The 5 best U.S. states for workers: ‘In one of those states, you're going to be better off'

On a national level, the U.S. offers few legal protections for its workers. The federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 per hour since 2009, for example, and, though there is federal protection for unpaid family leave for some workers, the country offers neither paid family nor paid sick leave.

But many states have stepped in to fill "this gap left by federal inaction," says Kaitlyn Henderson, senior researcher at Oxfam, passing their own laws to bolster worker wellbeing.

Oxfam recently released the 2024 edition of its Best and Worst States to Work in the U.S. report, tracking 27 different policies across three categories: wages, featuring metrics such as the ratio of the minimum wage to the cost of living for a family of four; worker protections, including legislation around paid family and medical leave; and rights to organize, including protection for collective bargaining.

The states at the top "have gone out of their way to really pass some of the most progressive policies in the United States as it relates to supporting and protecting especially low wage workers and working families," says Henderson. For the purposes of its research, Oxfam included the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as states.

Here are the top five best states to work, including their overall score out of 100 and their scores for wages, worker protections and rights to organize.

Washington, D.C.

Overall: 85.67

Wages: 90.22

Worker protections: 70.24

Rights to organize: 100

"D.C. does lead all of these other states on the wage front," says Yannet Lathrop, senior researcher and policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project. The nation's capital's minimum wage is currently $17.50 per hour. It's also phasing out the tipped minimum wage, which is currently $2.13 per hour nationally and $10 per hour in D.C.

California

Overall: 85.11

Wages: 75.27

Worker protections: 85.71

Rights to organize: 100

"This is a state that is really setting the standard when it comes to protections at work," says Henderson. "Whether it's for farm workers or domestic workers, they have really been on the forefront of setting policies to protect workers."

Oregon

Overall: 83.53

Wages: 65.07

Worker protections: 92.86

Rights to organize: 100

"Not all states have a lot of laws on the books with regards to scheduling," says Henderson, like Oregon's rule that certain workers must get a minimum 14-day written notice of their schedule. "Oregon is a wonderful example that has all four of the policies that we track."

New York

Overall: 83.08

Wages: 70.19

Worker protections: 85.71

Rights to organize: 100

"New York was the first state in the United States to pass a domestic workers Bill of Rights," says Henderson. It includes the right to overtime pay and a day off every seven days.

Washington

Overall: 75.75

Wages: 76.88

Worker protections: 71.43

Rights to organize: 80

Washington has "a warehouse worker protection bill," says Henderson, which stipulates that employers must give workers written description of work quotas, any bonuses associated with meeting or exceeding their quotas, etc.

"If you're a worker working in one of those states," says Lathrop, "you're going to be better off on both how much you earn and what type of benefits are there." And the effects of these types of policies on worker well-being are clear.  

"We see certainly less prevalence of poverty, less prevalence of food insecurity," says Henderson. "We see less prevalence of workplace injury, whether from heat illness or on the job in a warehouse."

States on the bottom of the list include North Carolina, Mississippi and Georgia. North Carolina and Mississippi's minimum wages match the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour, while Georgia's is $5.15 per hour for any employers who aren't covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. None have paid family leave or particularly strong (if any) rights to organize laws.

As for the laws in the top five states, "we can see very easily how these policies can be made to scale at the federal level," Henderson says.

"We know they will work," she says. "So when will they be passed?"

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