Changes in nutrition-related health outcomes following a minimum wage increase

Minimum wage laws have the potential to promote economic stability and may have beneficial health effects. This study evaluated nutrition-related effects of a city ordinance increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour in Minneapolis, Minnesota (MN). The study followed a cohort of low-wage workers in Minneapolis (n = 490) and a comparison group with no minimum wage increase in Raleigh, North Carolina (n = 479) from 2018 to 2022. Main outcomes included body mass index (BMI) assessed annually by objective height/weight measures; grocery spending assessed in 2018 and 2022 by food receipts; and food insecurity and food assistance program participation, and benefit amounts assessed annually by a survey. Other outcomes included stress, physical activity, sleep, and healthcare utilization. The study tested changes in each outcome between cities and within cities adjusting for covariates and inflation. From 2018 to 2022, the mean hourly wage increased in both cities. There was no change in BMI or in the proportion of food spending on fruits and vegetables or foods high in added sugars between or within cities. There was a decrease in food insecurity and an increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation and benefit amounts within both cities, with a greater magnitude of change in Raleigh. In this study, there was no evidence of minimum wage policy effect on wages, and no subsequent policy-related effects on nutrition-related or health outcomes. Unanticipated COVID-19 pandemic changes may have contributed to the observed results.