Data study · income
Minimum Wage by State, 2025
The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009 — but 31 states now set a higher floor. Here is every state's 2025 minimum wage, ranked from District of Columbia's $17.5 down to the $7.25 federal minimum, with the tipped wage and what it all works out to per year.
- Federal minimum $7.25/hr unchanged since 2009
- Highest state $17.5 District of Columbia
- States above federal 31 of 51
- Full-time at federal $15,080 40 hrs/wk · before tax
The federal floor climbed through the 1990s and 2000s in a series of step-ups, then flattened — it hasn't risen since 2009.
Every state's minimum wage, ranked
All 51 jurisdictions for 2025, highest to lowest. States shaded darker pay above the $7.25 federal minimum; the lighter bars sit right at the federal floor. Names in green link to a full state breakdown.
- Above federal
- At federal floor ($7.25)
- District of Columbia $17.50
- Washington $16.66
- California $16.50
- New York $16.50
- Connecticut $16.35
- Oregon $15.95
- New Jersey $15.49
- Delaware $15.00
- Illinois $15.00
- Maryland $15.00
- Massachusetts $15.00
- Rhode Island $15.00
- Colorado $14.81
- Arizona $14.70
- Maine $14.65
- Vermont $14.01
- Hawaii $14.00
- Missouri $13.75
- Nebraska $13.50
- Florida $13.00
- Virginia $12.41
- Nevada $12.00
- New Mexico $12.00
- Alaska $11.91
- South Dakota $11.50
- Minnesota $11.13
- Arkansas $11.00
- Ohio $10.70
- Michigan $10.56
- Montana $10.55
- West Virginia $8.75
- Alabama $7.25
- Georgia $7.25
- Idaho $7.25
- Indiana $7.25
- Iowa $7.25
- Kansas $7.25
- Kentucky $7.25
- Louisiana $7.25
- Mississippi $7.25
- New Hampshire $7.25
- North Carolina $7.25
- North Dakota $7.25
- Oklahoma $7.25
- Pennsylvania $7.25
- South Carolina $7.25
- Tennessee $7.25
- Texas $7.25
- Utah $7.25
- Wisconsin $7.25
- Wyoming $7.25
US state minimum wage rates + federal minimum-wage history — via APIVerve · snapshot generated July 2026.
Minimum wage across the states in 2025
There is no single US minimum wage. There is a federal floor — $7.25 an hour — and then 51 separate state and district rules layered on top of it. When a state sets its own minimum higher than the federal rate, the higher number wins; when it sets none, or sets one at or below $7.25, the federal minimum applies. The result is the ranking above: a spread from District of Columbia's $17.5 an hour all the way down to the $7.25 federal floor that still governs pay in much of the country. To see what any of these rates means for take-home pay where you live, use the minimum-wage-by-state tool.
The federal minimum wage: stuck at $7.25 since 2009
The chart at the top tells a striking story. Congress last raised the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour on July 24, 2009 — and it has not moved since. That is more than 15 years without an increase, the longest stretch the federal minimum has gone unchanged since it was first set in 1938. Because the federal rate is a fixed dollar figure and is not indexed to inflation, its buying power quietly erodes every year the number stays flat. A $7.25 wage in 2009 bought far more than the same $7.25 does today. To see how much inflation has worn away, the inflation calculator puts it in today's dollars.
Why states diverge
With the federal floor frozen, states have taken the wheel. 31 states now set a minimum wage above $7.25, while a handful still sit right at it. The highest rates cluster in the West and Northeast: District of Columbia leads at $17.5, followed by Washington ($16.66) and California ($16.5). Many of these jurisdictions index their minimum to inflation, so it rises automatically each year — which is exactly why the gap over the static federal number keeps widening. At the other end, states like Alabama default to the $7.25 federal minimum, so a full-time worker there earns the federal baseline and nothing more.
The tipped minimum wage
The headline rate is not the whole picture. For workers who regularly earn tips — servers, bartenders, some delivery and salon workers — many states allow a far lower cash wage, on the assumption that tips make up the rest. Under federal law that tipped cash wage can be as low as $2.13 an hour, as long as tips bring total pay up to at least the full $7.25 minimum; if they don't, the employer is supposed to cover the shortfall. States vary widely: some match the federal $2.13, some set a higher tipped minimum, and a few require the full minimum wage to be paid before any tips at all. It is one of the biggest sources of confusion in minimum-wage law, because two workers in the same state can face very different guaranteed pay.
What minimum wage means annually
An hourly rate is easy to underestimate, so it helps to annualize it. A full-time schedule of 40 hours a week across all 52 weeks of the year is 2,080 hours. At the federal $7.25, that comes to about $15,080 a year before taxes — a number that has not budged since 2009. At District of Columbia's $17.5, the same full-time year works out to roughly $36,400. These are gross figures; what actually lands in a paycheck is lower once payroll and income taxes come out. To turn any of these rates into an after-tax number, run it through the take-home pay calculator.
Minimum wage in your state
Want one state in detail — its rate, tipped wage, annual pay and what's changing? Pick a state:
Minimum wage by state — FAQ
What is the federal minimum wage right now?
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, where it has stood since July 2009. Every covered, non-exempt worker in the United States is entitled to at least this much, and states are free to set a higher floor — 31 of them do. Congress has to pass a law to change the federal rate, and it has not done so in over 15 years, the longest stretch without an increase since the minimum wage began in 1938.
Which state has the highest minimum wage?
District of Columbia has the highest minimum wage in the country at $17.5 an hour in 2025. It is followed by Washington ($16.66) and California ($16.5). These high-wage jurisdictions typically index their minimum to inflation, so the rate rises automatically each year — which is why the gap over the frozen $7.25 federal floor keeps widening.
Which state has the lowest minimum wage?
No state has a minimum wage below the federal $7.25 floor that actually applies to most workers — federal law sets the effective floor. A handful of states, including Alabama, have no state minimum-wage law of their own or set one at or below the federal rate, so the $7.25 federal minimum is what applies. In practice that makes $7.25 an hour the lowest minimum wage a covered worker can be paid.
Has the federal minimum wage risen recently?
No. The federal minimum wage has been frozen at $7.25 an hour since July 24, 2009 — more than 15 years without a raise. That is the longest period the federal rate has gone unchanged since it was created in 1938. Because it is not indexed to inflation, its real (purchasing-power) value has fallen sharply over that time even though the dollar figure has not moved.
What is the tipped minimum wage?
The tipped minimum wage is a lower cash wage that employers may pay workers who regularly earn tips, on the theory that tips make up the difference. Under federal law the tipped cash wage can be as low as $2.13 an hour, provided tips bring the worker up to at least the full $7.25 minimum. Many states set a higher tipped wage, and a few require employers to pay the full minimum wage before tips.
How much is minimum wage per year?
A full-time minimum-wage job — 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year — works out to about $15,080 a year at the federal $7.25 rate, before taxes. In the highest-paying jurisdiction, District of Columbia, the same full-time schedule at $17.5 an hour comes to about $36,400. Actual take-home pay is lower after payroll and income taxes.
Source & method
Data: US state minimum wage rates + federal minimum-wage history — via APIVerve. State rates are for 2025, the latest fully populated year; the effective minimum is the higher of the state or federal rate. Annual figures assume 40 hours a week for all 52 weeks (2,080 hours) and are before tax. The federal-history chart shows the nominal federal minimum wage by year. Snapshot generated July 2026. Free to cite or embed with a link back to this page.
