USA Today out there asking the dumbest questions where everyone knows why, even the rich causing it.

Yup, it’s a real mystery.

Because minimum wage isn’t tied to inflation and regional cost of living.

“That’s very much a wage story,” Wadford said. “Since the beginning of the year, wages for lower-income households have continued to fall…while inflation continues to remain stubbornly high.” In 2025, 29% of lower-income households live paycheck to paycheck, up from 28.6% in 2023 and 27.1% in 2023.