We, the undersigned residents of North Carolina, demand immediate legislative action to raise the state minimum wage to $25 per hour.

As of April 2026, North Carolina’s minimum wage remains $7.25/hour, matching the federal standard. This rate has remained unchanged for years while the cost of living has surged far beyond it.

This is no longer a wage gap—it is a structural failure.

THE CURRENT WAGE STRUCTURE IS UNLIVABLE

Standard minimum wage: $7.25/hour
Tipped worker base wage: $2.13/hour
Sub-minimum wage (students/apprentices): ~$6.53/hour
Overtime: $10.88/hour after 40 hours

Even full-time work under these conditions does not meet basic survival thresholds in 2026.

 
THE COST OF LIVING HAS OUTPACED WAGES

Independent economic data shows:

• A single adult needs -$22.47/hour just to meet basic living costs
• A single parent with one child may require: $30+/hour
• Fair Market Rent for a modest 2-bedroom requires: $27.14/hour
• In major NC cities: Raleigh requires ~$33.90/hour housing wage
  Charlotte requires - $35.08/hour housing wage
  At current minimum wage levels, a worker would need 131 hours per week to afford a one-bedroom apartment.
• This is mathematically impossible.

 
WHAT THIS SYSTEM PRODUCES

North Carolina’s wage structure forces:

• Full-time workers into poverty
• Families into housing insecurity
• Increased reliance on public assistance
• Economic instability in working-class communities
• Even with full-time employment, many households require incomes approaching six figures annually to meet the Living Income Standard.

 
WE DEMAND: A $25/HR MINIMUM WAGE

We call for:

• Immediate increase of North Carolina’s minimum wage to $25/hour
• Elimination of sub-minimum wage categories that normalize poverty pay
• Indexed annual adjustments tied to inflation and housing costs
• A transition framework that protects small businesses while prioritizing worker survival                                                 

Why $25/hr:

                    At 40 hours per week, $25/hour equals:

                                                        $52,000 per year (before taxes)

                   This establishes a baseline wage floor that:

• Aligns with modern cost-of-living data
• Reduces working poverty
• Stabilizes local economies

Reflects actual economic conditions in 2026, not outdated federal benchmarks
 
CORE PRINCIPLE

No one working full-time should be unable to afford housing, food, and basic survival.

A wage system that requires 100+ hours of work per week to live is not a labor market—it is a structural imbalance.