The Effect of State Minimum Wage Increases on Nonprofit Organizations

Abstract

The impact of minimum wage increases on employment has been extensively examined with mixed results. We extend the literature by hypothesizing and showing a differential impact of state-level minimum wage increases on nonprofit organizations as opposed to for-profit organizations. While we find that increases in minimum wages reduce employment growth in both types of organizations, this decrease is substantially larger for nonprofit organizations. We also find that investment in automation, that is, information technology, rises in nonprofits postminimum wage increase, consistent with the substitution of capital for labor. Minimum wage increases also increase the likelihood of nonprofit exit. JEL: J38, J68, L

Effects of the minimum wage on the nonprofit sector

“…A recent exception isBalsam et al (2022), written concurrently with this paper. They find negative effets on nonprofit employment growth and increased investment in technology, reflecting a substitution of capital for labor.…”