Minimum wage by state, July 2026
Rates are the basic state minimum wage as printed on the Department of Labor's consolidated table, updated July 1, 2026. "Effective floor" shows the federal $7.25 where a state has no law or a rate below the federal one, because employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay at least $7.25 regardless. The yearly column is the rate times 2,080 hours, a full-time year at 40 hours a week, before tax.
| State | State rate | Effective floor | Full-time year | Conditions noted by DOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $18.40 | $18.40 | $38,272 | |
| Washington | $17.13 | $17.13 | $35,630 | |
| New York | $17.00 | $17.00 | $35,360 | $17.00 in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester; $16.00 in the rest of the state |
| Connecticut | $16.94 | $16.94 | $35,235 | |
| California | $16.90 | $16.90 | $35,152 | |
| Hawaii | $16.00 | $16.00 | $33,280 | |
| Rhode Island | $16.00 | $16.00 | $33,280 | |
| New Jersey | $15.92 | $15.92 | $33,114 | $15.23 for employers with fewer than 6 people and for seasonal employees |
| Oregon | $15.55 | $15.55 | $32,344 | $16.80 in the Portland metro area; $14.55 in non-urban counties |
| Colorado | $15.16 | $15.16 | $31,533 | |
| Arizona | $15.15 | $15.15 | $31,512 | |
| Maine | $15.10 | $15.10 | $31,408 | |
| Delaware | $15.00 | $15.00 | $31,200 | |
| Illinois | $15.00 | $15.00 | $31,200 | employers with 4 or more employees, excluding family members |
| Maryland | $15.00 | $15.00 | $31,200 | |
| Massachusetts | $15.00 | $15.00 | $31,200 | |
| Missouri | $15.00 | $15.00 | $31,200 | |
| Nebraska | $15.00 | $15.00 | $31,200 | employers with 4 or more employees |
| Vermont | $14.42 | $14.42 | $29,994 | employers with 2 or more employees |
| Alaska | $14.00 | $14.00 | $29,120 | |
| Florida | $14.00 | $14.00 | $29,120 | |
| Michigan | $13.73 | $13.73 | $28,558 | employers with 2 or more employees |
| Virginia | $12.77 | $12.77 | $26,562 | |
| Nevada | $12.00 | $12.00 | $24,960 | |
| New Mexico | $12.00 | $12.00 | $24,960 | |
| South Dakota | $11.85 | $11.85 | $24,648 | |
| Minnesota | $11.41 | $11.41 | $23,733 | |
| Arkansas | $11.00 | $11.00 | $22,880 | employers with 4 or more employees |
| Ohio | $11.00 | $11.00 | $22,880 | employers with gross receipts of $405,000 or more; $7.25 below that |
| Montana | $10.85 | $10.85 | $22,568 | businesses with gross annual sales over $110,000; $4.00 for businesses not covered by the FLSA with sales of $110,000 or less |
| West Virginia | $8.75 | $8.75 | $18,200 | employers with 6 or more employees at one location |
| Alabama | no state law | $7.25 | $15,080 | no state law; FLSA-covered employers pay the federal $7.25 |
| Georgia | $5.15 | $7.25 | $15,080 | employers with 6 or more employees; FLSA-covered employers pay $7.25 |
| Idaho | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | |
| Indiana | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | employers with 2 or more employees |
| Iowa | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | |
| Kansas | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | |
| Kentucky | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | |
| Louisiana | no state law | $7.25 | $15,080 | no state law; FLSA-covered employers pay the federal $7.25 |
| Mississippi | no state law | $7.25 | $15,080 | no state law; FLSA-covered employers pay the federal $7.25 |
| New Hampshire | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | |
| North Carolina | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | |
| North Dakota | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | |
| Oklahoma | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | employers with 10 or more full-time employees at one location or sales over $100,000; $2.00 for all others |
| Pennsylvania | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | |
| South Carolina | no state law | $7.25 | $15,080 | no state law; FLSA-covered employers pay the federal $7.25 |
| Tennessee | no state law | $7.25 | $15,080 | no state law; FLSA-covered employers pay the federal $7.25 |
| Texas | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | adopts the federal rate by reference |
| Utah | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | |
| Wisconsin | $7.25 | $7.25 | $15,080 | |
| Wyoming | $5.15 | $7.25 | $15,080 | FLSA-covered employers pay $7.25 |
18 of the 51 jurisdictions have a floor of $15 or more; 20 sit at the federal $7.25. At the top, District of Columbia at $18.40 is 2.5 times the federal rate, a difference of $23,192 a year for a full-time worker. The salary converter turns any hourly rate into weekly, monthly and yearly pay for other hours, and the paycheck calculator shows what a minimum-wage paycheck looks like after federal and state tax in each state.
The federal rate and how it meets state law
The Department of Labor lists the federal minimum wage as $7.25 per hour, effective July 24, 2009, for employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. States are free to set their own, and the Department's rule for the overlap is short: some state laws provide greater employee protections, and employers must comply with both. Complying with both means paying whichever rate is higher. Five states, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, have no minimum wage law, so FLSA-covered employers there pay the federal rate; Georgia and Wyoming have a state rate of $5.15 that applies only to the narrow set of employers the FLSA does not reach.
Below the state level the Department adds one more layer: some local governments set minimum wage rates higher than their respective state minimum wage. The table shows the regional splits the Department itself prints, such as New York City against the rest of New York and the Portland metro area against the rest of Oregon, but city ordinances beyond those are not in it.
Tipped employees
Federal law treats tips as part of the wage. Fact Sheet #15 defines a tipped employee as one who customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips, and lets the employer pay a direct cash wage of at least $2.13 an hour, claiming a tip credit of at most $5.12 an hour toward the $7.25 minimum. The guarantee is in the arithmetic: if the cash wage plus tips do not reach the federal minimum in a workweek, the employer must make up the difference. States set their own tipped wages, and several require the full state minimum in cash; the Department's state pages carry those rules.
Workers under 20
Fact Sheet #32 allows a youth minimum wage of not less than $4.25 an hour for employees under 20 years of age during the first 90 consecutive calendar days after initial employment. On and after the 20th birthday the pay must be raised to the applicable minimum wage, and the 90 days are calendar days, not days worked. Where a state has no youth rate, the state minimum applies from the first day.
What the rate means per paycheck
A minimum wage is an hourly figure, and the week decides the rest. At the federal rate a 40-hour week is $290 before tax and a 2,080-hour year $15,080; at $15 the same week is $600 and the year $31,200. Hours over 40 in a workweek are paid at one and one-half times the regular rate for non-exempt employees, which the overtime pay calculator adds up from a time card; the guide exempt vs non-exempt employees covers who is owed it. For self-employed work there is no minimum wage at all, which is one reason the hourly rate calculator starts from the income you need rather than from any floor.
When the numbers change
Many states adjust their rate every January, some in July, and a number index it to inflation, so the table above is a snapshot of the Department's page as of July 1, 2026. Before relying on a figure for payroll or a job offer, check the state's own labor department page for the current rate, the employer-size thresholds and any local ordinance, and the Department of Labor table for the federal picture. This guide reports the published rates and is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the federal minimum wage in 2026?
$7.25 per hour, the rate the Department of Labor lists as effective since July 24, 2009. It applies to employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Where a state sets a higher rate, employers must comply with both laws, which in practice means paying the state rate.
Which state has the highest minimum wage?
On the Department of Labor's table updated July 1, 2026, the District of Columbia is highest at $18.40, followed by Washington at $17.13 and New York City and its suburbs at $17.00. Several cities set rates above their state's; the Department notes that some local governments set minimum wage rates higher than their respective state minimum wage.
Which states still pay $7.25?
20 states and the District count the federal $7.25 as the effective floor for most workers: states whose own rate is $7.25, states such as Georgia and Wyoming whose state rate of $5.15 is below the federal rate so FLSA-covered employers pay $7.25, and the five states with no minimum wage law at all, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee.
What is the minimum wage for tipped employees?
Under federal law an employer may pay a tipped employee, one who customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips, a cash wage of at least $2.13 an hour and count up to $5.12 an hour of tips toward the $7.25 minimum. If cash wage plus tips fall short of the minimum in a workweek, the employer must make up the difference. Many states set a higher cash wage or allow no tip credit; those rules are on the state pages, not in the table here.
Is there a lower minimum wage for teenagers?
Federal law allows a youth minimum wage of not less than $4.25 an hour for employees under 20 during the first 90 consecutive calendar days after they are first employed. On and after the 20th birthday, and after the 90 days, the full applicable minimum wage applies. State law may not allow it.
Sources
- US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: State minimum wage laws, consolidated table (updated July 1, 2026; rates, employer-size conditions, states with no minimum wage law, the note on local rates)
- US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: Minimum wage (the federal $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009; employers must comply with both federal and state law)
- US Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #15: Tipped employees under the FLSA ($2.13 cash wage, $5.12 maximum tip credit, more than $30 a month in tips, the employer makes up any shortfall)
- US Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #32: Youth minimum wage ($4.25 for employees under 20 during the first 90 consecutive calendar days)