LINCOLN- On Jan. 1, the state’s minimum wage will rise from $9 per hour to $10.50 per hour. It’s the first increase in a series of gradual raises that will take the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026 in line with a ballot initiative that passed in November. Initiative 443 passed in November with 58.6% approval.

The state’s minimum wage will shift to $12 an hour in 2024, then $13.50 an hour in 2025 before reaching $15 an hour in 2026. A report from the National Employment Law Project said more than 147,000 Nebraska workers make under $15 an hour. For employees who regularly work 40 hours a week, the $1.50 difference will add more than $3,000 to their annual income every year.

Opponents of Initiative 433 largely argued that raising the minimum wage would hurt small businesses, and lead to rising costs amid record-breaking inflation. Though supporters, including several small-business owners, have argued that raising wages is key to offsetting the effects of inflation.

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