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Minimum Wage Lookup

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and has been since July 24, 2009. DOL

Employers must pay the highest minimum wage that applies, whether federal, state or local: the federal rate where it is higher, and the state rate where that is higher. DOL

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Minimum Wage Lookup

We are updating this tool for new official figures. Until then, please use the sources below.

How the Lookup Works

  • The Labor Department’s tables show state rates in effect July 1, 2026. DOL
  • After that date, they note two scheduled increases in state minimum wages: Florida’s, to $15.00 on Sept. 30, 2026, and Michigan’s, to $15.00 on Jan. 1, 2027. DOL
  • The Labor Department’s table of tipped-worker minimums was last revised July 1, 2026. DOL
  • Many states adjust their minimum wage every year by formula, most often around Jan. 1. DOL

Federal and State Rates

  • The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay covered employees at least $7.25 an hour. U.S. Code
  • The FLSA does not excuse an employer from a state law or city ordinance that sets a higher minimum wage. U.S. Code
  • Employers must pay the highest minimum wage that applies, whether federal, state or local: the federal rate where it is higher, and the state rate where that is higher. DOL
  • Employers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must pay at least $7.25, even where the state rate is lower or there is none. DOL
  • Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee have no state minimum wage law. DOL

Who the Federal Law Covers

  • The FLSA covers a worker in one of two ways: through the employer (“enterprise coverage”) or through the worker’s own job (“individual coverage”). DOL
  • The FLSA covers all employees of a business with at least two employees and $500,000 or more a year in sales, and of hospitals, residential care businesses, schools, preschools and government agencies. DOL
  • At a smaller business, a worker is still covered if the job regularly involves commerce between states, such as making calls to other states, handling interstate records or producing goods shipped out of state. DOL
  • Domestic workers such as housekeepers, full-time babysitters and cooks are normally covered. DOL
  • The federal $7.25 applies to covered workers who are not exempt. DOL

Tipped Workers

  • Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a tipped employee is one who customarily and regularly gets more than $30 a month in tips. DOL
  • Servers, bussers, bellhops, counter staff who serve customers and service bartenders work in jobs that customarily receive tips, and tips they actually get, including through a pool, count toward the tipped-employee test. DOL
  • Cooks, dishwashers and other workers in jobs that are not customarily tipped may share a tip pool only if every worker gets a cash wage of at least the federal minimum wage. DOL
  • An employer can pay a tipped employee as little as $2.13 an hour in cash and count tips toward the rest of the $7.25, a tip credit of up to $5.12. DOL
  • If tips plus the cash wage don’t reach the minimum wage in a workweek, the employer must make up the difference. DOL
  • Where state law differs from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the employer must follow whichever rule protects the employee more, such as a higher state cash wage or a ban on the tip credit. DOL
  • Some states require employers to pay tipped employees the full state minimum wage before tips. DOL
  • An employer that does not tell tipped employees about the tip credit in advance cannot take it. DOL
  • Employers, managers and supervisors may not keep any part of employees’ tips. DOL

What the State Table Leaves Out

  • Some cities and counties set minimum wages higher than the state’s, and the Labor Department’s table leaves them out. DOL
  • Some states set lower rates for minors or students, exempt them, or allow a training wage for new hires; the table leaves these out too. DOL
  • Under federal law, an employer may pay a new hire under 20 as little as $4.25 an hour for the first 90 consecutive calendar days on the job. An employer may not displace other employees to hire at that wage, including by cutting their hours, wages or benefits. The FLSA does not excuse an employer from a state law or city ordinance that sets a higher minimum wage. U.S. CodeU.S. Code
  • State laws often exempt particular occupations or industries, so a state rate may not reach every job. DOL

Where to Ask

  • The Labor Department says its tables are a summary and the state labor office has the official information; it links to each office at dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/contacts. DOL
  • The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division answers questions toll-free at 1-866-487-9243 (1-866-4USWAGE), 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in each time zone. DOL

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