Some Maricopa workers’ paychecks will grow starting Thursday.

Arizona’s minimum wage will rise from $14.70 to $15.15 an hour on New Year’s Day, giving the state one of the highest minimum wages in the country, according to the National Employment Law Project.

State law requires the rate to increase annually based on the cost of living. Voters approved that system in 2016 through Proposition 206, the Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act.

Since then, the minimum wage has climbed between 50 cents and $2 per year. And while some hikes have posed challenges for small businesses, many have adjusted over time.

Last year’s 35-cent increase didn’t significantly impact several Maricopa employers, including Karsten’s Maricopa Ace Hardware.

“We expected it to hit our business minimally. Our average pay is well above minimum, so it’s usually just a couple of folks that might be impacted,” owner Dave Karsten said at the time.

For minimum-wage earners, though, the new 45-cent bump can make a difference.

“I think that’s a really good change,” Sorrento resident Maya Johnson-Winfield, who works part-time at Marshalls, told InMaricopa on Tuesday. “It might not sound like a lot, but it is when it adds up.”

Johnson-Winfield, 18, uses her income for personal expenses and to help her family buy groceries, cover bills and save for a car. She hopes others recognize how the increase may help households like hers.

“I would love for people to understand that [wage increases] definitely help a lot more families,” she said. “I’m very blessed for my job, but I know for some people, it’s not enough to go pay for this bill or get groceries.”