US State Minimum Wages 2027: 16 States Rise

By ExpatMoneyEU Research Team · Reviewed November 2026 · Published 14 November 2026 · Updated 14 November 2026

If you work in the United States — or you are planning a move there on a work visa — the January 2027 minimum-wage round is the largest automatic pay rise in the country’s history in a single day, and most of it happened without a single vote. Ten of the sixteen rises are automatic inflation adjustments written into state constitutions and statutes years ago. This guide gives you the full 16-state table with 2026 comparisons, explains why the rises are automatic, flags the two exceptions you must not miss (New Jersey’s split rates and New York’s freeze), and explains what the new rates mean for expats working in the US. Every rate below comes from the state labour department’s own announcement, poster or statute, checked on 14 November 2026.

The full 16-state table for 1 January 2027

The table below shows the general (standard, non-tipped, adult) minimum wage in each of the sixteen states, with the 2026 rate for comparison. These are statewide rates — your city or county may set a higher local rate, as explained below.

Washington, California, Connecticut and Vermont were read on the official state release itself. The other twelve rates are the figures in each state’s own labour-department announcement, poster or statute, as cited consistently by four or more independent compilations that each claim to have read the state source. No rate in this list rests on a single secondary source. All figures are the general adult rate; tipped and youth rates differ and are not shown here except for Vermont’s tipped rate ($7.46, in the Vermont Department of Labor release).

For a full-time worker (40 hours a week, 52 weeks), the rises are worth between $728 a year in Montana ($0.35 × 2,080 hours) and $2,641.60 in Michigan ($1.27 × 2,080) — arithmetic, before tax. At Washington’s $17.73, full-time gross pay is $36,878.40 a year (arithmetic). Those annual figures are not official — they assume full-time hours all year — but they show why the January round matters: for a minimum-wage worker, it is the difference between a flat year and a real rise.

→ US Visa Integrity Fee 2027 — the $250 fee that may be added to your visa

Why most of these rises are automatic, not voted

Most of the sixteen rises were decided years ago. Ten states move against a price index: California, Washington, Colorado, New Jersey, Minnesota, Arizona, Maine, Montana, South Dakota and Ohio all adjust by CPI or a similar measure, so the 2027 figure is whatever the inflation reading produced — no legislature voted on it this year. Connecticut tracks the employment cost index (a 3.2% rise in the twelve months to 30 June 2026 produced the $0.54 adjustment, under the 2019 law). Nebraska is a fixed statutory step: LB 258 (2025) replaced the cost-of-living formula with a flat 1.75% annual increase. Michigan, Rhode Island and Virginia follow schedules written into law — Michigan’s top rung of the Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act, Rhode Island’s legislated step under R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-12-3, and Virginia’s House Bill 1 / Senate Bill 1, signed in April 2026, which already has a further step to $15.00 on the books for 1 January 2028. Vermont follows its statutory CPI-U formula, capped at 5%.

That automatic machinery is the real story of American minimum wages in 2027. In the states that index, the wage now rises every January by roughly the inflation rate, without political debate — which is why the list grows a little each year and why the gaps between states are widening: indexed states compound upward, while states with a fixed statutory rate (or no state rate at all, leaving the $7.25 federal floor) stand still.

→ US auto loans for new immigrants — what newcomers pay to drive in America

Two exceptions you must not miss

New Jersey is not one figure. The $16.48 rate is for most employers only. The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development announcement of 29 September 2026 sets separate 2027 rates for other groups: $16.25 for seasonal employers and employers with fewer than six workers, and $15.00 for agricultural work, as reported by secondary compilations citing the announcement. Do not quote a single New Jersey figure without this caveat, and verify the separate rates from the NJDOL announcement before relying on them.

New York does not rise. New York’s rate stays at $17.00 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester, and $16.00 in the rest of the state, on 1 January 2027. The state’s inflation off-ramp was met, so the scheduled rise did not trigger. That makes New York the only large state on the East Coast standing still in January 2027 — and it means a worker in New York City earns less per hour than a worker in Washington State from 1 January, for the first time. Re-verify the freeze with the New York Department of Labor before relying on it for a contract.

What about DC, Alaska and Oregon?

Three jurisdictions adjust on 1 July, not 1 January, and none had announced a 2027 rate when this guide was written. The District of Columbia’s current rate is $18.40 — higher than any state — and it adjusts each 1 July by formula; the 1 July 2027 rate had not been announced as of November 2026. Do not present $18.40 as a 2027 rate: it is the current (2026) rate. Alaska’s 1 July 2027 rate was reported at $15.00 by two secondary compilations only, and is not published here until verified from the Alaska Department of Labor. Oregon’s 1 July 2027 rates (three regions) had not been announced at all. All three will be added to this page when their July figures are announced.

The same timing warning applies to cities and counties. Many cities set higher local minimums — Seattle and Denver are widely reported examples for 2027 — but no city or county 2027 rate is published in this guide, because none was verified from the city’s own announcement. The rule for any worker is simple: the rate that applies to you is the highest of the federal, state and local rates. Check your city and county, not just your state.

→ Business travel costs in Europe 2026 — budgeting a work trip the same way

What the 2027 rises mean for expats working in the US

For an expat on a work visa, the minimum wage is rarely your actual pay — most work-visa jobs pay far above it — but it still matters in three ways. First, it is the legal floor for any job you take, including a second or part-time job: a restaurant, warehouse or retail shift in Washington must pay $17.73 an hour from 1 January 2027, whatever your visa category. Second, it moves the exempt-salary threshold: California’s exempt-salary threshold becomes $72,384 a year ($17.40 × 2 × 40 × 52, in the DIR release), and Washington’s becomes $1,773 a week for employers with 51 or more workers — if your salary is below the threshold, your employer must pay you overtime. Third, it is a cost-of-living signal: the states with the highest minimum wages are also, mostly, the states with the highest rents, so a $17.73 wage in Washington does not buy what $15.00 buys in Michigan.

One more practical point: tipped work is different. Tipped cash wages are set separately in most states, and the figures reported for 2027 (Colorado $12.69, Maine $7.85, New Jersey $6.61, Michigan $6.30, South Dakota $6.15, Ohio $5.70) were not verified on a state poster for this guide — only Vermont’s $7.46 is in the official release. If you work for tips, check your state’s 2027 poster, not this page, for your cash wage.

What changes in 2027

Two dates matter. 1 January 2027: the sixteen rates in the table take effect. 1 July 2027: the District of Columbia, Alaska and Oregon announce and apply their rates, and several cities adjust theirs. Between those dates, the only movement will be new local rates and any court challenge to a scheduled rise — Virginia’s step to $15.00 is already on the books for 1 January 2028, so the next January round is partly written already. This page will be updated when the July rates are announced.

How we compared: the methodology