The debate surrounding the benefits versus harm caused by minimum wage laws isn't likely to end soon.
With the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) recent release of job numbers by state for 2014, now seems like a good time to review what kind of an effect minimum wage laws had in states that imposed higher minimum wage rates compared to states that did not.
A Brief Look at Minimum Wages by State
Before delving into the connection, here's what minimum wage rates have been by state since 1980.
(Please note that each line is not meant to be individually decipherable. Instead, the graphic is meant to show the trend in...

