My background:
- I'm 32
- Live in California (US)
- I make $25/hr
- I'm married (spouse brings in income as well)
At my current job I have usually received good raises percentage wise (~8-10% each time), but my last raise was only ~4% increase (in January 2023) which was less than the annual inflation rate of 5% (source).
Seeing that stings a little bit, but due to being married I haven't felt a sting from it. I suspect that I would feel a big sting if I was single or only had my income. Obviously none of you know how my employer operates or the people that I would have to deal with, but just in general, can you get to a point where you will look silly if you're asking for a raise based on inflation, or is that the totally wrong way to be thinking about things?