Minimum wage increases on January 1, 2027, state by state

New state minimum wage rates for 2027

Each rate below comes from the state's own labor agency, governor's office or statute, read on October 22, 2026. The change column is the 2027 rate minus the 2026 rate, both from the same state's pages.[1][2][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

Every other state in the table gives January 1, 2027 as the start date. Colorado's agency says only "in 2027" and gives no day.[7]

Michigan's rise is set in its statute. From October 2027, the state treasurer adjusts the rate each year for inflation, effective the next January 1. No inflation increase applies if the state's unemployment rate was 8.5% or more the year before. Virginia's statute sets $13.75 for 2027 and $15.00 from January 1, 2028.[11][12]

Other 2027 rates: tipped, youth, small-employer and farm workers

New York's minimum wage does not rise on January 1, 2027

New York's minimum wage stays at $17.00 an hour in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. In the rest of the state it stays at $16.00. Its law lets rates rise each year with inflation, with conditions called "off-ramps" that can stop an increase. The governor's office says one of them was met for 2027.[17]

Home care aides are the exception. Their minimum rises on January 1, 2027 to $20.00 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester, and $19.00 elsewhere.[17][18]

Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed a change to the off-ramp. If the Legislature approves it, rates would rise on March 1, 2027 to $17.60 and $16.55. Until then it is a proposal, not law.[17]

Florida's $15.00 minimum wage started on September 30, 2026

Florida does not change its rate on January 1. Its minimum wage rose to $15.00 an hour on September 30, 2026, the last step set by an amendment to its constitution. The first inflation adjustment after that takes effect on January 1, 2028, so $15.00 holds through December 31, 2027.[19]

City minimum wages and the federal minimum wage in 2027

Some cities set their own, higher rate. Seattle's rises from $21.30 to $22.14 an hour on January 1, 2027. Denver's 2027 rate is $19.84, up from $19.29. Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and several Washington cities, also have their own ordinances.[20][8][14][1]

The federal minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is $7.25 an hour, effective July 24, 2009. Employers must comply with both federal and state law, so if both cover you, you get the higher rate. Minneapolis's and Saint Paul's ordinances, for example, set higher rates for work performed in those cities.[21][14][20]

Some small employers pay a lower rate. In Ohio, businesses with gross receipts of $419,000 or less pay $7.25. In Montana, a business outside the FLSA with yearly sales of $110,000 or less may pay $4.00. Nebraska's law covers only employers of 4 or more.[15][16][10]

The table covers the 14 states whose 2027 rate was confirmed on the state's own site on October 22, 2026. Arizona's and Vermont's could not be confirmed, and Missouri's page shows only its 2026 rate. For any state not in the table, check your own state's labor department. Minimum wage laws cover employees; if you are not sure you are one, read how to tell an employee from an independent contractor.[21][24]

If you are paid less than the minimum, you can file a complaint with your state labor department. Under federal law, call the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243. Federal complaints are confidential, and your employer cannot retaliate against you for filing one.[22]

Under the FLSA, the Department of Labor or you can recover unpaid minimum wages plus an equal amount in damages. The usual time limit is 2 years, or 3 years for a willful violation.[23]

For salaried jobs, check the 2027 exempt salary thresholds. For holiday shifts, check federal holiday pay and 3 states' rules.