50 Chains That Pay More Than Minimum Wage

If you haven't been keeping up with changes to our nation's minimum wage for a long time, you might assume that it's no longer at the rate it was in 2009 -- 11 years ago -- when the federal minimum wage was $7.25 per hour. Well, you didn't miss anything. The rate is unchanged!

That's terrible news for those who earn that rate, because over time, prices have risen, while the minimum wage has not. So what do you bring home per year, at that rate? Well, working 40 hours per week, you'd earn $290 per week, or $15,080 for the year. If that sounds really low, you're right: It's not much higher than the federal poverty guideline for 2020 of $12,760 for a household of one, and it's well below the $17,240 threshold for a two-person household, and the $26,200 threshold for a four-person household.

Fortunately, many states have hiked the minimum wage within their borders, and some cities have hiked it even further. Better still, many companies have their own minimum wages, or simply pay their hourly workers, on average, above-minimum wages. Here's a look at 50 of them.

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CVS Health sports close to 10,000 locations nationwide and employs around 300,000 people. The company announced a wage hike for its hourly workers back in 2018, to a minimum of $11 per hour. It also announced that full-time workers would get four weeks of paid parental leave. If you've been in a CVS location recently, you may have noticed some self-checkout stations. That's one way the company can recoup the cost of higher wages -- by reducing its staffing needs.

With more than 400 retail stores serving three countries and more than 70,000 employees, Nike cuts a lot of paychecks every pay period. It's less directly tied to many more paychecks, as it sources many raw materials from abroad, where many factories offer less-than-generous wages. Nike has addressed this by saying it requires its non-U.S. suppliers to pay their workers at least the minimum or prevailing wage. Within the U.S., its sales associates and retail sales associates earn an average of $11.27 and $11.83 per hour, respectively, per PayScale.com. Employees also qualify for discounts on merchandise, along with getting tuition assistance, adoption assistance, fitness opportunities, and other benefits.

IKEA, a giant privately held business based in Sweden, employs more than 200,000 people worldwide, as of 2018. It boosted its minimum wage by a hefty 17% -- back in 2014 -- raising it to $10.76 per hour at that time. A year later, in 2015, that was increased further, to $11.87. With that second increase came news that the first one had reduced employee turnover by more than the company's goal of 5%. How's it doing today? Well, its sales associates earn an average of $13.59 per hour, while warehouse workers earn an average of $15.45, and its food service workers average $12.31, per PayScale.com.

Delivery juggernaut FedEx handles more than 15 million shipments each business day and recently sported a fleet of 678 planes and more than 180,000 motorized vehicles. The company employs close to half a million people, and a whole bunch of them are ones who handle packages and get paid by the hour. So what do they earn? Well, on average, a package handler gets $13.15 per hour, while a delivery driver averages $14.89, per PayScale.com.

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Warehouse giant Costco recently boasted 785 locations globally, with 546 in the U.S. It's a major retailer, raking in more than $150 billion annually and employing around 245,000 people. Costco says of itself: "By offering fair wages and top-notch benefits, the company has created a workplace culture that attracts positive, high-energy, talented employees." The company has increased its minimum wage multiple times, most recently to $15 per hour.

It's been suggested by some that Starbucks should pay its baristas by the drink, not by the hour. That's not how it's done, though, at least for now. The average rate per hour for baristas toiling at all kinds of coffeehouses nationally was recently $11.17, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- and according to PayScale.com, that's just about what the average Starbucks worker gets, as well. Baristas at Starbucks average less, though, says PayScale -- at $10.34 -- while shift supervisors average $12.75. On the plus side, the company does offer more benefits to workers than comparable employers, even extending health insurance coverage to part-timers.

Sephora is a destination for those seeking beauty products, and they can find a Sephora outpost in more than 2,600 locations in 34 countries. The company made its debut in the U.S. in 1998 and now has more than 460 locations in North America. Sephora offers average wages well above the national minimum wage, with makeup artists, beauty advisors, and sales consultants respectively averaging $13.75, $13.21, and $12.03 per hour, per PayScale.com.

Dollar Tree, which now includes Family Dollar, is a bigger business than you might expect, with more than 15,000 locations in 48 states and five Canadian provinces, and more than 180,000 employees. You may not pay many dollars for Dollar Tree merchandise, but if you work there you won't be taking home many dollars, either. The average hourly rate for cashiers was recently $8.30 per hour, according to PayScale.com, while assistant store managers averaged $11.01.

JPMorgan Chase is a rather illustrious company, with a history going back more than 200 years and a berth in the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock index, which only has 30 component companies. It rakes in more than $115 billion annually, has thousands of branches, and employs more than 250,000 people worldwide. The company committed to raising wages several years ago, aiming for between $15 and $18 per hour, in part depending on the workers' local cost of living.

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Trader Joe's was named America's best employer by Forbes in 2019, and that's far from the first time it appeared on a list of top employers. The company offers benefits well beyond its peers' offerings -- such as medical, dental, and vision coverage. The business sports more than 500 locations in the U.S., and employs more than 10,000 workers worldwide, more than 5,000 of whom are in the U.S. The average "crew member" hourly rate was recently $16.17, per Indeed.com, while assistant store managers averaged $67,347 annually. (Warehouse workers sported a much lower average, at $11.41, but even that is well above minimum wage in many locations.)

For most of your office needs, you can head to one of Office Depot's 1,400-some locations, where you'll be served by some of the company's 38,000-plus workers. (Many of its locations are OfficeMax stores, as Office Depot gobbled up that chain in 2013.) How well are the company's workers paid? Sales consultants, retail sales consultants, and sales associates earn an average of $10.58, $10.69, and $10.21 per hour, respectively, per Indeed.com, with stocking associates and sales advisors earning a little more.

The Container Store is the place to go for storage and organizing supplies, recently with 93 stores in 33 states. With its "employee-first culture," it's a company that prides itself on treating its workers so well that they tend to stick around: "We have an average 10% turnover rate in an industry where many full-time employees don't even stay a year." So what's the pay like there? Average hourly wages for sales associates and retail sales associates, per PayScale.com, were recently $12.82 and $13.72, respectively, with the company's overall hourly average $15.56.

Wegmans is consistently listed among the top supermarket chains in the country and often places near the top of lists of best employers, nationwide. Over 100 years old, it recently boasted 101 stores, mostly in the Northeast, and with around 50,000 employees and annual revenue near $10 billion, it's one of the country's largest privately held companies. Full-timers and part-timers alike are offered health insurance and dental coverage, too. The overall average hourly wage at Wegmans is $13.49, per PayScale.com, with cashiers averaging $10.92 and customer service associates averaging $13.32.

Many people don't realize just how big a business Amazon.com is. Annual revenue tops $280 billion, and it employs about 800,000 full-time and part-time workers (as of the end of 2019). In 2018, the company hiked its minimum wage, with CEO Jeff Bezos noting in his letter to shareholders: "…we raised our minimum wage to $15-an-hour for all full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees across the U.S. This wage hike benefitted more than 250,000 Amazon employees, as well as over 100,000 seasonal employees who worked at Amazon sites across the country last holiday."

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Whole Foods Market, as a subsidiary of Amazon.com (since the latter acquired the former in 2017), also has a new minimum wage of $15. Full-timers also get health insurance, and team members also get employee discounts of 20% to 30%, among other benefits. There's also a 401(k) plan.

Bed Bath & Beyond boasts more than 1,500 store locations, and they're not all "Bed Bath & Beyond" stores, either -- some bear the name of One Kings Lane, Chef Central, Decorist, Harmon Face Values, Cost Plus World Market, BuyBuyBaby, or Harbor Linen, among others. According to PayScale.com, the average hourly wage at Bed Bath & Beyond is $11.41, with cashiers and retail sales associates averaging between $9.58 and $10.66.

Many think of Ben & Jerry's, with its 570-plus "scoop shops" and ice cream available in supermarkets nationwide, as a countercultural icon, but since 2000, it has been part of the giant conglomerate Unilever. Still, it hasn't lost its commitment to promoting social causes, and it pays its full-time workers a "livable wage" -- "enough to allow for a quality of life that includes decent housing, healthcare, transportation, food, recreation, savings, and miscellaneous expenses." That minimum livable wage was recently $17.78 per hour. Part-timers don't necessarily earn that much, though, and Indeed.com recently estimated that average wages for cashiers and team members were between $11 and $12 per hour.

The T.J. Maxx chain, owned by TJX Companies, recently spanned 1,273 stores in the U.S. (with the parent company boasting 4,529 locations, overall -- and around 270,000 employees, as of February 2019). In 2015, the company announced a hike in its minimum wage to $9 per hour initially and $10 for those who have been with the company for at least six months. It seems many workers are earning more than that, though, as PayScale.com cites an average hourly wage of $11.28 for the company, with pay ranging from $9.16 to $16.19 per hour.

Like T.J. Maxx, the Marshalls clothing chain is also owned by TJX Companies. There are 1,130 Marshalls locations, as of last month, and the average hourly wage at the company, per PayScale.com, ranges from $9.06 to $15.60, averaging $11.20. Employees also get a 10% to 20% discount on store merchandize, and full timers get a broader range of benefits, such as health insurance.

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Home Goods, selling everything from furniture to linens, is another TJX Companies property, with 809 locations as of last month. The parent company notes that "around the world over 37% of Associates in managerial positions have been with TJX for 10 or more years," adding that it has ranked among America's Best Employers in Forbes. Average hourly wages come in around $11.31, per Payscale.com.

We don't always think of Apple as a retail chain operator, but with its Apple stores, it is one. It's a rather major employer, too, with more than 100,000 employees. Many of those earn six-figure incomes, working as engineers, software developers, managers, and so on. But those who earn an hourly wage, such as the many Apple "Geniuses" at its retail locations, average about $21.49 per hour, per PayScale.com -- well above most locations' minimum wages.

AutoZone started as Auto Shack, a store in Forrest City, Arkansas. Today, it's a huge (and growing) retailer of auto parts and accessories, with about 5,800 locations in the United States, more than 600 in Mexico, and even some in Brazil. Its sales associates average an hourly wage of $10.60 per hour, with shift managers averaging $13.31, per Indeed.com. Those are averages, though -- some workers are earning much less than $10 per hour, while others are earning more than $20.

Bank of America has more locations than many retailers, and a sizable workforce to go along with it. In its own words, Bank of America serves "approximately 66 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,300 retail financial centers, including approximately 2,800 lending centers, 2,600 financial centers with a Consumer Investment Financial Solutions Advisor and 2,000 business centers." So what do those workers earn? Well, last year the company announced that it was hiking its minimum wage to $20 per hour, and that's taking effect next month, even earlier than initially planned. A 40-hour work week at $20 per hour translates to an annual income of $41,600, pre-tax.

J. C. Penney is a venerable American retailer, with a history going back more than 100 years. These days it sports around 850 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and like most major retailers, sports a busy website, too, where many sales originate. The company employs close to 90,000 workers, and they earn an hourly rate between $8.33 and $17.54, per PayScale.com, with an average rate of $10.60.

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You're probably aware of the major clothing retailer, Gap. You might not realize, though, that it encompasses much more than just that chain. It's also parent to the Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta, Intermix, Janie and Jack, and Hill City chains. The company sported 3,666 stores, in total, as of Feb. 2, 2019, some franchised but most owned. About 1,242 of them were Gap stores, 61% in the U.S. and the rest in Asia and Europe. The company employed 135,000 people as of the end of 2018 and on its website declares that, "In 2014, Gap Inc. made history by becoming the first Fortune 500 company to publicly confirm it pays men and women equally for equal work." Gap hiked its minimum wage to $9 in 2014 and to $10 in 2015, and its hourly workers recently averaged $13.39 per hour, per PayScale.com.

Whatever wages Walmart (NYSE: WMT) sets for its workers affects a lot of people, as you might have guessed. It employs about 1.5 million people in the U.S. alone (and a total of about 2.2 million, globally). Back in 2018, Walmart announced that it was raising its minimum hourly wage to $11. And this past January, it began testing a $12 minimum, for certain jobs in about 500 of its stores. (That's a lot of stores, but keep in mind that its empire stretches across 5,355-plus Walmart Supercenters and Sam's Club stores -- in the U.S. alone. Add 6,148 international locations, and the company's grand total was recently 11,503 stores.)

Department store chain Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) recently boasted 1,159 stores across 49 states, with more than 120,000 employees. The retailer has been struggling lately, and has been helped by a partnership with Amazon.com: It's accepting Amazon returns at its locations, which is driving more foot traffic into its buildings. Hourly workers at Kohl's are paid between about $8.90 and $20.21 per hour, averaging $11.63, per PayScale.com.

Walgreens Boots Alliance is a big business -- the biggest retail pharmacy and health chain in the U.S. and Europe. According to the company's fiscal 2019 annual report, "Walgreens Boots Alliance and the companies in which it has equity method investments [it recently owned 27% of AmerisourceBergen, for example] together … employ more than 440,000 people … [with] over 18,750 stores in 11 countries as well as one of the largest global pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution networks, with over 400 distribution centers delivering to more than 240,000 pharmacies, doctors, health centers and hospitals each year in more than 20 countries." Walgreens workers earn an hourly rate between $9.63 and $23.52, per PayScale.com, with an average rate of $13.19.

Old Navy is a subsidiary of the Gap company, and there were plans to spin it off into a separate entity, but those plans were called off in January. As of Feb. 2, 2019, there were 1,139 Old Navy stores in North America, encompassing tens of thousands of employees. (The parent company Gap's headcount was 135,000 people as of the end of 2018.) As part of the Gap, Old Navy workers got raises in their minimum pay to $9 in 2014 and $10 in 2015. Today, per PayScale.com, Old Navy hourly workers earn an average wage of $11.19, with some earning a bit more than $17 per hour.

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Banana Republic is another subsidiary of the Gap company, so it, too, benefited from the company's 2014 increase in its minimum wage to $9 per hour followed by a 2015 increase to $10. More recently, it hourly workers were averaging $13.21 per hour, according to PayScale.com, with some earning up to about $20. Gap explained its wage increases as good for the company as well as workers: "To connect and enhance the in-store and digital experience for our customers even more, we must attract and retain great talent."

Outdoorsy retailer REI (its initials standing for Recreational Equipment, Inc.) is organized as a cooperative, not a publicly traded company, so it's owned by its members, not investors. It gives back a portion of earnings to its workers, members, and even to some non-profits, and has been named multiple times as one of the best companies to work for and a top employer on various lists. According to PayScale.com, its hourly workers average $16.67 per hour, with some earning as much as $30 per hour. The lowest wages listed were around $10 to $11 per hour.

Home improvement and homebuilding superstore chain Home Depot began with two stores that opened in Atlanta in 1979. It sports 2,291 stores across all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico, and employs more than 400,000 people. Hourly workers at Home Depot average $12.40 per hour, with some making more than $18, and cashiers and sales associates averaging $10.85 and $11.53, respectively, per PayScale.com.

Aldi was recently America's fastest growing food retailer, with more than 1,900 stores in the U.S. serving more than 40 million customers monthly. (The company sports thousands more stores around the world, as it's a Germany-based company.) It offers low prices in part by stocking mostly store-brand items. Aldi recently employed about 25,000 people in the U.S., and hourly workers average about $14.22 per hour, with cashiers earning between about $9 to $16 per hour.

McDonald's is one of the largest employers in America and the world, with more than 38,000 locations in more than 100 nations. It technically owns only a small portion of them, though -- about 93% are franchises. As of the end of 2019, McDonald's employed about 205,000 people -- at its offices and at its company-owned restaurants. When you add the franchise workforce, the total is likely well above 2 million. Forbes listed it as 1.9 million back in 2015. Hourly workers at McDonald's recently earned between about $7.68 and $15.24 per hour, averaging $9.96, per PayScale.com. (Cashiers averaged a little less -- $8.81.) Keep in mind that many cities and states in America have their own minimum wages that are considerably higher than the federal $7.25 minimum, and McDonald's and other nationwide chains have to comply with local minimums.

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Founded in 1986, Staples is an office-products mega-chain, featuring a network of more than 2,000 stores worldwide, per Statista.com. The company was taken private in 2017, when the private equity firm Sycamore Partners bought it for $6.9 billion. Its sales associates earn an average of about $10 per hour, per Glassdoor.com, with some earning close to $20 per hour.

Joseph and Lyman Bloomingdale were department-store pioneers, opening their East Side Bazaar in New York City back in 1872. Eventually, Bloomingdales was bought by Federated Department Stores, which ended up merging with Macy's. Recently, Bloomingdales sported about 55 locations, per the Macy's 2019 annual report. Bloomingdale's hourly workers recently averaged a wage of $15.80, per PayScale.com, with sales associates earning between $10 and $19 per hour and averaging $12.83.

For home improvement and home building needs, millions head to Lowe's, which boasts more than 2,200 locations and about 300,000 employees. Hourly workers at Lowe's average about $13.20 per hour, though the overall range is about $10.69 to $19.16, per PayScale.com. Cashiers average $11.51, while customer service associates average $11.99.

Williams-Sonoma is a retailing conglomerate, with stores, websites, and catalogs for its Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm, Pottery Barn Teen, Williams Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation, and Mark and Graham brands. Indeed, the company bills itself as a "digital-first company," as it gets more than 55% of its revenue online. Still, it has lots of stores -- 626 as of its most recent third quarter -- and its hourly workers earn around $11 per hour, on average, per Glassdoor.com.

The Cheesecake Factory is known for its huge menu, and it supports a rather hefty number of employees, too -- about 38,700 as of last year. The company recently boasted 294 restaurants. So what do its hourly workers earn? Well, between $7.26 and $16.24 per hour, says PayScale.com, with an average of $12.41. Remember, though, that serving staff typically earn far less, as the federal minimum for tipped workers is just $2.13 (a rate that has not been changed for 29 years since 1991), with the assumption that tips will make workers' overall earnings far higher. Employers are supposed to make up the difference between $2.13 and the prevailing minimum wage whenever tips don't get workers to that level, but many don't. PayScale.com has servers averaging $5.19 per hour.

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Publix is a major American supermarket chain in the southeast, recently with 1,243 stores and more than 200,000 workers. It's also an employee-owned business, and is headquartered in Florida. Publix hiked its minimum wage to an undisclosed amount back in 2018 and per PayScale.com, its hourly workers recently averaged $11.96 per hour, with cashiers averaging $10.11. The company has been listed among Fortune magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for 23 consecutive years -- actually for every year that the list has existed.

With a market value recently near $53 billion, vs. Walmart's value of $333 billion, Target might look small, but it's still a major retailer and employer, raking in more than $75 billion annually. Target boasted 1,868 stores across the U.S. and employs more than 350,000 workers -- plus more than 100,000 more on a seasonal basis. It announced back in 2017 that it would hike its minimum wage to $15 by the end of 2020, and per PayScale.com, its hourly workers recently averaged $12.75, with cashiers averaging $10.89 and sales associates averaging $11.35. There have been some stories in the news reporting that while hourly wages have gone up, the company may be reducing many workers' hours.

The American banking giant Wells Fargo recently announced an increase in its minimum wage, to between $15 and $20 per hour, depending on location, adding that the increase will affect more than 20,000 workers. PayScale.com recently listed hourly workers' rates ranging from $13.10 to $29.18 per hour, and averaging $17.46. Tellers averaged a little less than $13.50. As of the fourth quarter of 2019, the company had 7,400 locations and employed about 260,000 workers, as it served a third of all U.S. households with its financial offerings that range from savings accounts to stock investing accounts.

For electronic needs, millions of Americans head to their local Best Buy, with the retailer noting that about 70% of Americans are within 15 minutes of one of its locations. Founded in 1966, the chain sports 1,187 large-format and 51 small-format stores in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with close to 125,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees, all as of the end of fiscal 2019. Best Buy's hourly workers average $12.73 per hour, with sales associates averaging $11.91, per PayScale.com.

Founded in 1983, apparel specialist J.Crew recently sported 182 J.Crew stores, 140 Madewell stores, and 170 factory stores, with its busy websites also generating sales. J.Crew is part of Chinos Holdings, which has been planning to spin off Madewell via IPO -- but reportedly may be reconsidering that move after J. Crew posted some strong performance numbers. J.Crew has a code of conduct for its vendors, and requires that "Workers shall be paid at least the minimum wage or a wage that is consistent with prevailing local industry standards, whichever is higher." Per PayScale.com, hourly workers at J.Crew earn between $10.19 and $21.28 per hour, averaging $14.19. Sales associates average $11.32.

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Based in California, the Chinese restaurant chain Panda Express sported more than 2,200 locations across the U.S. as of late last year, and recently employed more than 39,000 people. Hourly workers at Panda Express average about $10 per hour as cashiers and about $11 per hour as counter workers, per Glassdoor.com. Assistant managers average around $16 per hour.

Upscale department store Nordstrom, more than 100 years old, recently sported 380 stores in 40 states. The company's hourly workers earn between about $10.94 and $24.19 per hour, averaging about $15.97, per PayScale.com. Sales associates average close to $12 per hour. On top of that, the company pays sales commissions, giving workers an extra incentive to sell.

Supermarket chain Kroger serves about 11 million customers daily at stores across the U.S. that bear names such as Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Soopers, Fry's, QFC, City Market, Owen's, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker's, Gerbes, Harris Teeter, Pick 'n Save, Copps, Metro Market, and Mariano's. The company rakes in more than $120 billion annually, and employs close to 500,000 people. Hourly workers at Kroger earn between about $7.90 and $20.05 per hour, averaging about $10.29, per PayScale.com. Cashiers recently averaged $8.84, while pharmacy technicians averaged $12.14.

Hennes & Mauritz, also known as H&M Group, is a global fashion retailer, with close to 5,000 locations worldwide. Its U.S. workers get 25% off its wares, and other benefits include health insurance and a 401(k) plan, even for part-timers. H&M hourly workers are paid between about $10.81 and $24.45 per hour, averaging about $16, per PayScale.com. Sales associates average about $12 per hour, per Glassdoor.com.

Shake Shack offers burgers, shakes, and more at some 280 locations in 30 U.S. states and many other countries. The company raked in nearly $600 million in 2019, up 29% over year-ago levels. Its hourly workers collect around $11 to $12 per hour, per Glassdoor.com. The company is rather generous with benefits, noting that "All employees are eligible, on your 90th day, for: medical, dental, and vision insurance; pre-tax transit payment plan; and short-term disability."

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You may not be that familiar with Albertsons, but it's a giant retail chain, with brands such as its own name as well as Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, and Carrs. Altogether, it recently boasted 2,262 stores serving 34 million customers per week. Hourly wages vary by store, but PayScale.com reports Albertsons workers averaging $13.38 per hour, while Safeway workers average $12.65. Albertsons has been privately owned in recent years, but is looking to go public again.

Selena Maranjian owns shares of Apple, Costco Wholesale, JPMorgan Chase, and Starbucks. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple, FedEx, Home Depot, Nike, and Starbucks. The Motley Fool owns shares of The Container Store Group. The Motley Fool recommends Costco Wholesale, CVS Health, Lowe's, Nordstrom, The TJX Companies, and Williams-Sonoma and recommends the following options: long January 2021 $120 calls on Home Depot and short January 2021 $210 calls on Home Depot. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.