US minimum wage by state in 2027

Fourteen states have a published minimum wage that starts on January 1, 2027, counting Arizona, whose $15.65 is described below. Alaska steps to $15.00 on July 1, so 15 states have a published increase with a known start date. Michigan has the largest dollar increase, from $13.73 to $15.00. Rhode Island and Alaska follow at $1.00 each, then Virginia at $0.98. Washington’s $17.73 is the highest rate any state has published for 2027.

The picture is not final. The District of Columbia and Oregon adjust on July 1 and have not published their amounts as of October 27, 2026. Vermont adjusts on January 1 by formula, and its 2027 amount was not found. Arizona’s $15.65 per hour from January 1, 2027 comes from an Industrial Commission of Arizona minimum wage page that the site editor read on October 28, 2026. Two news reports from September 2026 give the same amount and start date: KTAR on September 12, updated September 14, and FreshPlaza on September 17, which relays a Western Growers release. Neither report names the Industrial Commission. A second check could not open the Commission’s page, so its own wording and page date are still unconfirmed. Colorado announced $15.71 for 2027. It gave no start day. Twenty states use the federal $7.25 for employers covered by federal law, and no change was found for any of them. Missouri, New York and Florida are easy to get wrong.

Minimum wage by state for 2027

The table covers the 50 states and the District of Columbia. “Announced” means the state agency or governor published the amount. “Set in law” means a statute fixes it. “Formula” means a law sets a yearly adjustment and the 2027 amount is not yet published or was not found. “No change” means the state source shows no step, and “No change found” means no step appeared on the pages checked. Territories and local rates are out of scope.

The rows for Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming were checked against the Department of Labor state table only, except Oklahoma’s 2027 question, covered below. New Mexico is the weakest row. Its $12.00 rests on that table alone, and its 2027 status was not verified. That table was last updated July 1, 2026. It can lag a state’s own page. Georgia (employers of 6 or more) and Wyoming list a state rate of $5.15, but employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay $7.25. Oklahoma lists $2.00 for employers with fewer than 10 full-time employees at one location and annual gross sales of $100,000 or less. For the 2027 question, Oklahoma’s row was also checked against the Secretary of State’s State Question list. It shows State Question 832, on minimum wage increases, with 281,386 votes for and 349,102 against on June 16, 2026, so the measure failed. Neither that list nor the State Election Board’s list shows a minimum wage question pending.

What changes on January 1, 2027

The smallest increases are Nebraska at $0.26 and Montana at $0.35. Michigan and Rhode Island write the 2027 amount into statute, and so does Virginia. Nebraska’s statute fixes a 1.75 percent increase. The Department of Labor document lists $15.26 for January 1, 2027. The statute also tells the Department of Labor to publish the rate by October 15 of each year, starting October 15, 2026. That document is dated July 31, 2026, before the first deadline, and an October publication was not found. The other ten are indexed or announced. Their dates and amounts come from each state’s own release or web page. Montana lets a business not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act with $110,000 or less in annual sales pay $4.00 per hour.

Ohio, New Jersey and Washington each come with a catch.

• Ohio: The $11.40 rate applies to employers above a $419,000 annual gross receipts threshold. Smaller employers pay the federal $7.25, and so does any employer for workers aged 14 and 15.
• New Jersey: Employees of seasonal employers and of employers with fewer than six employees have a separate rate of $16.25.
• Washington: Workers aged 14 and 15 may be paid $15.07 instead of $17.73.

What changes later

Alaska moves to $15.00 on July 1, 2027. It then adjusts for inflation yearly. Virginia’s next step is $15.00 on January 1, 2028. Hawaii steps to $18.00 on January 1, 2028.

Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries calculates the July 1 adjustment by April 30, 2027. D.C. law requires the new rate to be published at least 30 days before an increase, which puts the deadline for July 1, 2027 at June 1. Put both dates in your calendar. Update the two rows then.

Rows that are easy to get wrong

• Missouri. No Missouri increase is scheduled for January 1, 2027. The statute in force since August 28, 2025 sets $15.00 from January 1, 2026. It has no later step, and Missouri’s labor department lists $15.00 for 2026.
• New York. The Governor’s page shows no increase in the general rate on January 1, 2027. It proposes $17.60 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester and $16.55 elsewhere from March 1, 2027 if the Legislature approves, so that increase is only a proposal. Home care aide rates are separate and do rise on January 1, 2027.
• Florida. The Department of Labor table still shows $14.00, because it was updated July 1, 2026, before Florida’s step to $15.00 on September 30, 2026. The first inflation adjustment is calculated on September 30, 2027 and takes effect on January 1, 2028.

Tipped workers and local rates

The federal tipped cash wage is $2.13, with a maximum tip credit of $5.12. States set their own tipped cash wages. Where the state agency published a 2027 figure on the pages checked, it is:

• Colorado: $12.69
• Maine: $7.85
• Michigan: $6.30
• New Jersey: $6.61
• Ohio: $5.70
• South Dakota: $6.15

Check the labor department of any other state where you pay tipped staff. City minimums in Washington may be higher than the state rate. This page covers state rates only. Check city and county rules in every state where you have sites.

What to do before January 1

List every state where you have employees and mark the date from the table. Then update the pay rate for the 14 January 1 states to start on that date. Confirm Colorado’s start day with its labor department, because it announced $15.71 for 2027 without one. Confirm Arizona’s $15.65 on the Industrial Commission of Arizona site, because this page could not open the Commission’s own page. Check each state marked “Formula” again before its date, which means Oregon by April 30 and D.C. by June 1, with Vermont checked as soon as it publishes. For the states in the Department of Labor only list, confirm the row with the state’s labor department before you rely on it. See the payroll calendar for pay dates in 2027, and US Payroll Tax and Benefit Limits 2027 for the other numbers that reset. UK Minimum Wage 2027 covers the UK, and the Get ready for 2027 play lists the documents to update. The minimum wage entry defines the term.

Start with the lowest-paid employee in each of the 14 states: write down their current rate and the new minimum, and see whether they fall below it on January 1.

Written and reviewed by the HR Riant Editorial Team. General information, not legal advice.