OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 24, 2025) – NFIB Director of Research and Policy Analysis Peter Hansen testified during the Oklahoma House of Representatives’ Interim Study examining the effects of a minimum wage hike on the state’s economy and working Oklahomans.

CLICK HERE to view Hansen’s testimony (beginning at ~1:56:00)

During his testimony, Hansen cited NFIB’s 11th edition of Small Business Problems and Priorities, which came out in 2024. In the survey, California members ranked minimum wage as a much worse problem than the rest of the country. California’s minimum wage is $16.50 per hour.

“Minimum wage, when it’s high enough, is a significant problem for many small businesses,” Hansen said. “This is not just theoretical. It’s a true thorn in the side of business, that’s forcing them into difficult decisions about how they can manage staff and how to run their business.”

Hansen continued, noting that minimum wage mandates result in fewer opportunities for vulnerable workers.

“The people who lose their jobs are not random,” Hansen said. “Small businesses simply cannot afford to take a chance on a borderline candidate when the cost is so high. At its best, the economy is sort of a ladder of opportunity, and there is a small, but not ignorable effect to which significantly higher minimum wage is removing that bottom rung for some of the most vulnerable workers.”

NFIB has studied the impact of a minimum wage hike on Oklahoma. The findings include:

• Short-term gain, long-term pain, with a net job loss in 2031, and GDP decreasing in 2033;
• Price increases for consumers; and
• Fewer job opportunities for young people, people with work disruptions, and higher unemployment groups.

CLICK HERE to view Hansen’s testimony (beginning at ~1:56:00)