Minimum Wage Increases Linked To Safer Pregnancies, Rutgers Study Finds

NEWARK, NJ — A leading cause of maternal mortality drops when the minimum wage for workers goes up, researchers from New Jersey say.

New research from Rutgers Health found that state-level increases in the minimum wage are associated with lower rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy – one of the leading causes of maternal mortality for pregnant women in the United States.

The study, which was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, can be seen online here.

According to the study, a $1 or greater increase in the minimum wage was associated with 64 fewer cases of maternal hypertensive disorders per 100,000 women over five years.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy – including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and eclampsia – pose serious risks to both mother and baby. Elevated blood pressure during pregnancy increases the risk of stroke, heart disease and seizures, and is associated with preterm birth, Rutgers researchers said.

In 2023, hypertensive disorders caused about 16 percent of maternal deaths globally: the equivalent to about 42,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

Rates of these conditions are significantly higher among women living in lower-income communities, where chronic stress and economic insecurity are more prevalent. Women also are more likely than men to earn minimum wage, researchers said.

“There is an abundance of research linking higher minimum wages to improved health outcomes,” said Slawa Rokicki, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health.

“Our findings add to that evidence by showing meaningful benefits for maternal health,” Rokicki said.

To examine the relationship between minimum wage policy and maternal health, Rokicki and co-author Mark McGovern, a health economist and associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, analyzed 28 years of state-level data from the Global Burden of Disease study alongside changes in state minimum wage laws from 1992 to 2019.

During that period, 61 state-level minimum wage increases of at least $1 occurred. The researchers compared maternal health outcomes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia before and after these changes, while accounting for demographic factors, political context and other economic policies such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

The greatest reductions in hypertensive disorders appeared two to four years after a wage increase – a lag that likely reflected the time it takes for higher wages to translate into reduced stress, improved nutrition and healthier behaviors, Rokicki said.

The findings are particularly relevant for the 20 states where the minimum wage remains at or below the federal level of $7.25 per hour, she said.

“The federal minimum wage hasn't been raised since 2009 – it’s a poverty wage and is worth less now than it was in the 1960s,” Rokicki said.

NEW JERSEY MINIMUM WAGE

New Jersey has a much-higher minimum wage than the federal level: the Garden State’s hourly minimum wage increased to $15.92 earlier this month.

Tipped workers’ minimum wage will rise to $6.05 an hour, though employers must match the $15.92 minimum wage if a tipped worker’s income would fall below that level with gratuities included.

New Jersey’s wage floor is among the highest in the nation. Washington ($16.66), California ($16.50), and Connecticut ($16.35) are the only states with a higher statewide minimum wage, though minimum wages are higher in some parts of New York and Oregon.

• Read More: New Jersey's Minimum Wage Goes Up In 2026
• Read More: NJ Raises Minimum Wage – But It Still Isn’t Enough To Live On

FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE

The push for a higher federal minimum wage has also been supported by advocacy groups such as One Fair Wage, which says that it is “nowhere near enough to keep up with the cost of living.”

Meanwhile, tipped workers such as restaurant servers are excluded, forcing them to rely on an unpredictable source of income as the cost of living rises.

Nationwide, nearly 50 percent of workers earn less than $25 per hour, according to new findings from The Make America Affordable Now PAC. The report shows that 67 million workers across the United States earn below that threshold.

The gap between wages and real living costs is stark. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, there is no county in the United States where a worker can afford to meet basic needs on less than $25 an hour. Even in the nation’s least expensive counties, a worker with one child would need at least $33 an hour to cover essentials like rent, food, child care, and transportation.

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