Washington's minimum wage will increase next year to $9.53 per hour, according to the Department of Labor & Industries.

The increase will occur because the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased, and the minimum wage in our state is indexed to inflation. The minimum wage has been $9.47 since 2015 — CPI declined in 2015, so the 2016 minimum wage remained at the 2015 level.

If Initiative 1433 is approved in November, the state minimum wage will instead increase to $11 in 2017. We wrote about the initiative in an August report. The report includes a chart showing projections of the state minimum wage under current law and I-1433, compared to the minimum wages in Seattle and Tacoma. I've adjusted it below to reflect the actual 2017 minimum wage under current law.