BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The minimum wage in Bellingham will rise by over a dollar in 2025.

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) announced on Monday, Sept. 30, that Washington’s minimum wage will increase to $16.66 starting on Jan. 1, 2025. That’s just over a 2% increase from the current rate of $16.28 per hour.

The news is particularly welcome in Bellingham, after voters in November 2023 approved an initiative that set the city’s minimum wage above the state of Washington’s.

Bellingham’s minimum wage is currently a dollar higher than the state’s and it will jump to $2 above the state’s starting on May 1, 2025. That leaves it at $18.66 for the bulk of next year following L&I’s latest announcement.