Is your state raising its minimum wage in 2026? Here’s the list.
(CBS NEWS) – Sources from CBS News say almost two dozen states are raising their minimum wage in 2026, providing American workers a pay bump at a time when many are struggling to cover basic necessities.
In total, 88 jurisdictions — including 22 states and 66 cities and counties — are slated to increase their minimum wages at some point in 2026, according to a recent report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), an advocacy organization for workers.
The wage floor will reach or exceed $15.00 per hour, double the amount of the federal minimum wage, in most of those locations.
The bulk of the wage boosts took effect starting Jan. 1, 2026. For instance, the minimum rose to $17.00 at the start of this year in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County.
Despite repeated attempts to raise the federal minimum wage, the national baseline hourly rate has remained at $7.25 since 2009. In the meantime, many states and municipalities have boosted their wage floors through a patchwork of ballot measures and legislation. These changes are often framed as a way to combat inflation, which has cooled since 2022 but remains a pain point for many Americans.
Read on to see how the minimum wage where you live stacks up against other states across the U.S., based on NELP’s report.
States with a new minimum wage, effective Jan. 1, 2026
- Arizona: $15.15
- California: $16.90
- Colorado: $15.16
- Connecticut: $16.94
- Hawaii: $16
- Maine: $15.10
- Michigan: $13.73
- Minnesota: $11.41
- Missouri: $15
- Montana: $10.85
- Nebraska: $15
- New Jersey: $15.92
- New York: $17.00 for New York City, Long Island and Westchester; $16.00 for the rest of the state
- Ohio: $11
- Rhode Island: $16
- South Dakota: $11.85
- Vermont: $14.42
- Virginia: $12.77
- Washington State: $17.13
States with minimum wage increases expected later in 2026
- Alaska: $14
- Florida: $15
- Oregon: Between $14.05 to $16.30, depending on location
States not raising wages
The following states’ minimum wage is above $7.25, but won’t increase in 2026.
- Arkansas: $11
- Delaware: $15
- Illinois: $15
- Maryland: $15
- Massachusetts: $15
- Nevada: $12
- New Mexico: $12
- West Virginia: $8.75
The remaining states have a minimum wage of $7.25. Georgia and Wyoming both have a minimum wage of $5.15, which is superseded by the federal minimum wage.
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
