To calculate the percent change in Jess's hourly wages, we can use the formula for percent change:
\[ \text{Percent Change} = \frac{\text{New Value} - \text{Old Value}}{\text{Old Value}} \times 100 \]
In Jess's case:
- Old Value (initial wage) = $8.50
- New Value (wage after raise) = $9.85
Now, we can plug the values into the formula:
\[ \text{Percent Change} = \frac{9.85 - 8.50}{8.50} \times 100 \]
Calculating the difference:
\[ 9.85 - 8.50 = 1.35 \]
Now, substituting back into the percent change formula:
\[ \text{Percent Change} = \frac{1.35}{8.50} \times 100 \]
Calculating the division:
\[ \frac{1.35}{8.50} \approx 0.158823529 \]
Now, multiplying by 100 to convert to a percent:
\[ 0.158823529 \times 100 \approx 15.8823529 \]
Rounding to the nearest hundredth:
\[ 15.88% \]
Therefore, the percent change in Jess's hourly wages is 15.88%.