2026 Minimum Wage by State: The Complete List

The federal minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour, and it hasn't budged since July 2009. That's more than sixteen years without a raise, the longest stretch in the law's history. If the federal floor had kept pace with inflation, it would be well over $10 today.

But the federal number tells you almost nothing about what workers actually earn, because 30 states plus Washington, D.C. set a higher minimum, and many cities go higher still. In 2026, where you live can mean a $10-plus swing in the legal floor for the exact same job. Here's the full picture.

The highest minimum wages in 2026

Washington, D.C. leads the country at $17.95 an hour. Right behind it: Washington State at $17.13, Connecticut at $16.94, California at $16.90 (with many cities far higher), and New York at $17.00 in the NYC, Long Island, and Westchester area and $16.00 upstate.

These aren't outliers anymore. New Jersey, Massachusetts, Arizona, Colorado, and Maryland all sit comfortably above $15. The $15 minimum, once a rallying cry, is now the baseline across a large chunk of the country. Some cities go higher still, such as Oakland at $17.34 an hour in 2026.

And remember, these are state floors. Cities like Seattle, Denver, and the California Bay Area set their own higher rates, which are covered in the city and county section below.

States still at the $7.25 federal floor

Twenty states still use the federal $7.25 minimum, including Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin, and most of the South. In these states, a full-time worker earning the minimum makes about $15,080 a year before taxes, which is below the poverty line for a family.

A few states are stranger than that. Georgia and Wyoming have a state minimum of just $5.15 on the books, but because the federal $7.25 applies to most employers, that's the rate workers actually get. Five states, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee, have no state minimum wage law at all, so the federal floor governs by default.

States that raised pay on January 1, 2026

Nineteen states raised their minimum wage on January 1, 2026, many through automatic inflation indexing. That includes big economies like California, New York, Colorado, Washington, and Arizona, plus Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, and others.

Indexing matters because it means the raise happens every year without a new law. If your state indexes to inflation, expect another bump every January.

Mid-year increases in 2026

Not every raise lands on January 1, so the rate that applied in February is not always the rate in October. Alaska went from $13.00 to $14.00 on July 1, 2026, the next step in a schedule set by a 2024 ballot measure, and it rises to $15.00 on July 1, 2027. Alaska has no tip credit, so tipped workers get the full minimum in cash.

Oregon runs three regional rates that all moved on July 1, 2026 and are indexed to inflation: $16.80 in the Portland metro area, $15.55 standard, and $14.55 in non-urban counties. The tier depends on the county where you work, not where you live. Nevada did not raise its minimum in July 2026. Sources: Alaska Department of Labor and Oregon BOLI.

Florida reached $15.00 on September 30, 2026, the last step of Amendment 2, which voters approved in 2020. The path was $10 in 2021, then $11, $12, $13 and $14 in September 2025. The tipped cash wage rose to $11.98, and employers must still top up any week where cash plus tips falls below $15.00. Florida generally bars cities from setting a higher local minimum, and from 2027 the state rate is indexed to inflation. When you review back pay, use the rate that was in effect in the week you are checking, not today's.

Minimum wage and overtime are connected

Your minimum wage doesn't just set your base pay, it sets the floor for your overtime too. Overtime is 1.5x your regular rate, and your regular rate can never be below the applicable minimum. So a higher state minimum means a higher overtime premium.

It also affects exemptions. In California, the salary threshold to be exempt from overtime is tied to the state minimum wage (2x full-time minimum), which is why it rises every year. We cover that link in exempt vs non-exempt employees.

City and county minimums

Dozens of cities and counties set minimums above their state's, and the rule is simple: whichever of the federal, state and local rates is highest is the one you are owed. If the federal rate is $7.25, the state's is $16.00 and the city's is $19.00, the floor is $19.00. Local rates are common in California, Washington, Colorado and New Mexico, and some apply only to certain industries or employer sizes.

Seattle is around $21.30 an hour in 2026 against Washington State's $17.13, and parts of the California Bay Area are above $18. Many local rates adjust on July 1 rather than January 1, so a figure you saw in January can be out of date by August. The minimum wage calculator includes city and county rates, and the city pages list them. Tipped workers still need cash plus tips to reach the highest applicable minimum, which is covered in tipped minimum wage and the tip credit.

Did your raise actually show up?

If you were at or near the old minimum on the day a new rate took effect and your hourly rate did not change, the difference is unpaid wages from that date. A worker paid $1.00 an hour below the new minimum for 400 hours is owed $400 before any overtime or penalties. Pull a stub from after the effective date, compare the rate, and if it is short use the back-pay calculator to total it.

Frequently asked questions

Which minimum wage applies to me, federal, state, or city? Whichever is highest. If your city requires $18, your state requires $16, and the feds require $7.25, you're entitled to $18. The law always favors the worker on this one.

Can my employer pay me less than minimum wage if I get tips? Only in states that allow a "tip credit," and only if your tips plus the lower cash wage add up to at least the full minimum. Seven states ban the tip credit entirely. See tipped minimum wage and tip credit.

What if I'm being paid below my state's minimum? That's a wage violation, and the unpaid difference is recoverable, often with penalties. Start by confirming the correct rate for your state and the weeks in question.

Does a higher local minimum replace the state one? Yes. You are always entitled to the highest applicable rate, so a city minimum above the state's is your legal floor and paying only the state rate underpays you.

My employer is in a $7.25 state but I work remotely in a higher-rate state. Which minimum applies? The rate where you physically work. See overtime for remote and hybrid workers.

Confirm your rate and check for shortfalls

Use the minimum wage calculator to confirm the exact 2026 rate for your state and city, then compare it against your actual pay stub. If you're tipped, hourly, or salaried, the same floor logic applies.

If you find you've been paid below the legal minimum, the back-pay calculator estimates what you're owed, and you can file a complaint with the DOL Wage and Hour Division. This is general information, not legal advice, but a quick check costs you nothing.