Press Releases

High Road Strategy Center Releases Can’t Survive on $7.25: 2026 Update

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The High Road Strategy Center has released an updated edition of Can’t Survive on $7.25, examining the impact of Wisconsin’s stagnant minimum wage and the potential benefits of raising the state’s wage floor. Wisconsin’s minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour since 2009, while inflation has steadily eroded its value and neighboring states have moved ahead with significantly higher minimum wages.

High Road Strategy Center Releases The State of Working Wisconsin 2025

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For Labor Day, the High Road Strategy Center has released the State of Working Wisconsin 2025. Our 2025 report lands at an extraordinary time for working Wisconsin. Economic growth, which began as the recovery from pandemic shutdowns, continues, and key economic indicators are solid. The state’s median wage grew to a record high of $25.01 and our labor market grew to a record 3,058,500 jobs. These are strengths to be celebrated. 

COWS: Releases Can’t Survive on $7.25: Higher Minimum Wages for Working Wisconsin

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“With a minimum wage of just $7.25, Wisconsin is part of a shrinking number of states using the federal standard to establish the wage floor,” said Laura Dresser, report author and Associate Director of COWS. “And while many workers have seen raises in recent years, we show that a stronger wage floor would reach hundreds of thousands of workers in the state.”