Twenty-three U.S. states increased their minimum wages effective January 1, 2026, through a combination of scheduled legislative increases and automatic CPI-indexed adjustments. Florida's increase takes effect September 30, 2026. Here's the complete breakdown.
States That Raised Minimum Wage in 2026
| State | 2025 Rate | 2026 Rate | Increase | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $16.66 | $17.13 | +$0.47 | CPI Indexed |
| Connecticut | $16.35 | $16.94 | +$0.59 | ECI Indexed |
| California | $16.50 | $16.90 | +$0.40 | CPI Indexed |
| Rhode Island | $15.00 | $16.00 | +$1.00 | Legislation (2025-H 5029A) |
| New Jersey | $15.13 | $15.49 | +$0.36 | CPI Indexed |
| Maine | $14.15 | $14.65 | +$0.50 | CPI Indexed |
| Arizona | $14.35 | $14.35 | $0.00 | CPI (no change) |
| Colorado | $14.42 | $14.42 | $0.00 | CPI (no change) |
| Florida | $13.00 | $14.00 → $15.00 | +$2.00 | Amendment 2 (eff. Sept 30) |
| Alaska | $11.73 | $13.00 | +$1.27 | Legislation |
| Missouri | $13.75 | $15.00 | +$1.25 | Proposition A (2024) |
| Nebraska | $13.50 | $15.00 | +$1.50 | Initiative 433 |
States Holding at Federal Rate ($7.25) in 2026
These 17 states have not passed a state minimum wage above the federal floor and remain at $7.25/hr: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Which States Raised the Minimum Wage in 2026?
Many states increased their minimum wage at the start of 2026, either through voter-approved ballot measures or automatic inflation adjustments. States that index to the Consumer Price Index - including Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington - saw automatic January increases.
Hawaii made one of the largest single jumps, rising to $16.00 per hour on January 1, 2026 under Act 114, with a further increase to $18.00 scheduled for 2028. Missouri and Nebraska both reached $15.00 following the 2024 ballot measures Proposition A and Initiative 433.
Florida's minimum wage is $14.00 and steps up again to $15.00 on September 30, 2026 under the 2020 constitutional amendment. Michigan sits at $13.73 and is scheduled to reach $15.00 on January 1, 2027. Rhode Island is at $16.00 and rises to $17.00 in January 2027.
Washington kept the highest statewide rate in the country at $17.13, followed by California at $16.90 and Connecticut at $16.94. Twenty states still follow the federal floor of $7.25, meaning workers there saw no increase in 2026.
Why So Many States Raise Rates in January
Most state increases take effect on January 1 because the majority of state minimum wage laws now index the rate to inflation, usually the Consumer Price Index measured over the prior year. The state labor department publishes the new figure in the fall, and it becomes law automatically at the new year. A smaller group of states schedule increases by statute - fixed steps written into legislation years in advance - and a few, like Florida, adjust on other dates (Florida's increases take effect September 30 under its constitutional amendment). If your state is not on the increase list above, it is almost always because the legislature has taken no action and the state either has no minimum wage law or defaults to the federal $7.25.
What a Raise Actually Does to Your Paycheck
A $1.00/hour raise adds $2,080 to full-time annual gross pay, but not all of it reaches your pocket. FICA takes 7.65% of every additional dollar. Whether federal income tax takes a bite depends on where your income lands relative to the $16,100 standard deduction for 2026: below it, the raise is income-tax-free; above it, each added dollar is taxed at 10% or 12%. As a rule of thumb, a minimum wage worker keeps roughly 80 to 92 cents of each raised dollar after federal taxes. Use the calculator on our homepage or your state page to see the exact figure for your rate.
Checking These Numbers Yourself
Every rate on this page is verified against the state labor department or the U.S. Department of Labor's state minimum wage table before publication, and re-verified when states announce mid-year changes. Rates can change after publication - city-level minimums in particular move on their own schedules - so before making an employment decision, confirm the current rate with your state labor department. If you spot a figure that does not match the official source, email us and we will correct it against the primary source.
“Many states also have minimum wage laws.”
- U.S. Department of Labor
FAQ
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