Minimum Wage by State Guide for 2024

The legally mandated hourly wage rate that employers are required to pay their employees for their labor is usually referred to as minimum wage.

Your minimum wage per hour will depend on the state you work in.

Certain US states have no state-based minimum wage regulations, and follow the federal minimum wage rate instead.

On the other hand, some states have their own minimum wage rates.

If this sounds a bit confusing, don’t worry — our comprehensive guide on minimum wage by state will help you understand and track relevant minimum wage regulations.

*Note: The information regarding minimum wage laws and regulations in the US has been checked and updated for 2024.

Table of Contents

What is minimum wage?

The minimum wage represents the lowest reimbursement an employer is required to pay to their covered nonexempt employees. No such employer can propose a wage lower than the federal minimum or the minimum prescribed by state law (whichever applies).

In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes various labor regulations, including the minimum wage rules. The act establishes a federal minimum wage rate which sits at $7.25 per hour. This rate applies to the employees under the FLSA coverage.

For states who have their own minimum wage regulations and rates that differ from the federal one, the minimum wage rate that will apply depends on:

Whether an employee is covered by the FLSA, and
Whether the state minimum wage rate is higher or lower than the federal minimum wage.

Minimum wage by states

Minimum wage rates differ from state to state.

The following table contains past and current changes to the minimum wages, as well as the dates they came into effect.

State	2022 Minimum wage	2023 Minimum wage	2024 Minimum wage
Alabama	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Alaska	$10.34 Jan 1, 2021	$10.85 Jan 1, 2023	$11.73 Jan 1, 2024
Arizona	$12.80 Jan 1, 2022	$13.85 Jan 1, 2023	$14.35 Jan 1, 2024
Arkansas	$11.00 Jan 1, 2021	$11.00 Jan 1, 2021	$11.00 Jan 1, 2024
California	$14.00 Jan 1, 2022	$15.50 Jan 1, 2023	$16.00 Jan 1, 2024
Colorado	$12.56 Jan 1, 2022	$13.65 Jan 1, 2023	$14.42 Jan 1, 2024
Connecticut	$14.00 July 1, 2021	$14.00, $15.00 from June 1, 2023	$15.69 Jan 1, 2024
Delaware	$10.50 Jan 1, 2022	$11.75 Jan 1, 2023	$13.25 Jan 1, 2024
District of Columbia	$16.10 July 1, 2022	$16.50 Jan 1, 2023	$17.00 July 1, 2024
Florida	$11.00 Sep 30, 2022	$11.00, $12.00 from Sep 30, 2023	$12.00, $13.00 from Sep 30, 2024
Georgia	$5.15 (except for employees covered by the FLSA that are entitled to federal minimum wage of $7.25) Jan 1, 2002	$5.15 (except for employees covered by the FLSA that are entitled to federal minimum wage of $7.25) Jan 1, 2002	$5.15 (except for employees covered by the FLSA that are entitled to federal minimum wage of $7.25) Jan 1, 2002
Hawaii	$12.00 Oct 1, 2022	$12.00 Oct 1, 2022	$14.00 Jan 1, 2024
Idaho	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Illinois	$12.00 Jan 1, 2022	$13.00 Jan 1, 2023	$14.00 Jan 1, 2024
Indiana	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Iowa	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Kansas	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Kentucky	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Louisiana	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Maine	$12.75 Jan 1, 2022	$13.80 Jan 1, 2023	$14.15 Jan 1, 2024
Maryland	$12.50 Jan 1, 2022	$13.25 Jan 1, 2023	$15.00 Jan 1, 2024
Massachusetts	$14.25 Jan 1, 2022	$15.00 Jan 1, 2023	$15.00 Jan 1, 2024
Michigan	$9.87 Jan 1, 2022	$10.10 Jan 1, 2023	$10.33 Jan 1, 2024
Minnesota	$10.33, $8.42 (for small employers) Jan 1, 2022	$10.59, $8.63 (for small employers) Jan 1, 2023	$10.85, $8.85 (for small employers with annual profit of less than $500,000) Jan 1, 2024
Mississippi	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Missouri	$11.15 Jan 1, 2022	$12.00 Jan 1, 2023	$12.30 Jan 1, 2024
Montana	$9.20, $4.00 (for not FLSA covered businesses) Jan 1, 2022	$9.95, $4.00 (for not FLSA covered businesses) Jan 1, 2023	$10.30, $4.00 (for businesses not covered by the FLSA and with gross annual sales of $110,000 or less) Jan 1, 2024
Nebraska	$9.00 Jan 1, 2016	$10.50 Jan 1, 2023	$12.00 (applicable to employers of 4 or more employees) Jan 1, 2024
Nevada	$9.50 (employees with health insurance), $10.5 (employees without health insurance) July 1, 2022	$10.25 (employees with health insurance), $11.25 (employees without health insurance) from July 1, 2023	$10.25 (employees with health insurance), $11.25 (employees without health insurance), $12.00 for all employees from July 1, 2024
New Hampshire	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
New Jersey	$13.00, $11.90 (seasonal and small employers) Jan 1, 2022	$14.13, $12.93 (seasonal and small employers) Jan 1, 2023	$15.13, $13.73 (seasonal and small employers with less than 6 employees) Jan 1, 2024
New Mexico	$11.50 Jan 1, 2022	$12.00 Jan 1, 2023	$12.00 Jan 1, 2024
New York	$13.20 Dec 31, 2021	$14.20 Dec 31, 2022	$16.00 Jan 1, 2024
North Carolina	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
North Dakota	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Ohio	$9.30 (large businesses — gross $372,000), $7.25 for others Jan 1, 2022	$10.10(large businesses — gross $372,000), $7.25 for others Jan 1, 2023	$10.45 (for large businesses with gross receipts of $385,000 or more per year), $7.25 for others Jan 1, 2024
Oklahoma	$7.25 (employers of 10 or more employees, gross sales over $100,000, $2 (others) July 24, 2009	$7.25 (employers of 10 or more employees, gross sales over $100,000), $2 (others) July 24, 2009	$7.25 (employers of 10 or more employees, with gross sales over $100,000 per year); $2.00 (for other employees except for those covered by the FLSA) July 24, 2009
Oregon	$13.50 July 1, 2022	$13.50 July 1, 2022	$14.20 July 1, 2024
Pennsylvania	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Rhode Island	$12.25 Jan 1, 2022	$13.00 Jan 1, 2023	$14.00 Jan 1, 2024
South Carolina	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
South Dakota	$9.95 Jan 1, 2022	$10.80 Jan 1, 2023	$11.20 Jan 1, 2024
Tennessee	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Texas	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Utah	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Vermont	$12.55 Jan 1, 2022	$13.18 Jan 1, 2023	$13.67 (applies to employers with 2 or more employees) Jan 1, 2024
Virginia	$11.00 Jan 1, 2022	$12.00 Jan 1, 2023–Jan 1, 2025	$12.00 Jan 1, 2023–Jan 1, 2025
Washington	$14.49 Jan 1, 2022	$15.74 Jan 1, 2023	$16.28 Jan 1, 2024
West Virginia	$8.75 Jan 1, 2016	$8.75 Jan 1, 2016	$8.75 (applies to employers with 6 or more employees at one location) Jan 1, 2016
Wisconsin	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)	No state minimum wage (federal minimum wage applies — $7.25, July 24, 2009)
Wyoming	$5.15 Jan 1, 2002 (federal minimum wage applies unless exempt)	$5.15 Jan 1, 2002 (federal minimum wage applies unless exempt)	$5.15 Jan 1, 2002 ($7.25 for those covered by the FLSA)

Minimum wage in US territories

Aside from the states, the United States also has territories in the Caribbean and US-Affiliated Pacific Islands.

The table below shows minimum wage regulations for permanently inhabited US territories.

State	2022 Minimum wage	2023 Minimum wage	*2024 Minimum wage
American Samoa	$4.98–$6.39 depending on the industry Sep 30, 2018	$4.98–$6.39 depending on the industry Sep 30, 2018	$4.98–$6.39 depending on the industry Sep 30, 2018
Guam	$9.25 Sep 1, 2021	$9.25 Sep 1, 2021	$9.25 Sep 1, 2021
Northern Mariana Islands	$7.25 Sep 30, 2018	$7.25 Sep 30, 2018	$7.25 Sep 30, 2018
Puerto Rico	$8.5 Jan 1, 2022 (except for agricultural employees and municipality employees)	$8.50–$9.50 from July 1, 2023 (except for agricultural employees and municipality employees)	$9.50–$10.50 from July 1, 2024 (except for agricultural employees and municipality employees)
Virgin Islands	$10.5 Jun 1, 2018	$10.5 Jun 1, 2018	$10.50 Jun 1, 2018

Minimum wage in US counties and cities

Cities and counties in certain states have their own minimum wage ordinances, allowing them to regulate local minimum wage rates. The following table provides more information on local minimum wage regulations.

State	Counties with own minimum wages	Cities with own minimum wages — 2024
Arizona	/	Flagstaff $17.40, Tucson $14.35
California	Los Angeles County unincorporated $16.90, July 1, 2023 / June 30, 2024; San Mateo County $17.06, Jan 1, 2024	*Listed in a separate table, below.
Colorado	/	Denver $18.29 Jan 1, 2024
Illinois	Cook County $14 from Jan 1, 2024	Chicago $15.80 for businesses with 21 or more employees; $15.00 for businesses with 4 to 20 employees, July 1, 2023
Maine	/	City of Portland $15.00 Jan 1, 2024; City of Rockland $15.00 Jan 1, 2024
Maryland	Howard County $15.00 Jan 1, 2024; Montgomery County $15.00 Jan 1, 2024	/
Minnesota	/	City of Minneapolis $15.57 for businesses over 100 employees, smaller businesses will reach $15.57 on July 1, 2024; City of Saint Paul $15.57 for businesses over 100 employees, $14 for smaller businesses, $12.25 for micro businesses July 1, 2024
New Mexico	Santa Fe County, subject inflationary adjustment on March 1 each year ($14.03 until March 1, 2024)	/
New York	Long Island and Westchester $16.00; Remainder of New York State 15.00 Jan 1, 2024	New York City $16.00 Jan 1, 2024
Oregon	Non-urban counties $13.20 (Baker, Coos, Crook, Curry, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, and Wheeler Counties) July 1, 2024	Portland Metro area $15.45 July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024
Washington	/	City of SeaTac $19.71 Jan 1, 2024; City of Seattle $19.97 (large employers), $17.25 (small employers) Jan 1, 2024; City of Tukwila $20.29, $18.29 for mid-sized employers, July 1, 2024

Minimum wage for California cities

Considering that California has 38 cities that have their own, local minimum wages — you can find the details in the table below.

California city	Minimum wages
Alameda	$16.52, July 1, 2023
Belmont	$17.35, Jan 1, 2024
Berkeley	$18.07, July 1, 2023
Burlingame	$17.03, Jan 1, 2024
Cupertino	$17.75, Jan 1, 2024
Daly City	$16.62, Jan 1, 2024
East Palo Alto	$17.00, Jan 1, 2024
El Cerrito	$17.92, Jan 1, 2024
Emeryville	$18.67, July 1, 2023
Foster City	$17.00, Jan 1, 2024
Fremont	$16.80, July 1, 2023
Half Moon Bay	$17.01, Jan 1, 2024
Hayward	$16.90, $16.00 for small employers, Jan 1, 2024
Los Altos	$17.75, Jan 1, 2024
Los Angeles	$16.78, July 1, 2023
Malibu	$16.90 July 1, 2023
Menlo Park	$16.70, Jan 1, 2024
Milpitas	$17.20, July 1, 2023
Mountain View	$18.75, Jan 1, 2024
Novato	$16.60, $16.04 for small employers, Jan 1, 2024
Oakland	$16.50, Jan 1, 2024
Palo Alto	$17.80, Jan 1, 2024
Pasadena	$16.93, July 1, 2023
Petaluma	$17.45, Jan 1, 2024
Redwood City	$17.70, Jan 1, 2024
Richmond	$17.20, Jan 1, 2024
San Carlos	$16.87, Jan 1, 2024
San Diego	$16.85, Jan 1, 2024
San Francisco	$18.07, July 1, 2023
San Jose	$17.55, Jan 1, 2024
San Mateo	$17.35, Jan 1, 2024
Santa Clara	$17.75, Jan 1, 2024
Santa Monica	$16.90, July 1, 2023
Santa Rosa	$17.45, Jan 1, 2024
Sonoma	$17.60, $16.56 for small employers, Jan 1, 2024
South San Francisco	$17.25, Jan 1, 2024
Sunnyvale	$18.55, Jan 1, 2024
West Hollywood	$19.08, July 1, 2024

Minimum wage by state — FAQ

Have you ever wondered what state has the lowest minimum wage or what cities offer the highest minimum wage rates?

Well, the following list of top 14 burning questions about minimum wage will for sure have info you wondered about!

1. What is the history of the minimum wage?

The minimum wage first became a major discussion in the United States after “sweatshops” started opening throughout the country. These sweatshops forced employees to work in extremely poor conditions, with no breaks, and minimum pay.

So, at the beginning of the 1900s, several states adopted minimum wages in an attempt to regulate the issue of low pay. In many of them, wage rules covered women and children. However, in 1923, the US Supreme Court ruled against state minimum wages and found them to be unconstitutional.

The first attempt to introduce minimum wages on the federal level was the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This act was also later found unconstitutional.

Finally, President Roosevelt’s attempts came to fruition with the passing of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Fair Labor Standards Act set various labor regulations including the federal minimum wage. In 1938, the minimum wage sat at $0.25.

Today, the US federal minimum wage sits at $7.25 per hour — and it has been that way since the 24th of July 2009. This change was a result of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 which proposed a gradual increase in the minimum wage.

At the moment, no official measure on the minimum wage increase has been decided or enforced.

2. Who gets paid the minimum wage? (and who doesn’t)

As explained earlier, all covered nonexempt employees in the US are entitled to a wage not less than $7.25 per hour.

However, certain employee groups — also referred to as exempt employees — are not entitled to the minimum hourly wage. Such exempt workers include:

Executive, administrative, learned, and creative professionals who are paid on a salary basis and earn not less than $684 per week,
Computer employees who earn $684 per week or at least $27.63 per hour,
Highly compensated employees who earn $107,432 or more a year,
Farm, seasonal, and recreational workers,
Employees with disabilities,
Minors and young workers under the age of 20 within their first 90 days of employment,
Full-time and vocational students,
Tipped employees, and others.

Note: To view the extensive list of exempt employees, take a look at the extensive list of exempt employees.

3. What are subminimum wages?

FLSA proposes different wage regulations for certain groups of workers. In the following section, you’ll learn more about the so-called subminimum wage provisions.

Some workers may be paid a wage lesser than the federal minimum — i.e. they might be paid a subminimum wage — and such workers include:

Workers with disabilities,
Full-time students who work in service, agriculture, retail, or higher education institutions, and
Student learners.

States have the authority to set their own subminimum wage rates as long as they are in accordance with the FLSA.

The following states have eliminated subminimum wage altogether:

Alaska,
California,
Colorado,
Delaware,
Hawaii,
Maine,
Maryland,
New Hampshire,
Oregon,
Rhode Island,
South Carolina,
Tennessee, and
Washington.

Some states have eliminated subminimum wages only for certain categories.

The minimum wage for workers with disabilities

A worker with a disability is one whose disability impairs their productive or earning capacity for the job they’re doing. Some disabilities may include blindness, cerebral palsy, mental illnesses, etc.

Employers who obtain a certificate from the Wage and Hour Division are allowed to pay wages lower than the federal minimum rate to employees with disabilities.

The minimum wage for young workers

Young workers is a term that applies to employees under the age of 20. During the first 90 calendar days of employment, a special minimum wage rate applies.

On the federal level, the minimum wage for youth sits at $4.25. After this period is over, young workers have to receive a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

🎓 Clockify Pro Tip

All US states differ by the minimum working ages for youth. To find out if an employer can legally employ a worker, check out the text below:

Minimum Working Age by State — 2024 Guide

The minimum wage for full-time students

FLSA specifies different rates for full-time students who wish to work in retail, service stores, agriculture, or colleges and universities.

Employers have to obtain a certificate from the Department of Labor if they wish to hire students. Once they do, they’ll have to pay full-time students at least 85% of the minimum wage.

What’s more, full-time students can’t work more than 20 hours a week during school time and 40 hours when school is not in session.

Finally, after graduation (or dropping out), full-time students are entitled to the regular minimum wage, which is $7.25 by federal regulations.

The minimum wage for student learners

Student learners present a group of workers of at least 16 years old and are part of vocational education or shop courses. To hire such workers, employers again need to obtain a certificate from the Department of Labor.

While enrolled in shop courses, student learners can’t be paid less than 75% of the minimum wage.

4. What are minimum wages for tipped employees?

This is a special category of workers who are also exempt from the minimum wage requirements. By definition, a tipped employee is a worker who regularly receives over $30 in tips per month.

Under federal law, employers who hire tipped employees have to pay them no less than $2.13 per hour in wages.

However, this regulation only applies when the wages and tips received equal the federal minimum wage when combined. If that’s not the case, employers have to make up the difference to employees.

States have the authority to change the rates for tipped workers in accordance with the FLSA.

🎓 Clockify Pro Tip

To learn more about tipped wages and regulations in each state, check out this guide:

Tipped wages by state — Guide for 2023

5. What state has the lowest minimum wage?

Two US states have minimum wage requirements lower than the federal one:

Georgia, and
Wyoming.

In both of these states, the minimum wage sits at $5.15 per hour. However, employers and employees covered by the FLSA are entitled to the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25. Furthermore, workers covered by both the state minimum wage law and FLSA are entitled to receive the federal minimum rate (since it’s a higher wage).

6. What state has the highest minimum wage?

As of 2024, these states have the highest minimum wages:

Washington — $16.28,
California — $16.00, and
Connecticut — $15.69.

7. What states are increasing their minimum wage in 2024?

Next, here are the states that increased their minimum wage in January of 2024 or are scheduled to increase it throughout the year:

Alaska — from $10.85 to $11.73,
Arizona — from $13.85 to $14.35,
California — from $15.5 to $16.00,
Colorado — from $13.65 to $14.42,
Connecticut — from $15.00 to $15.69,
Delaware — from $11.75 to $13.25,
District of Columbia — from $16.50 to $17.50,
Florida — from from $12.00 to $13.00,
Hawaii — from $12.00 to $14.00,
Illinois — from $13.00 to $14.00,
Maine — from 13.80 to $14.15,
Maryland — from $13.25 to $15.00,
Michigan — from $10.10 to $10.33,
Minnesota — from $10.59, $8.63 (for small employers) to $10.85, $8.85 (for small employers),
Missouri — from $12.00 to $12.30,
Montana — from $9.95, $4.00 (for not FLSA covered businesses) to $10.30, $4.00 (for not FLSA covered businesses),
Nebraska — from $10.5 to $12.00,
Nevada — from $10.25 (employees with health insurance), $11.25 (employees without health insurance) to $12.00 for all employees effective July 1, 2024,
New Jersey — from $14.13, $12.93 (seasonal and small employers) to $15.13, $13.73 (seasonal and small employers),
Ohio — from $10.10 (large businesses — gross $372,000), $7.25 for others to $10.45 (large businesses — gross $372,000), $7.25 for others,
Oregon — from $13.50 to $14.20,
Rhode Island — from $13.00 to $14.00,
South Dakota — from $10.80 to $11.20,
Vermont — from $13.18 to $13.67,
Virginia — from $11.00 to $12.00, and
Washington — from $15.74 to $16.28.

8. What are the states with a higher minimum wage than the federal one?

Here’s the list of the minimum wage by state for states with a rate above $7.25:

Alaska — $11.73,
Arizona — $14.35,
Arkansas — $11.00,
California — $16.00,
Colorado — $14.42,
Connecticut — $15.69,
Delaware — $13.25,
District of Columbia — $17.50,
Florida — $13.00,
Hawaii — $14.00,
Illinois — $14.00,
Maine — $14.15,
Maryland — $15.00,
Massachusetts — $15.00,
Michigan — $10.33,
Minnesota — $10.85, $8.85 (for small employers),
Missouri — $12.30,
Montana — $10.30,
Nebraska — $12.00,
Nevada — $12.00 for all employees,
New Jersey — $15.13, $13.73 (seasonal and small employers),
New Mexico — $12.00,
New York — $16.00,
Ohio — $10.45 (large businesses – gross $372,000),
Oregon — $14.20,
Rhode Island — $14.00,
South Dakota — $11.20,
Vermont — $13.67,
Virginia — $12.00,
Washington — $16.28, and
West Virginia — $8.75.

9. What states have the same minimum wage as the federal one?

Employees in 18 states have to be paid at least $7.25, which equals the federal minimum wage.

Some of these states don’t have any minimum wage requirements — hence, the federal regulations apply.

In contrast, some states have minimum wage regulations, as that allows them to adjust their rates according to price changes and the cost of living — but decided that their rates should at the moment equal the federal.

In these states, the minimum wage rate equals the federal rate of $7.25 per hour:

Alabama,
Idaho,
Indiana,
Iowa,
Kansas,
Kentucky,
Louisiana,
Mississippi,
New Hampshire,
North Carolina,
North Dakota,
Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania,
South Carolina,
Tennessee,
Texas,
Utah, and
Wisconsin.

10. Which states have lower minimum wage rates than the federal one?

If a state sets minimum wages to a number lower than the federal minimum, the federal wage rate applies to FLSA-covered employees. Only two US states have lower minimum wage rates than the federal one:

Georgia $5.15, and
Wyoming $5.15.

11. What are the states with no minimum wage rates?

When a state has no minimum wage requirements, the federal one applies instead ($7.25 per hour). These 5 states do not regulate minimum wages:

Alabama,
Louisiana,
Mississippi,
South Carolina, and
Tennessee.

12. What are the top 10 cities with the highest minimum wage?

Here are the top 10 cities with the highest minimum wages:

SeaTac, Washington — $19.71,
Tukwila, Washington — $20.29 (large employers), $18.29 (small employers),
Seattle, Washington — $19.97 (large employers), $17.25 (small employers),
West Hollywood, California — $19.08,
Emeryville, California — $18.67,
Mountain View, California — $18.75,
Sunnyvale, California — $18.55,
Denver, Colorado — $18.29,
El Cerrito, California — $17.92, and
Palo Alto, California — $17.80.

13. How many states have a $15 per hour minimum wage (or higher)?

There are 8 US states that have a minimum wage rate equal to or above $15.00 per hour:

California — $16.00,
Connecticut — $15.69,
District of Columbia — $17.50,
Maryland — $15.00,
Massachusetts — $15.00,
New Jersey — $15.13,
New York — $16.00, and
Washington — $16.28.

14. Which states have annual minimum wage adjustments?

States have different ways of regulating their minimum wages.

Some states have set rates that can be changed upon an official decision by the state legislature.

Others have scheduled yearly adjustments based on set formulas or are tied to inflation and changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI — measures price changes over time).

These are the states that regularly adjust their minimum wage rates:

Alaska,
Arizona,
California,
Colorado,
Florida,
Maine,
Minnesota,
Missouri,
Montana,
New Jersey,
Nevada,
Ohio,
Oregon,
South Dakota,
Vermont, and
Washington.

Minimum wage laws — conclusion and disclaimer

Hopefully, our comprehensive guide helped you get familiar with all of the relevant information about minimum wages in the United States. You can get more data on minimum wages for each state by following the official links we:

Provided as sources next to each state in the table, and
Used as sources in the State Labor Laws.

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Sources for the tables

Minimum Wage by State — Guide for 2024