Although most of the states’ automatic minimum wage increases are effective on the first day of either January or July every year, there are exceptions and Minnesota is one of them.  The Gopher State has a two-tiered minimum wage, with the tier determined by the annual sales of a business.  Effective Monday, August 1, the minimum wage for employees of firms with more than $500,000 in annual volume (large businesses) will rise to $9.50 per hour, while those employees of small businesses (less than $500,000 annual revenue) will see their wages increase to $7.75 an hour.  Aside from the two tiers, Minnesota also provides a 90-day training wage for employees younger than 20 years of age and a Youth Wage rate for those under 18 years.  The minimum for both will also increase to $7.75 effective Monday.