Have Questions?
Let's See If You Have a Case...
Are You Getting Paid What You Deserve?
Minimum Wage Rates for 2026 Listed by State
Fair labor laws across America mandates the minimum wage for work by covered and non-exempt employees.
State laws supplement the federal minimum wage for covered employees currently set at $7.25 per hour which is found in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Employees are entitled to the higher of the two minimum earning rates when both State & Federal hourly rates apply.
The list below is of minimum wage rates for each state effective as of 2026.
In States which do not regulate a minimum wage the Federal minimum rate is used.
Employers are required to pay workers the mandated rates for hourly work.
Workplace regulations include several exemptions, coverage rules, and rate adjustments, reviewed below.
| State | Effective Wage |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $7.25 (Federal Minimum Wage, no state minimum) |
| Alaska | $10.85 (Annual indexing has begun) |
| Arizona | $13.85 |
| Arkansas | $11 |
| California | $15.50 |
| Colorado | $13.65 |
| Connecticut | $14 |
| Deleware | $11.75 (effective 8/1/23) |
| District of Columbia (DC) | $16.50 |
| Florida | $11.00 Effective Sep 30, 2023 (Tipped & Non-Tipped Employees), Maximum Tip Credit $3.02, Minimum Cash Wage $7.98 |
| Georgia | $7.25 if not covered by Federal Regulations otherwise $7.25 (Federal Minimum Wage) |
| Hawaii | $12.00 |
| Idaho | $7.25 |
| Illinois | $13 |
| Indiana | $7.25 |
| Iowa | $7.25 |
| Kansas | $7.25 |
| Kentucky | $7.25 |
| Louisiana | $7.25 (Federal Minimum Wage, no state stipulated minimum) |
| Maine | $13.8 (11.00 to $12.00 in $1.00 annual Increases between 1/1/2019 to 1/1/2020) (Indexed annual increases began 1/1/2021) |
| Maryland | $13.25 |
| Massachusetts | $15.00 |
| Michigan | $10.10 |
| Minnesota | $10.59 |
| Mississippi | $7.25 (Federal Minimum Wage, no state minimum) |
| Missouri | $12.00 |
| Montana | $9.95 ($4.00 for businesses with gross annual sales of $110,000 or less) (Annual indexing has begun) |
| Nebraska | $10.50 |
| Nevada | $0.50 Nevada’s minimum wage is set at $1.00 above the federal minimum wage for firms not providing health insurance. |
| New Hampshire | $7.25 |
| New Jersey | $14.13 - Annual Indexing |
| New Mexico | $12.00 |
| New York | $14.20 (Starting 1/1/2021, the rate will be adjusted annually for inflation to $15 an hour) |
| North Carolina | $7.25 |
| North Dakota | $7.25 |
| Ohio | $10.10 |
| Oklahoma | $7.25 |
| Oregon | $13.50 |
| Pennsylvania | $7.25 |
| Puerto Rico | $8.50 |
| Rhode Island | $13.00 |
| South Carolina | $7.25 (Federal Minimum Wage, no state minimum) |
| South Dakota | $10.80 - Annual Indexing |
| Tennessee | $7.25 (Federal Minimum Wage, no state minimum) |
| Texas | $7.25 |
| Utah | $7.25 |
| Vermont | $13.18 - Annual indexing began 1/1/2019 |
| Virginia | $12.00/hour |
| Washington | $15.74/wagehour |
| West Virginia | $8.75 |
| Wisconsin | $7.25 |
| Wyoming | $7.25 - $5.15 if federal regulations do not apply |
Exemptions
These are the rules governing minimum pay rates for work, as they are subject to several of exceptions.
Covered Employees: According to the DOL, "All employees of certain enterprises having workers engaged in interstate commerce, producing goods for interstate commerce, or handling, selling, or otherwise working on goods or materials that have been moved in or produced for such commerce by any person, are covered by the FLSA." However, even if your employer doesn't meet FLSA requirements, you still may be covered. Tipped employee coverage generally requires the minimum hourly wage combined with tips to meet the minimums of the provision.
Exempt Employees: A number of "white collar" employees are considered exempt from minimum wage laws - though it's the duties you perform not your job title which determines whether or not you are exempt. Exemptions for employees, farm workers, or public sector employees, as defined by both federal and state laws apply. The duties test may apply when determining exemptions and coverage by job.
Enforcement is the responsibility of the U.S. Dept. of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Workers who believe they are owed wages following illegal underpayment have a right to file a claim. Though not required to file a complaint, lawyers for employees can help you with a wage and hour claim if your pay situation did, in fact, violate the laws.
Know your rights! But get qualified legal representation if you face a legal problem of your own.
How to Calculate Overtime Pay
Here's how you calculate your overtime pay.
First, determine the "regular rate" is determined by taking the total amount you were paid for the week and dividing that by the actual number of hours worked. To calculate your regular rate:
Presented as an equation it might look like:
((Straight Time Pay) / (Total Hours Worked) = Regular Rate
Your "Straight time pay" refers to the amount you earned before the additional overtime time-and-a-half pay. The "hours worked" includes all time the employee was required to be on the employer's premises or any other prescribed workplace.
Presented as an equation it might look like:
((Regular Rate) x (.5 Multiplier) x (Overtime Hours Worked)) + Straight Time Pay = Total Pay Including Overtime
To calculate the overtime pay you multiply the regular rate x 0.5 for hours worked over 40. Covered non-exempt employees are entitled to time-and-a-half for all hours worked over 40 hours in their fixed and regularly recurring period 168 workweek or seven consecutive 24-hour periods.
State vs Federal Minimum Wage
State vs. Federal Requirements: Employers are required to pay whichever rate is of the greatest benefit to the worker. State minimum wage laws cannot exempt employers from Federal coverage requirements. When in doubt about the wage laws specific to your State, seek qualified legal counsel. Minimum wage pay requirements do NOT apply to exempt employees, farm workers, or public sector employees, as defined by BOTH federal and state laws.
Intended as a safeguard for laborers and workers, the 1938's Fair Labor Standards Act began the practice of establishing a set minimum base standard pay rate to protect the well-being and health of workers. People working for employers on an hourly basis, determined to be covered employees, have a right to the minimum earning rate established by the provision. In situations where State laws exist, they higher pay rate applies.
The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division is empowered to investigate alleged violations of the wage laws can compel employer records be provided and force witness participation in an effort to enforce the provisions. Victims have the option of filing suit for civil damages in some situations, and criminal and monetary fines are a possibility for employers who willfully violated the statutes. Depending on the circumstances, civil claims seeking to recover unpaid wages may be able to recover attorney's fees, liquidated damages in the amount of unpaid wages and wages owed under the FLSA.
When employers fail to pay workers what they are legally entitled, knowing or unknowingly, it amounts to wage theft.
Wage Theft: Getting Paid What You Are Legally Entitled
Recently reported statistics from the Department of Labor show in 2008 there was a total of $140.2 million paid out to over 197,000 employees as the result of employer FLSA violations (DOL). Some of the hour and wage violations reported include:
- Requiring employees to work off the clock
- Calculating hours as an average over two work weeks
- Claiming that the employee is not eligible for overtime pay because they did not obtain permission to work the extra hours
- Failing to pay workers for meetings, training sessions, on call time, take home work, and breaks lasting between 5 and 20 minutes
- Misclassification of employees as exempt from overtime
- Paying "comp" time instead of overtime
Employer wage theft is a massive problem across the United States accounting for millions of dollars in entitled earnings annually.
In some cases, employers are simply ignorant of required compensation obligations to those in their employ. Others are taking willful action to avoid paying employees what they are owed. When they illegally avoid paying what people are entitled for their work it constitutes wage theft - they are knowingly or unknowingly stealing from their workers.
When an worker punches out after a full day of work, puts in the long hours required at their work - they have a reasonable expectation to their paycheck.