Minimum wage by state: 2026 rates, map and 2027 increases

Minimum wage map: every state in 2026

Download state minimum wages (CSV)

Federal minimum

$7.25since July 24, 2009

Highest state rate

$17.13Washington (DC is $18.40)

Above federal

30 statesplus DC

2027 increases

14 statesannounced as of Oct 18, 2026

The map shades each state by the rate in effect on October 18, 2026. New York's tile shows its $17.00 downstate rate and Oregon's shows its $15.55 standard rate (Portland metro is $16.80). Select a state for its tipped wage, exemptions and 2027 rate. The CSV holds every state with the official source link and the date we checked it.

Minimum wage by state, 2026 table

All 50 states and DC: the 2026 rate, the tipped cash wage and any 2027 rate already announced. State names link to each state minimum wage page.

Many rates come with conditions. Ohio's $11.00 applies to employers with gross receipts of $405,000 or more. Illinois, Arkansas and Nebraska rates apply at 4 or more employees. Missouri's $15.00 excludes retail and service businesses under $500,000 in gross sales. Montana's $10.85 applies to businesses over $110,000 in gross sales. West Virginia's $8.75 applies to employers with 6 or more employees at one location.

Highest minimum wage by state

Washington has the highest state minimum wage in 2026 at $17.13 an hour. The District of Columbia is higher at $18.40 from July 1, 2026, but it is not a state. Ranked by the highest rate each state sets in state law (city ordinances such as Denver's are not counted):

Maine ($15.10) is 11th. Seven more states pay $15.00: Delaware, Florida (from September 30, 2026), Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri and Nebraska.

Lowest minimum wage by state

Twenty states pay the federal $7.25 in 2026: 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.

• No state minimum wage law: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Federal law applies.
• State rate below federal: Georgia and Wyoming set $5.15, but any employer covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act pays $7.25. Oklahoma sets $2.00 for small employers the FLSA does not cover.
• State law matches $7.25: the other 13.

The lowest rates above the federal floor:

For the federal rules behind the $7.25, including the youth wage and who is covered, see our federal minimum wage guide.

Minimum wage 2027: states with increases announced

Fourteen states have announced a 2027 minimum wage as of October 18, 2026. Washington will be highest at $17.73. Most changes take effect January 1, 2027, so the new rate applies to hours worked from that date.

• No increase: New York stays at $17.00 and $16.00 on January 1, 2027 because its inflation off-ramp was triggered (home care aides rise to $20.00 and $19.00). Florida stays at $15.00 after its September 30, 2026 step.
• Not yet set: Oregon and DC adjust by CPI on July 1, 2027.
• Not confirmed: we could not find 2027 figures on official pages for Maine, Nebraska or Vermont.
• Tipped and local 2027 rates announced: New Jersey tipped cash wage $6.61, Ohio $5.70, South Dakota $6.15, Colorado $12.69; Denver $19.84.

Tipped minimum wage by state

The federal tipped minimum wage is $2.13 an hour. Employers may count up to $5.12 of tips toward the $7.25 minimum if the employee regularly gets more than $30 a month in tips and wages plus tips reach $7.25 (DOL tipped table, July 1, 2026). States can require more.

• No tip credit (7 states): Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Tipped workers get the full state minimum before tips.
• Federal $2.13 (16 states): Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.
• Everyone else: a cash wage between those, shown below.

States also define who counts as tipped: Pennsylvania uses more than $135 a month in tips, Maine more than $191 and Vermont more than $120. Restaurant owners can see how payroll tools handle tip credits and tip pooling in our restaurant payroll software comparison.

City and county minimum wages

Many cities and counties set rates above their state. You pay the highest rate that applies where the work is done. These are the local rates we confirmed on official city, county or state pages, highest first. The top verified local rate is Burien, Washington at $21.78 for large employers; Seattle is $21.30 for all employers.

Download city and county minimum wages (CSV)

Not yet confirmed on an official page: Chicago, Cook County, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley and most other Bay Area cities, Santa Fe (city and county), Flagstaff, Tucson and Portland, Maine. We list only rates we read on the government page and will add these when we do. Local payroll taxes are a separate issue, covered on pages such as Denver payroll taxes and San Francisco payroll taxes.

Federal minimum wage history since 1938

The federal minimum wage started at $0.25 an hour on October 24, 1938 and has changed 22 times since. The last increase, to $7.25, took effect July 24, 2009. More than 17 years without a raise is the longest stretch in the law's history; the previous longest ran from September 1, 1997 to July 24, 2007.

From 1961 to 1977, workers brought under the law by the 1961 and 1966 amendments (retail, service, farm and some public employees) had lower rates that caught up in steps; the DOL chart lists those separately. A youth wage of $4.25 an hour applies to employees under 20 in their first 90 consecutive days with an employer. Figures are not adjusted for inflation.

What a minimum wage hire costs the employer

A full-time employee works about 2,080 hours a year. At the federal $7.25 that is $15,080 in wages; at California's $16.90 it is $35,152; at Washington's $17.13 it is $35,630.40. Employer payroll taxes come on top.

Run your own numbers, with benefits and workers comp, in the employee cost calculator. For the federal tax rates themselves, see 2026 payroll tax rates.

Common minimum wage mistakes

1. Missing the January 1 change. Fourteen states have 2027 rates announced, and payroll software does not change an employee's hourly rate for you.
2. Using the state rate in a city with its own rate. A Denver employee costs at least $19.29 an hour, not Colorado's $15.16. A Seattle employee costs $21.30, not $17.13.
3. Taking a tip credit where none is allowed. Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington require the full minimum before tips.
4. Forgetting mid-year changes. Florida moved on September 30, 2026. Oregon, DC, Los Angeles and the Maryland counties move on July 1, and Alaska moves on July 1, 2027.
5. Leaving exempt salaries below a new state floor. California's exempt floor follows its minimum wage up each year, to $72,384 in 2027.

A good payroll provider flags rate changes by work location. Our best payroll software ranking and payroll compliance guide cover what to check.

Use this data

For a single state's figure, the state labor department linked in the CSV is the primary source; we update this page when a state announces a change.

Change log

• October 18, 2026: Rebuilt as a state minimum wage tracker at a new address. Added the state map, CSV downloads for state and local rates, ranked highest and lowest tables, a full tipped wage table, the federal minimum wage history since 1938 (from the DOL chart), 21 verified city and county rates, and Colorado's $15.71 rate for 2027 (now 14 states with 2027 increases).
• October 16, 2026: All state 2026 rates, tipped cash wages and announced 2027 rates checked against state labor departments and the DOL state and tipped tables.