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Michigan minimum wage increases slightly, still below livable wage

Wage remains below estimated livable wage

How much is enough for a minimum wage? (KPRC-Pixabay)

Employees making minimum wage in Michigan will get a slight raise in 2022.

Michigan’s minimum wage rate will increase to $9.87 on January 1, 2022, an increase from the current $9.65. Michigan’s Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act of 2018 establishes the annual schedule and increases.

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The Michigan Wage & Hour Division announced that while the law does prohibit scheduled increases when the state’s annual average unemployment rate for the preceding calendar year is above 8.5%, it is highly unlikely Michigan will exceed this threshold causing another delay as occurred in 2021.

Related: Claim your cash: Check Michigan’s unclaimed property database, you could have money waiting

Effective January 1, 2022:

  • Michigan’s minimum wage will increase to $9.87 an hour.
  • The 85% rate for minors aged 16 and 17 increases to $8.39 an hour.
  • Tipped employees rates of pay increases to $3.75 an hour.
  • The training wage of $4.25 an hour for newly hired employees ages 16 to 19 for their first 90 days of employment remains unchanged.

The $9.87 wage remains below what is considered a livable wage in Michigan, according to MIT’s Living Wage calculator, which estimates an adult without children needs to make at least $13.63 per hour to support themselves. That numbers goes up to $31.15 for an adult with one child.

More: Should minimum wage increase? A look at key data points


About the Author
Ken Haddad headshot

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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