Labor & Economy Tracker
Minimum Wage by State (2026)
The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009. What a worker actually earns depends on the state β and in 20 states, it is still exactly the federal floor. Below is a clear, sourced guide to the minimum wage in all 50 states, including which ones rise automatically with inflation.
Updated
This dataset is one of five measures in The Liberty Index, our 0β100 ranking of all 50 states on work and wage and two other domains β with the full methodology and exclusions published.
The four categories
Rates are drawn from the National Conference of State Legislatures, the standard non-partisan reference for state wage law.
- Above the Federal Floor. State law sets a minimum wage higher than $7.25, and that higher rate is what covered employers must pay.
- Matches the Federal Floor. State law sets the minimum wage at exactly $7.25, the same as the federal rate.
- Below Federal, So Federal Applies. State law sets a lower figure that federal law preempts. Covered employers still owe $7.25, but the older state number remains on the books.
- No State Minimum Wage Law. The state has never enacted a minimum wage. The federal $7.25 floor applies to covered employers by default.
The 50-state table
| State | Workers are paid | State law says | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $7.25 | no law | No State Minimum Wage Law | No state minimum wage law; the federal $7.25 floor applies to covered employers. |
| Alaska | $14.00 | $14.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $14.00, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation; rising to $15.00 on July 1, 2027. |
| Arizona | $15.15 | $15.15 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.15, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| Arkansas | $11.00 | $11.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $11.00, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| California | $16.90 | $16.90 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $16.90, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| Colorado | $15.16 | $15.16 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.16, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| Connecticut | $16.94 | $16.94 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $16.94, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Delaware | $15.00 | $15.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.00, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Florida | $14.00 | $14.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $14.00, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation; rising to $15.00 on September 30, 2026. |
| Georgia | $7.25 | $5.15 | Below Federal, So Federal Applies | State law sets $5.15, below the federal floor, so covered employers must pay $7.25. |
| Hawaii | $16.00 | $16.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $16.00, above the federal $7.25 floor; rising to $18.00 on January 1, 2028. |
| Idaho | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| Illinois | $15.00 | $15.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.00, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Indiana | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| Iowa | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| Kansas | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| Kentucky | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| Louisiana | $7.25 | no law | No State Minimum Wage Law | No state minimum wage law; the federal $7.25 floor applies to covered employers. |
| Maine | $15.10 | $15.10 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.10, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| Maryland | $15.00 | $15.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.00, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Massachusetts | $15.00 | $15.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.00, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Michigan | $13.73 | $13.73 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $13.73, above the federal $7.25 floor; rising to $14.16 on February 21, 2027. |
| Minnesota | $11.41 | $11.41 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $11.41, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Mississippi | $7.25 | no law | No State Minimum Wage Law | No state minimum wage law; the federal $7.25 floor applies to covered employers. |
| Missouri | $15.00 | $15.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.00, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Montana | $10.85 | $10.85 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $10.85, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Nebraska | $15.00 | $15.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.00, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| Nevada | $12.00 | $12.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $12.00, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| New Hampshire | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| New Jersey | $15.92 | $15.92 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.92, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| New Mexico | $12.00 | $12.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $12.00, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| New York | $16.00 | $16.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $16.00, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| North Carolina | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| North Dakota | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| Ohio | $11.00 | $11.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $11.00, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Oklahoma | $7.25 | $2.00 | Below Federal, So Federal Applies | State law sets $2.00, below the federal floor, so covered employers must pay $7.25. |
| Oregon | $15.55 | $15.55 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.55, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Pennsylvania | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| Rhode Island | $15.00 | $15.00 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $15.00, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| South Carolina | $7.25 | no law | No State Minimum Wage Law | No state minimum wage law; the federal $7.25 floor applies to covered employers. |
| South Dakota | $11.85 | $11.85 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $11.85, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| Tennessee | $7.25 | no law | No State Minimum Wage Law | No state minimum wage law; the federal $7.25 floor applies to covered employers. |
| Texas | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| Utah | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| Vermont | $14.42 | $14.42 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $14.42, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| Virginia | $12.77 | $12.77 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $12.77, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| Washington | $17.13 | $17.13 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $17.13, above the federal $7.25 floor; adjusted annually for inflation. |
| West Virginia | $8.75 | $8.75 | Above the Federal Floor | State minimum wage is $8.75, above the federal $7.25 floor. |
| Wisconsin | $7.25 | $7.25 | Matches the Federal Floor | State minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. |
| Wyoming | $7.25 | $5.15 | Below Federal, So Federal Applies | State law sets $5.15, below the federal floor, so covered employers must pay $7.25. |
No states in this category.
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"Minimum Wage by State (2026): A 50-State Guide," The Liberty Tribune, https://thelibertytribune.com/trackers/minimum-wage-by-state/ Methodology & sources
Rates follow the National Conference of State Legislatures (as of September 2026). The table separates two numbers that are often reported as one. “Workers are paid” is the effective rate a covered employee is owed. “State law says” is the figure in the state statute. For most states these match, but not all: Georgia and Wyoming still have $5.15 on the books and Oklahoma $2.00, all preempted by the federal floor for covered employers. Five states β Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee β have never enacted a minimum wage at all.
13 states now index the wage to inflation, which means their rate rises on a set date each year without any new legislation β the practical reason the gap between the highest and lowest states keeps widening. Four states have a further increase already written into law, including Florida, which steps to $15.00 on September 30, 2026. The spread today runs from the federal $7.25 floor to $17.13 in Washington.
These are the standard statewide rates for covered employees. Tipped wages, youth and training wages, and small-employer carve-outs are set separately and are not modeled here. Neither are local ordinances: New York City, the Portland metro area and many California cities require more than their state rate, so a worker's actual floor can be higher than the figure shown.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures. Compiled by The Liberty Tribune. Last verified September 22, 2026. Minimum wage is a state-law concept; the District of Columbia is not classified here. Rates change β many on January 1 β so verify a state's current rate with an official source before relying on it.