Minimum Wage by State 2026: Complete Guide
Minimum Wage by State 2026 — Quick Answer
The federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour, unchanged since 2009. As of July 2026, 30 states plus Washington DC set a higher rate. Washington DC has the highest minimum wage at $18.40/hour, followed by Washington state at $17.13. Twenty states use the federal $7.25 floor. Three jurisdictions raised rates on July 1, 2026 (Alaska, DC, Oregon), and Florida rises to $15.00 on September 30, 2026.
If you employ hourly workers in more than one state, you're managing more than one minimum wage — and possibly more than one within a state, since many cities and counties set higher local rates. This guide lists the minimum wage in effect in every state as of July 2026, the increases already scheduled, and what multi-state employers need to get right.
One rule governs everything below: when federal, state, and local minimum wages differ, the employee is entitled to the highest rate that applies to them.
Minimum Wage by State (July 2026)
Rates below are the standard statewide minimum for non-tipped employees, verified against state labor department publications and the US Department of Labor's state minimum wage tables.
| State | Minimum Wage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $7.25 | No state minimum wage law; federal rate applies |
| Alaska | $14.00 | Raised July 1, 2026; $15.00 scheduled July 1, 2027 |
| Arizona | $15.15 | Inflation-indexed; adjusts each January 1 |
| Arkansas | $11.00 | No scheduled increase |
| California | $16.90 | Many cities higher; separate healthcare-sector minimums |
| Colorado | $15.16 | Inflation-indexed; Denver higher |
| Connecticut | $16.94 | Indexed; adjusts each January 1 |
| Delaware | $15.00 | Reached statutory target |
| District of Columbia | $18.40 | Highest in the US; raised July 1, 2026 |
| Florida | $14.00 | Rises to $15.00 on September 30, 2026 |
| Georgia | $7.25 | State rate of $5.15 is overridden by federal law for most workers |
| Hawaii | $16.00 | $18.00 scheduled January 1, 2028 |
| Idaho | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| Illinois | $15.00 | Chicago and Cook County higher |
| Indiana | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| Iowa | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| Kansas | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| Kentucky | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| Louisiana | $7.25 | No state minimum wage law; federal rate applies |
| Maine | $15.10 | Inflation-indexed; Portland higher |
| Maryland | $15.00 | Montgomery and Howard counties higher |
| Massachusetts | $15.00 | Unchanged since 2023 |
| Michigan | $13.73 | Rises to $15.00 on January 1, 2027 |
| Minnesota | $11.41 | Single statewide rate; Minneapolis and St. Paul higher |
| Mississippi | $7.25 | No state minimum wage law; federal rate applies |
| Missouri | $15.00 | Reached ballot-measure target January 2026; indexed thereafter |
| Montana | $10.85 | Inflation-indexed; adjusts each January 1 |
| Nebraska | $15.00 | Reached ballot-measure target; indexed thereafter |
| Nevada | $12.00 | Single constitutional rate; no scheduled increase |
| New Hampshire | $7.25 | No state rate; follows federal |
| New Jersey | $15.92 | Indexed; small and seasonal employers slightly lower |
| New Mexico | $12.00 | Santa Fe and Albuquerque higher |
| New York | $16.00 | $17.00 in NYC, Long Island, and Westchester |
| North Carolina | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| North Dakota | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| Ohio | $11.00 | Inflation-indexed; applies to most employers |
| Oklahoma | $7.25 | State law defers to federal |
| Oregon | $15.55 | Raised July 1, 2026; Portland metro $16.80, nonurban counties $14.55 |
| Pennsylvania | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| Rhode Island | $16.00 | Rises to $17.00 on January 1, 2027 |
| South Carolina | $7.25 | No state minimum wage law; federal rate applies |
| South Dakota | $11.85 | Inflation-indexed; adjusts each January 1 |
| Tennessee | $7.25 | No state minimum wage law; federal rate applies |
| Texas | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| Utah | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| Vermont | $14.42 | Inflation-indexed; adjusts each January 1 |
| Virginia | $12.77 | Inflation-indexed annually |
| Washington | $17.13 | Highest state rate; Seattle, SeaTac, and Tukwila higher |
| West Virginia | $8.75 | Applies to employers with 6+ employees |
| Wisconsin | $7.25 | State rate equals federal |
| Wyoming | $7.25 | State rate of $5.15 is overridden by federal law for most workers |
Rates current as of July 4, 2026. Minimum wage laws change frequently — always confirm against your state labor department before setting pay rates.
The Federal Baseline and Which Law Wins
The federal minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has been $7.25 per hour since July 2009 — the longest stretch without an increase since the law was enacted. States are free to set higher rates, and most have.
The hierarchy is simple:
- Federal $7.25 is the floor for nearly all employees covered by the FLSA
- State rates apply when higher than federal
- Local rates (city or county) apply when higher than the state rate
An employer in Chicago pays the Chicago rate, not the Illinois rate. An employer in upstate New York pays $16.00 while a competitor in NYC pays $17.00. If you have remote hourly employees, the rate that applies is generally where the employee works, not where the company is based.
20 States Still at $7.25
Twenty states use the federal minimum: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Within that group, five states — Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee — have no state minimum wage law at all, and Georgia and Wyoming still have $5.15 rates on the books that federal law overrides for almost all workers.
Scheduled Increases to Watch
Already effective July 1, 2026:
- Alaska: $13.00 → $14.00
- Washington DC: $17.95 → $18.40
- Oregon: $15.05 → $15.55 (Portland metro $16.80, nonurban $14.55)
Later in 2026:
- Florida: $14.00 → $15.00 on September 30, 2026 (final step of Amendment 2)
January 1, 2027:
- Michigan: → $15.00
- Rhode Island: → $17.00
- Roughly 15 inflation-indexed states (including Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington) will announce CPI adjustments in late 2026
July 1, 2027:
- Alaska: → $15.00 (final ballot-measure step)
What This Means for Employers
Wages interact with overtime. Overtime is paid at 1.5x the employee's regular rate — which can never be below the applicable minimum wage. A minimum-wage employee in Washington state earns at least $25.70/hour for overtime. Our time and a half calculator shows the math, and our guide to overtime pay laws by state covers the state rules that go beyond the FLSA.
Multi-state teams need per-location pay logic. If you employ people in several states, your payroll must apply each employee's local rate — and update when indexed states adjust every January. Converting salaried offers to hourly equivalents? Check them against local minimums with our salary to hourly calculator.
Accurate hours are the foundation. Minimum wage compliance is measured against hours actually worked. If recorded hours are wrong, effective hourly rates can silently fall below the minimum — especially with unpaid prep time, missed breaks, or off-the-clock work. Automatic time tracking removes that risk; see our comparison of the best time tracking software if you're evaluating tools.
Check your state's full picture. Minimum wage is one piece of state labor law alongside overtime, breaks, and paid leave — our state labor law guides cover 25 states in detail.
FAQs
What is the highest minimum wage in the US?
Washington DC at $18.40/hour (as of July 1, 2026). Among states, Washington leads at $17.13, followed by Connecticut at $16.94 and California at $16.90 — and city rates in those states run higher still.
What is the lowest minimum wage by state?
The effective floor everywhere is the federal $7.25/hour, used by 20 states. Georgia and Wyoming technically have $5.15 state rates, but federal law overrides them for nearly all employees. The lowest state-set rate above federal is West Virginia at $8.75.
When did the federal minimum wage last increase?
July 24, 2009, when it rose to $7.25/hour. The 17 years since is the longest period without a federal increase since the minimum wage was created in 1938 — which is why most states have set their own higher rates.
Do tipped employees have a different minimum wage?
Yes. Federal law allows a $2.13/hour cash wage for tipped employees as long as tips bring them to $7.25, but state rules vary widely — some states require the full minimum wage before tips. Tipped minimums are a separate topic from the standard rates listed here.
Which minimum wage applies to remote employees?
Generally the rate where the employee physically works, not where the employer is located. A company in Texas with a remote hourly employee in Denver must pay Denver's minimum wage. This makes location tracking part of wage compliance for distributed teams.
