CARBON COUNTY -- Rafting, skiing and more -- it's what visitors come to the Poconos for every year.
"Tourism is very, very big in Carbon County. It's one of our biggest economic factors here," Kathy Henderson, Carbon Chamber and Economic Development.
"We hire a ton of high school and college students, and for a lot of people, it's their first job. Keeping the minimum wage low helps us to be able to hire more staff. So by hiring these kids, giving them that first real work experience, it's really important that we have a lower minimum wage so we can do that," said Sky Fogal, Pocono Whitewater.
But the industry that gains a lot could potentially lose a lot.
Governor Tom Wolf hopes to raise Pennsylvania's minimum wage from $7.25 to $12 an hour.
"We would rather see it go a little bit slower, incrementally to help the businesses and consumers adjust to it," said Henderson.
Because tourism is a big industry in Carbon County, resorts can use all the staffing they can get. Some business owners fear if you raise the minimum wage, staffing will become more expensive and they don't want to raise rates or hire fewer people.
Owners of Pocono Whitewater near Jim Thorpe say if wages go up, they may have to hire fewer people.
"If you increase rates too much, it's cheaper to automate. Whether it's a tourism business or whether it's a manufacturing job, a lot of those things will disappear," said Fogal.
The proposal to raise Pennsylvania's minimum wage still needs to be approved by state lawmakers.