U.S. Minimum Wage Rates

NOTE: A state cannot reduce the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Most states have adopted minimums, although many simply track the FLSA. Others are broader, for example, covering workers not covered under the FLSA or setting higher minimums than the federal rate. Some states set a state minimum lower than the federal rate. In that case, all workers in the state who are covered by the FLSA must receive the federal minimum. When state laws require a higher wage, employers must pay at least that higher rate to all workers covered by the state law, whether or not they also are covered by the federal law. Some minimum wage rates in this table apply only to large companies or employers with a certain dollar amount of receipts. Smaller companies may either have to pay a different minimum wage (which is not listed here) or there may be no minimum wage requirement at all.