Jennifer Otten: Co-Investigator, School of Public Health, Department of Health Services, UW
- Robert Plotnick: Co-Investigator, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, UW
- Anneliese Vance-Sherman: Co-Investigator, Washington Employment Security Department
- Ekaterina Roshchina: Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, UW
- Emma van Inwegen: Research Analyst, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, UW
- Anne Althauser: Research Project Coordinator, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, UW
- Anita Rocha: Data Manager and Research Analyst, School of Social Work, UW
- Tori Rockwell: Research Assistant, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, UW
- Hilary Wething: Research Assistant, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, UW
- James Busckiewicz: Research Assistant, School of Public Health, Department of Health Services, UW
- Cynthia Moreno: Research Assistant, School of Social Work, UW
Helpful Links
- "Early Evidence on the Impact of Seattle's Minimum Wage Ordinance" January 2016. Preliminary draft of paper by Heather Hill, Jennifer J. Otten, Emma van Inwegen, and Jacob Vigdor.
- “Who Would be Affected by an Increase in Seattle’s Minimum Wage?” March 2014. A Report for the City of Seattle, Income Inequality Advisory Committee by Marieka M. Klawitter, Mark C. Long, and Robert D. Plotnick
- City of Seattle Minimum Wage Ordinance
- "Digging into data to find impact of Seattle's $15 minimum wage" — The Seattle Times, April 6, 2015
- "Researchers probe pros and cons of Seattle's $15 minimum wage" — KUOW, March 17, 2015
Contact
General inquiries about the Seattle Minimum Wage Study may be addressed to mwage@uw.edu