“The incremental wage increases, including in California and Washington, which are moving minimum wages toward a final goal of $15 per hour, are an example of how states are trying to address this issue.”

Legislative prospects

Inflation has eroded the buying power of $7.25 an hour over the past 10 years, said John Quinterno, a principal with South by North Strategies, Ltd., a Chapel Hill research firm specializing in economic and social policy.

“An increase is more than overdue, both for inflation and to take the threshold to a more meaningful level closer to a living wage,” Quinterno said. “Most states, including most of the most populous ones, have higher minimiums.

“Democrats have called for increases, but I am unsure how hard they are willing to push if the votes are not there. So, I do not expect an increase to advance.”

Mark Vitner, a senior economist with Wells Fargo Securities, said the higher minimum wage issue “is a bit more complicated in North Carolina” because of the widening urban and rural economic gap.