JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMOX) – Those receiving minimum wage in Missouri got a dime raise at the start of the year, bringing Missouri’s minimum wage to $7.35 an hour (tipped employees will receive $3.675 an hour).

For the past several years, Missouri has followed the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, but inflation has now pushed Missouri’s minimum wage above the federal standard. (Read more on the Missouri Labor department website)

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed concern early this year that Missouri’s new minimum wage could put the state at a competitive disadvantage. That’s because Illinois will be the only neighboring state with a higher minimum wage than Missouri.