State's minimum wage, military pay for active duty, civilian workers going up in 2024
Many Kitsap residents will be able to count on more income in 2024. In the new year, the minimum wage for workers in Washington State is going up, and the military pay for active duty personnel and civilian workers will see an increase.
Military pay raise: 5.2%
As President Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 into law on December 22, service members and the Department of Defense's civilian employees will receive a 5.2% pay raise in 2024, which was the biggest increase in over 20 years.
The salary increase will benefit nearly 37,000 workers in Kitsap County. As of Dec. 31, 2022, Naval Base Kitsap, the biggest employer in the county, has 15,293 active duties and 21,612 civilian employees, according to data collected from Kitsap Economic Development Alliance and the Center for Economic and Business Research at Western Washington University.
The law also increases the family separate allowance, an additional pay given to service members whose family members can't live with or near them at their permanent duty station, from $250 to $400 per month, according to the act and DoD's Military OneSource website.
Washington state minimum wage: $16.28 per hour
Starting on January 1, Washington State's minimum wage will increase to $16.28 per hour, which is a 3.4% raise from last year's $15.74 per hour. For workers ages 14 and 15, employers may pay 85% of the wage or $13.84 per hour, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.
Some cities in Washington have higher minimum wage rates than the state. The minimum wage in Seattle will increase from $18.69 per hour in 2023 to $19.97 in 2024. In SeaTac, the minimum wage will rise to $19.71 per hour in the new year from $19.06 in 2023, according to L&I.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Pay increasing in 2024 for military, defense and minimum wage in WA
