State rankings
$15 Minimum Wage by State
Washington has the highest Standard Wage in 2026 ($20.74), followed by District of Columbia ($17.95) and New York ($17.00). Wyoming has the lowest ($7.25).
Standard WageBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
51 of 51 statesCost-of-living adjustmentConverts wages and incomes to what they would buy at average US prices, so $100k in a cheap state and $100k in an expensive one are not treated as equal.More in the glossary →
Standard Wage, 2026
Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.
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All 51 ranked
Best first.
Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →
Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.
Median
$11.85
Middle half $7.25 – $15.00
Average
$11.59
51 states
Highest
$20.74
Washington
Lowest
$7.25
Wyoming
Over time · 1968–2026
The top 5 in 2026, against the median.
- Median of all states
- Washington
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Connecticut
- California
Data
Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.
51 states · # = rank by Standard Wage
| # | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Washington | x | $20.74 | — |
| 2 |  District of Columbia | x | $17.95 | — |
| 3 |  New York | x | $17.00 | — |
| 4 |  Connecticut | x | $16.94 | Effective 06-01-2023. Restaurant and hotel workers working a 7th consecutive day will have those hours treated as overtime., Minors (Under 18) may be paid 85% of the minimum wage for their first 90 days of employment.+2 |
| 5 |  California | x | $16.90 | The State minimum wage now applies to all employers (prior to January 1, 2023, there was a minimum wage for employers with 25 or less employees and 26 or more employees). However, many California cities and counties have varying minimum wages. |
| 6 |  Hawaii | x | $16.00 | Any employees that earn a guaranteed monthly compensation of $2,000 or more are exempt from minimum wage and overtime requirements.| Effective January 1, 2026, combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $14.75 with maximum tip credit of $1.25. |
| 6 |  Rhode Island | x | $16.00 | Effective January 1, 2026, combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $16.00 with maximum tip credit of $12.11. |
| 8 |  New Jersey | x | $15.92 | Effective January 1, 2026, combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $15.92 with maximum tip credit of $9.87. |
| 9 |  Colorado | x | $15.16 | Effective January 1st, 2026, combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $15.16 with maximum tip credit of $3.02. |
| 10 |  Arizona | x | $15.15 | Effective January 1st, 2026, combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $12.15 with maximum tip credit of $3.00. |
| 11 |  Maine | x | $15.10 | Effective January 1, 2026, combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $15.10 with maximum tip credit of $7.55 (50% of the applicable minimum wage). |
| 12 |  Florida | x | $15.00 | Florida's minimum wage will increase by $1.00 each year until 2026 when it reaches $15.00 per hour. |
| 12 |  Illinois | x | $15.00 | Combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $15.00 with maximum tip credit of $6.00 (40% of the applicable minimum wage). |
| 12 |  Massachusetts | x | $15.00 | Effective 01-01-2023. |
| 12 |  Missouri | x | $15.00 | Retail or Service businesses earning less than $500,000 a year are not covered by the state minimum.| Effective January 1, 2026, combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $15.00 with maximum tip credit of $7.50 (50% of the applicable minimum wage). |
| 12 |  Maryland | x | $15.00 | Effective 01-01-2023. |
| 12 |  Nebraska | x | $15.00 | — |
| 12 |  Delaware | x | $15.00 | Combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $15.00 with maximum tip credit of $12.77. |
| 19 |  Oregon | — | $14.70 | $14.20/$13.50 standard, rises to $15.45/$14.75 in Portland and drops to $13.20/$12.50 in non-urban counties as of 07-01-2023. Rises each July based upon the increase, if any, to the US City average Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. |
| 20 |  Vermont | — | $14.42 | Employers with 2 or more employees qualify for overtime, except for some industry-specific exemptions. |
| 21 |  Alaska | — | $14.00 | Employers in Alaska that use an approved voluntary flexible work hour plan can schedule 10-hour days (40-hour weeks), and overtime pay would start after 10 hours per day instead of after 8., Additionally, employers with fewer than 4 employees are not subject to daily or weekl… |
| 22 |  Michigan | — | $13.73 | Minimum wage for tipped employees is 38% of the applicable minimum wage through December 31, 2025. Starting January 1, 2026, minimum wage for tipped employees is 40% of the minimum hourly wage. |
| 23 |  Virginia | — | $12.77 | — |
| 24 |  Nevada | — | $12.00 | Starting July 1, 2024, a uniform minimum wage of $12.00 per hour for all employees is applicable. |
| 24 |  New Mexico | — | $12.00 | Effective 01-01-2023. |
| 26 |  South Dakota | — | $11.85 | Effective January 1, 2026, combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $11.85 with maximum tip credit of $5.925 (50% of the applicable minimum wage). |
| 27 |  Minnesota | — | $11.41 | Effective January 1, 2026, a training wage rate of $9.31 (up from $9.08 in 2025) may be paid to employees less than 20 years old during the first 90 days of employment. |
| 28 |  Ohio | — | $11.00 | Employers with gross revenue or receipts of $394,000 or less are permitted to pay employees the federal minimum wage. |
| 28 |  Arkansas | — | $11.00 | Drops to $7.25 for employers with fewer than 4 employees., Combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $11.00 with maximum tip credit of $8.37. |
| 30 |  Montana | — | $10.85 | Businesses that are not covered by the FLSA with gross annual sales of $110,000 or less are subject to a minimum wage of $4.00 per hour. |
| 31 |  West Virginia | — | $8.75 | Combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $8.75 with maximum tip credit of $6.13 (70% of the applicable minimum wage). |
| 32 |  Texas | — | $7.25 | With specified restrictions, employers may count tips and the value of meals and lodging toward the minimum wage |
| 32 |  Pennsylvania | — | $7.25 | Combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $7.25 with maximum tip credit of $4.42. |
| 32 |  Georgia | — | $7.25 | Same as federal minimum, but drops top $5.15 for some limited FLSA exceptions. |
| 32 |  North Carolina | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Tennessee | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Indiana | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Wisconsin | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  South Carolina | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Alabama | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Kentucky | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Louisiana | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Oklahoma | — | $7.25 | Same as federal minimum for employers with 10 or more full-time same-location employees or gross receipts of more than 100k per year. All other employees are subject to a minimum wage of $2.00, except those covered by FLSA, who are subject to federal minimum wage. |
| 32 |  Utah | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Iowa | — | $7.25 | Combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $7.25 with maximum tip credit of $2.90 (40% of the applicable minimum wage). |
| 32 |  Kansas | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Mississippi | — | $7.25 | Businesses that are not covered by the FLSA with gross annual sales of $110,000 or less are subject to a minimum wage of $4.00 per hour. |
| 32 |  Idaho | — | $7.25 | Combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $7.25 with maximum tip credit of $3.90 |
| 32 |  New Hampshire | — | $7.25 | Tipped wages are 55% of the applicable minimum wage., Combined cash & tip minimum wage rate is $7.25 with maximum tip credit of $3.98 (45% of the applicable minimum wage). |
| 32 |  North Dakota | — | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Wyoming | — | $7.25 | — |
What correlates with Standard Wage (2026)?
Pearson r against 2,096 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Correlation is not causation.
Higher together
Places that have a higher Standard Wage tend to score higher on these
Opposite directions
Places that have a higher Standard Wage tend to score lower on these
Quick answers
- Which state has the highest Standard Wage?
- Washington has the highest Standard Wage in 2026, at $20.74, followed by District of Columbia ($17.95) and New York ($17.00).
- Which state has the lowest Standard Wage?
- Wyoming has the lowest Standard Wage in 2026, at $7.25.
- What is the median Standard Wage across US states?
- The median is $11.85 across the 51 US states with data in 2026.
- Where does this $15 minimum wage by state data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Minimum Wage Charts by State - Employer Pass; Minimum wage increase schedule - Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries; Changes in Basic Minimum Wages in Non-Farm Employment Under State Law: Selected Years 1968 to 2024 - US Department of Labor.