Hitting the $3 Million Mark

Orange County Living Wage is thrilled to announce that our certified living wage employers have now raised wages by more than $3 million since our non-profit was founded in 2015.

When a business or organization certifies as a living wage employer, OCLW calculates the total amount they raised wages to meet the living wage threshold. This money often remains in Orange County, as employees spend their dollars where they live and work. A large body of research shows that wage increases – particularly for those at the bottom of the income spectrum – enhance community-level economic activity and support local businesses; reduce the amount by which taxpayers subsidize corporations for the low wages they pay; and lessen the pay inequalities for women and people of color that depress overall economic growth.

In other words, the entire community benefits when wages are lifted!