Maryland Lawmakers Aim to Increase Minimum Wage to $25

A proposed plan by Maryland lawmakers could raise the minimum wage to US$25, up from $15. The Living Wage For All Act would increase the pay by 2030, CBS News reported. The legislation also would eliminate the tip credit starting in 2031 and automatically increase wages with inflation starting in 2033. 

The new minimum wage would be nearly $10 per hour higher than the nation’s current highest minimum wage. Washington became the state with the highest minimum wage in 2026, offering employees a floor of $17.13 per hour in 2026. The highest minimum wage in the U.S. is $17.95 in Washington, D.C.

The act would raise the state’s current $15 per hour minimum wage incrementally toward the $25 per hour goal at the following scale:

• $17—Jan. 1, 2027
• $20—Jan. 1, 2028
• $22.50—Jan. 1, 2029
• $25—Jan.1, 2030

This pace of increase compresses years of wage growth into a short period of time and represents a 67% increase overall.