Minimum wage by state in 2027

• 15states raise their minimum by January 1, 2027
• $17.73highest state minimum (Washington)
• $7.25federal minimum, unchanged
• About 1.1 millionentry-level workers paid below their state's 2027 minimum in May 2025

States that raise their minimum wage by January 1, 2027

The largest increase is in Michigan, from $13.73 to $15.00 an hour.

Minimum wage in every state in 2027

The statewide hourly minimum for most adult workers. Where a state has no minimum wage law, or one below the federal rate, the federal $7.25 applies to most employers and is shown here.

Where the 2027 minimum is above entry-level pay

For each state that raises its rate: in how many of the nine jobs the lowest-paid 10% earned less than the 2027 minimum in May 2025, and the estimated share of all workers in those jobs who did.

Which entry-level jobs it reaches most

In how many states (of those with a known 2027 rate and published BLS data) the 2027 minimum is above the 10th percentile of hourly pay for the job.

The minimum reaches furthest into pay for fast food and counter workers, cashiers and retail sales associates. Retail store supervisors and customer service representatives are paid above it in almost every state, so moving into those roles is the usual step up from the minimum.

What it means if you are starting out

If you are taking a first job in fast food, at a checkout or on a sales floor in one of the states that raise their rate, the law is likely to decide your starting pay in 2027 more than the market does. Before you accept an offer, check the rate for your state in the table above, and check whether your city or county sets a higher one.

If you are hiring for these jobs, the new minimum is a floor, not a market rate. Workers compare offers, and pay that sits just above the minimum may not be enough to fill shifts where other employers pay more. Our salary pages show what each of these jobs pays in every state.

What this page does not include

• City and county minimums, such as those in Seattle, Denver or Chicago, which are higher than the statewide rate.
• Minimums for specific industries or employers, such as California's fast food minimum, and tipped minimum wages. Servers and bartenders are left out because BLS pay figures for them include tips.
• Pay changes after May 2025. Pay has risen since then, so the share of workers below the 2027 minimum is likely smaller today.
• Vermont, which had not announced its 2027 rate when we checked.

How we calculated this

We compared each state's minimum wage in effect on January 1, 2027 with the hourly pay percentiles BLS published for May 2025 in nine common entry-level jobs that do not rely on tips. The share of workers below the minimum is estimated by drawing a straight line between the published 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles. Where the minimum is below the 10th percentile, we count no one, so the worker estimate is a floor, not a forecast.

The full study, with every occupation and state, the data files and the code that reproduces each number, is published on Zenodo under a CC BY 4.0 license: State Minimum Wages in 2027 vs Entry-Level Pay: A Comparative Review of Nine Hourly Occupations (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Cite as: Benson, Adir (2026). State Minimum Wages in 2027 vs Entry-Level Pay: A Comparative Review of Nine Hourly Occupations (BLS OEWS May 2025) (Version 1.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23887457

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Sources and methodology

Minimum wage rates: each state's labor department, statute or official notice, linked in the table; federal rate: U.S. Department of Labor. Wage and employment estimates: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, cross-industry estimates for all ownerships. Figures are as published; BLS does not publish some estimates for some states. BLS OEWS

Written and maintained by the Jobder team. Last updated 2026-11-02. Questions or corrections: support@jobder.pro.

Frequently asked questions

Which states raise their minimum wage in 2027?

15 states raise their statewide minimum wage on or before January 1, 2027: Washington, Connecticut, California, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Colorado, Maine, Arizona, Nebraska, Michigan, Virginia, South Dakota, Minnesota, Ohio, Montana.

What is the highest state minimum wage in 2027?

Washington has the highest statewide minimum on January 1, 2027, at $17.73 an hour. The District of Columbia's minimum is $18.40. Some cities and counties set higher local minimums.

What is the federal minimum wage in 2027?

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and no change has been enacted for 2027. It applies to most employers in the 20 states whose own minimum is not higher.

Does New York raise its minimum wage on January 1, 2027?

No. New York's statewide minimum stays at $16.00 an hour outside New York City, Long Island and Westchester on January 1, 2027, the state labor department says. A later change in 2027 would need the Legislature.

How many entry-level workers earn less than the 2027 minimum wage?

In the 15 states that raise their rate, about 1.1 million of the 6.6 million people in nine common entry-level jobs earned less in May 2025 than their state's 2027 minimum. Their pay has to rise to at least the new minimum by January 1, 2027.