Highest Minimum-Wage State Washington Beats U.S. Job Growth

When Washington residents voted in 1998 to raise the state's minimum wage and link it to the cost of living, opponents warned the measure would be a job-killer. In the 15 years that followed, the state's minimum wage climbed to $9.32 -- the highest in the country. Payrolls at Washington's restaurants and bars, portrayed as particularly vulnerable to higher wage costs, expanded by 21 percent. The debate is replaying on a national scale as Democrats led by President Barack Obama push for an increase in the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum, while opponents argue a raise would hurt those it's intended to help by axing jobs for the lowest-skilled.

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