US Minimum Wage 2026: Every State Rate vs Federal $7.25

The federal minimum wage entered 2026 the same way it entered 2025, 2020, and 2010 — at $7.25 per hour. Congress last raised it in July 2009. Since then inflation has eroded its real value by about 30%, and 30 states plus DC have stepped in with their own higher floors.

California enters 2026 at $16.50/hour for all employers, with fast-food workers at $20 under AB 1228 and healthcare workers phased up to $25 by 2027. Washington ($16.66), New York state ($16.50 downstate, $15.50 upstate), Connecticut ($16.35), and New Jersey ($15.49) round out the top tier. Colorado, Maine, and Rhode Island sit just above $15, and Florida reached $14 on its voter-approved path to $15 by 2026.

A second cluster — Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware, Oregon, Hawaii, DC, Arizona — sits in the $14–17.50 range, with DC ($17.50) now the highest jurisdiction in the country. Cities often go higher still: Seattle ($20.76), Denver ($18.81), and West Hollywood ($19.65 or $20.15) show what a municipal floor looks like when state law permits preemption exceptions.

Twenty states still peg to the federal $7.25, mostly in the South and Midwest: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and several others. In these states, a full-time minimum-wage worker earns about $15,080/year before tax — below the federal poverty line for a family of two.

The tipped minimum wage adds another layer. Federal tipped minimum is $2.13/hour, with employers required to make up the difference if tips don't bring a worker to $7.25. Seven states (Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington) require full state minimum wage before tips; the rest use a tipped subminimum.

For a live global comparison including US state data, see our minimum wage dashboard.