Wondering What the Minimum Wage is in your State? Read This



Minimum Wage 2019 -- What's the Law in Your State?

The federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 per hour. However, many states and local communities have higher minimum hourly rates for workers. In fact, 22 states raised their minimum wage rules early in 2019, surpassing the 2018 total of 18.

Minimum Wage 2019

To keep up with the rules in terms of your staff, here’s a rundown of where each state stands currently.




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Alabama

Alabama doesn’t have a state minimum wage. So businesses here must pay the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Alaska

At the beginning of 2019, Alaska raised its statewide minimum wage from $9.84 to $9.89. The state has a law that the minimum wage must be adjusted for inflation annually and stay at least $1 over the federal rate.

Arizona

Arizona also just raised its minimum wage on January 1. It went from $10.50 to $11 per hour.

Arkansas

Arkansas raised its minimum wage from $8.50 to $9.25 per hour at the beginning of this year. And more increases are in the works as well, with the minimum wage set to end up at $11 by 2021.



California

For California companies with more than 25 employees, the minimum wage is increasing from $11 to $12 per hour. For companies in the state with 25 or fewer employees, the rate is increasing from $10.50 to $11.

Colorado

Minimum wage is increasing from $10.20 to $11.10 per hour in Colorado.

Connecticut

There have been recent proposals to raise Connecticut’s minimum wage, but nothing that has passed quite yet. It currently sits at $10.10 per hour.

Delaware

Delaware’s minimum wage increased from $8.25 to $8.75 per hour on January 1. And it is slated to go up again on October 1, this time to $9.25.



District of Columbia

In Washington D.C., the minimum wage currently sits at $13.25 per hour. It increased from $12.50 in 2018.

Florida

Florida’s minimum wage is set to adjust for inflation. It increased to $8.46 from $8.25 in 2019.

Georgia

Georgia’s minimum wage is actually only $5.15 an hour. Of course, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 still applies to most jobs. But those that are not covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act may pay the lower rate.

Hawaii

Hawaii’s minimum wage of $10.10 per hour is not slated to increase so far in 2019.



Idaho

Idaho does not have a set minimum wage aside from the $7.25 hourly rate set at the federal level.

Illinois

The state minimum wage in Illinois is currently $8.25 per hour, with no increases slated for 2019. However, Cook County and Chicago both have higher rates, at $11 and $12, respectively.

Indiana

There are currently multiple proposals in Indiana to raise the minimum wage, but nothing that has passed as of early January. The current rate is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25.

Iowa

Iowa’s minimum wage is also consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.



Kansas

Kansas’s minimum wage is also consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Kentucky

Kentucky’s minimum wage is also consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Louisiana

Louisiana actually does not have a state minimum wage. So workers covered by the FLSA are subject to the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Maine

Maine increased its minimum wage on January 1 of this year, from $10 to $11 per hour.



Maryland

Maryland’s minimum wage currently sits at $10.10. It increased from $9.25 in 2018.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts raised its minimum wage from $11 to $12 at the beginning of this year. And incremental increases are scheduled throughout the next four years, eventually raising the rate to $15 per hour.

Michigan

Michigan’s minimum wage is currently $9.25. It is set to increase to $9.45 in March of this year.

Minnesota

For businesses that employ 50 workers or more, the minimum wage in Minnesota is $9.86 per hour. The rate is $8.01 for smaller employers.



Mississippi

Mississippi is another state without an official minimum, so the federal rate of $7.25 applies.

Missouri

Missouri’s minimum wage rate for 2019 is $8.60 per hour, up from $7.85 in 2018.

Montana

Montana increased its minimum wage to $8.50 per hour from $8.30 on January 1 of this year.

Nebraska

Nebraska’s current minimum wage is $9 per hour.



Nevada

Nevada’s minimum wage is $7.25 for employees earning qualified health benefits and $8.25 for those who are not.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s minimum wage is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25.

New Jersey

New Jersey raised its minimum wage to $8.85 per hour from $8.60 on January 1.

New Mexico

The minimum wage rate in New Mexico is currently set at $7.50 per hour.



New York

The statewide minimum wage in New York is $11.10 as of December 31, 2018. And it’s scheduled to go up to $11.80 at the end of this year. The rate is higher in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester.

North Carolina

North Carolina’s minimum wage is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

North Dakota

North Dakota’s minimum wage is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Ohio

Ohio raised its minimum wage on January 1, from $8.30 to $8.55 per hour.



Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s minimum wage is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Oregon

Oregon’s minimum wage is currently $10.75 per hour. It increased to that rate in 2018.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s minimum wage increased from $10.10 to $10.50 per hour on January 1.

South Carolina

South Carolina’s minimum wage is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

South Dakota

South Dakota’s minimum wage increased from $8.85 to $9.10 per hour on January 1.

Tennessee

Tennessee does not have a specified state minimum wage. So it is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Texas

Texas’s minimum wage is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Utah

Utah’s minimum wage is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Vermont

Vermont’s minimum wage is indexed for inflation. So it increased to $10.78 from $10.50 per hour on January 1.

Virginia

Virginia’s minimum wage is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Washington

Washington’s minimum wage increased from $11.50 to $12 per hour on January 1. And it is slated to go up again in 2020 to $13.50.

West Virginia

West Virginia’s minimum wage is currently set at $8.75.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s minimum wage is consistent with the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

Wyoming

Wyoming’s minimum wage is currently set at $5.15 per hour for employees that are not covered by FLSA. Most businesses must comply with the federal rate of $7.25.

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Annie Pilon Annie Pilon is a Senior Staff Writer for Small Business Trends, covering entrepreneur profiles, interviews, feature stories, community news and in-depth, expert-based guides. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring all that her home state of Michigan has to offer.

3 Reactions
  1. Would really like to see what some of the minimum wage rates are for large cities. I know San Fran, Seattle and NYC have higher rates than their respective states.

  2. So it varies by location. There is also a generally acceptable rate so it can depend on that as well.

  3. Annie: How do they come up with these arbitrary numbers? 😉