No, Target has not raised its minimum wage to $24 an hour for all employees

Whether the federal minimum wage should be raised from $7.25 an hour is an ongoing debate across the country. The federal minimum wage sets the lowest legal limit for pay nationwide, but states and companies can set higher rates. Amid worker shortages, many companies have tried to attract employees by offering higher-than-minimum wages. 

A tweet about retailer Target attracted attention online, claiming the company raised its minimum wage to $24 an hour for all employees.

THE QUESTION

Has Target raised its minimum wage to $24 an hour for all employees?

THE SOURCES

• Target
• Adam Ryan, founder of Target Workers Unite, an organization that advocates for Target employees 
• Target job listings on Indeed and the Target website

THE ANSWER

No, Target has not raised its minimum wage to $24 an hour for all employees. The company said its minimum wage is based on a scale that now ranges from $15 an hour to $24 an hour, depending on location and job.

WHAT WE FOUND

The viral tweet likely refers to a February 2022 Target press release that said it was implementing a new starting wage range. That new wage range, Target said, would be from $15 to $24.

“The exact starting wage within the range will depend on the job and the local market, with market-level wages set by the retailer based on industry benchmarking, local wage data and more,” Target said in its press release.

In response to a request for comment, a Target spokesperson emailed VERIFY on Jan. 19, 2023 with the exact statement quoted above.

Details such as when the company would begin implementing the new wage range and how many markets would see the upper end of that scale were not included in the press release. Target did not answer VERIFY’s request for details about which markets and positions received the company’s highest starting wages.

“We know of no one in our network - including warehouse workers who are paid several dollars more than retail workers - that receives $24 an hour,” said Adam Ryan, founder of workers advocacy group Target Workers Unite.

Ryan said his store in Christiansburg, Virginia, starts workers at $16 an hour, and many of the company’s stores still have $15 minimum wages..

A job listing on Target’s website confirms the company’s cashiers in Christiansburg, Virginia, start at $16 an hour.

An Indeed listing for a Target cashier in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a listing on Target’s website for a cashier position in Nashville, Tennessee, both have starting hourly rates set at $15.

Some positions in more costly markets with higher local minimum wages do have higher starting salaries. A cashier in New York City starts at $17.75 an hour. In Seattle, Target cashiers start at $19 an hour, according to a job listing. A position in Washington, D.C., is listed with a starting wage of $17.50 an hour.

Finally, a job listing for a position in “hourly warehouse operations” in Lacey, Washington, a town an hour south of Seattle, has listed wages of $21.30 to $23.30.