Pennsylvania’s minimum wage—unchanged for 16 years—could finally be set for a dramatic increase under Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s newly unveiled 2026–27 budget proposal. In his budget address on Tuesday night, Shapiro pressed lawmakers to raise the state’s $7.25 hourly wage to $15, a move he argues is overdue both for workers and the state’s bottom line. Shapiro’s administration projects that a $15 state minimum wage would reduce Medicaid spending by about $300 million in its first full