Hawaii’s First-in-Nation $18 Minimum Wage Bill Sent to Governor

Hawaii is poised to establish ostensibly the highest statewide minimum wage in the nation, raising it to $18 an hour by 2028, under legislation that state lawmakers sent to Gov. David Ige—although other states’ wage floors are likely to eclipse it before that six-year timeframe is complete.

The bill, HB 2510, would increase the state’s $10.10 wage floor in steps, going to $12 per hour on Oct. 1, $14 on Jan. 1, 2024, $16 on Jan. 1, 2026, and then $18 on Jan. 1, 2028. The measure also would double the tip credit that employers can use to ...