Minimum Wage Stagnation in Arizona: 2025 Means Real Pain for Workers

Thu, 07 May 2026 23:31:58 +0000

Minimum Wage Stagnation in Arizona: Why 2025 Means Real Pain for Workers As we move into 2025, Arizona faces a growing crisis: minimum wage stagnation is hitting workers hard, exacerbating economic inequality and forcing families to stretch meager incomes further than ever. While the federal minimum wage has remained frozen at $7.25 since 2009, Arizona’s local rate—indexed nationally but slow to increase—has failed to keep pace with rising living costs, inflation, and stagnant wages. ### The Cost of Stagnation: What’s Happening in 2025 In Arizona, the official minimum wage hasn’t risen above $11.50 per hour as of early 2025—far below the estimated living wage required for a baseline standard of living. This stagnation hits low-wage workers hardest—those in retail, hospitality, construction, and service industries—who earn meanwhile just enough to survive, not to thrive.