Demonstrators gather for a Fight for $15 protest outside of McDonald's restaurant at Harrah's hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016.


The minimum wage most people must be paid in Virginia rose roughly 27 percent over the weekend to $9.50 an hour, reports the Associated Press.

The pay hike from the federally mandated $7.25 minimum was brought about by a law the commonwealth passed in 2020. That change does not impact those under the age of 16 or people under the age of 18 who are still in school full-time and work less than 20 hours a week.

The financial boost to most of the commonwealth's minimum wage earners won't stay at $9.50 an hour for long, as it increases to $11 an hour in January 2022. It will again rise to $12 an hour later in 2022. The wage could increase to $13.50 an hour and eventually $15 an hour in 2026, if the Virginia's legislature votes to do so.