State rankings
Labor Laws 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).
51 of 51 states
Cost-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 | $20.74 | — |
| 2 |  District of Columbia | $17.95 | — |
| 3 |  New York | $17.00 | $15.00 in Long Island, Westchester, & NYC |
| 4 |  Connecticut | $16.94 | — |
| 5 |  California | $16.90 | — |
| 6 |  Hawaii | $16.00 | — |
| 6 |  Rhode Island | $16.00 | — |
| 8 |  New Jersey | $15.92 | $12.93 for seasonal or < 6 employees |
| 9 |  Colorado | $15.16 | — |
| 10 |  Arizona | $15.15 | — |
| 11 |  Maine | $15.10 | — |
| 12 |  Florida | $15.00 | — |
| 12 |  Illinois | $15.00 | — |
| 12 |  Massachusetts | $15.00 | — |
| 12 |  Missouri | $15.00 | — |
| 12 |  Maryland | $15.00 | — |
| 12 |  Nebraska | $15.00 | — |
| 12 |  Delaware | $15.00 | — |
| 19 |  Oregon | $14.70 | — |
| 20 |  Vermont | $14.42 | — |
| 21 |  Alaska | $14.00 | — |
| 22 |  Michigan | $13.73 | — |
| 23 |  Virginia | $12.77 | — |
| 24 |  Nevada | $12.00 | $9.50 if business offers health insurance |
| 24 |  New Mexico | $12.00 | — |
| 26 |  South Dakota | $11.85 | — |
| 27 |  Minnesota | $11.41 | $8.63 for small employers |
| 28 |  Ohio | $11.00 | $7.25 if business' gross receipts < $372,000 |
| 28 |  Arkansas | $11.00 | — |
| 30 |  Montana | $10.85 | $4.00 for businesses w/ sales under $110,000 |
| 31 |  West Virginia | $8.75 | — |
| 32 |  Texas | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Pennsylvania | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Georgia | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  North Carolina | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Tennessee | $7.25 | Uses Federal min. wage |
| 32 |  Indiana | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Wisconsin | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  South Carolina | $7.25 | Uses Federal min. wage |
| 32 |  Alabama | $7.25 | Uses Federal min. wage |
| 32 |  Kentucky | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Louisiana | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Oklahoma | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Utah | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Iowa | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Kansas | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Mississippi | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Idaho | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  New Hampshire | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  North Dakota | $7.25 | — |
| 32 |  Wyoming | $7.25 | — |
What correlates with Standard Wage (2026)?
Pearson r against 2,095 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 labor laws by state data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Wage and Hour Division; https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/prevailing-wages; Wikipedia; Paycore.