--- description: Massachusetts could set a commercial record: the state plans to adopt an $11 minimum wage by 2017. title: Massachusetts Set For Highest State Minimum Wage In U.S. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt01c99045773f81a2/698698a91eebf718043718d6/mass-min-wage-1280x720.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [States](/tag/states/) ## States Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Massachusetts Set for Highest Minimum Wage in U.S. by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2014 9:45 PM CUT  Fed up with an ever-widening income gap and inspired by recent national strike actions, hundreds of low-wage workers from multiple industries gathered in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield on June 12, 2014 to demonstrate for higher wages and to protest growing wage inequality. Shown are workers marching on Boylston St from Copley Square toward Legal Sea Food in Park Square. Fed up with an ever-widening income gap and inspired by recent national strike actions, hundreds of low-wage workers from multiple industries gathered in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield on June 12, 2014 to demonstrate for higher wages and to protest growing wage inequality. Shown are workers marching on Boylston St from Copley Square toward Legal Sea Food in Park Square.Photo by Essdras M Suarez/The Boston Globe via Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2014 9:45 PM CUT Massachusetts could set a record: The state plans to adopt an $11 minimum wage by 2017\. That would give Massachusetts the single highest minimum wage of any state in the country—but not by much. The bill is currently before Gov. Deval Patrick. A handful of states are looking to hike their minimum wages over the next couple of years. Michigan wants to raise its minimum wage to $9.15 by 2018, while Vermont and Maryland want to raise theirs to $10.50 by then. **MORE:** History of the Minimum Wage ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2907411/massachusetts-minimum-wage/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2907411/massachusetts-minimum-wage/"},"headline":"Massachusetts Set for Highest Minimum Wage in U.S.","datePublished":"2014-06-20T21:45:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:33:05.484Z","description":"Massachusetts is not the only one looking to hike their minimum wages though.","url":"https://time.com/2907411/massachusetts-minimum-wage/","keywords":["States","Law"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt01c99045773f81a2/698698a91eebf718043718d6/mass-min-wage-1280x720.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt01c99045773f81a2/698698a91eebf718043718d6/mass-min-wage-1280x720.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"MassMinWage","caption":"Fed up with an ever-widening income gap and inspired by recent national strike actions, hundreds of low-wage workers from multiple industries gathered in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield on June 12, 2014 to demonstrate for higher wages and to protest growing wage inequality. 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