Fourteen states are set to raise their minimum wage in 2014, but the hikes only highlight how far most of the country remains from President Obama’s goal of a $9-per-hour minimum wage nationwide.

Even after the increases, only three states are poised to pay $9 or more. On Jan. 1, residents of Washington State will see a boost to a nation-leading $9.32 per hour, while Oregon’s minimum will rise to $9.10. Meanwhile, at mid-year, Californians will see their minimum wage jump by $1, to $9 an hour, well above the current federal minimum of $7.25.

With Democrats including Mr. Obama vowing to make income inequality a central issue during the 2014 midterm election season, the debate over minimum wage is likely to resurface in coming months. Wage stagnation is becoming a big challenge for households at most wage levels, and Democrats see the minimum wage as a key part of a broader campaign that can resonate beyond the small fraction of US workers are employed at base levels.

They point to statistics that show that, as the economy recovers from the Great Recession, average hourly earnings are rising a bit faster than inflation, but not by much. A brighter financial future, then, is not just reviving growth but ensuring that gains are distributed more evenly after years in which high-end jobs have outstripped the middle and low-end ones in pay raises, they say.

Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor.