What is the minimum wage in the US?

• What is the minimum wage in the US? 
• The states with the highest minimum wage.
• Find out the exceptions to the federal minimum wage.

What is the minimum wage in the United States? Recently, it was announced that at least 26 states will raise their minimum wage based on inflation but the figure will vary depending on various factors such as the type of job and where you live.

The minimum wage is an issue that is always up for debate, especially in the face of economic stresses such as inflation, which have led to an increase in the costs of basic consumer products, something that has especially affected the working class. Learn more about the minimum wage!

Minimum wage in the United States

The Fair Labor Standards Act has established that the federal minimum wage in the United States starts at $7.25 per hour. This took effect on July 24, 2009. However, this does not mean that all states can’t set their minimum wages higher.

Minimum wages vary by state, when the two differ, the employee must be paid the higher of the two. There are some exceptions, such as wages for workers with disabilities, full-time students, those under the age of twenty, and tipped employees.

What about employees who work for tips?

Employers who have tipped employees on their payroll may pay an amount of not less than $2.13 per hour, as long as this amount and the tips received equal the minimum wage established by the US Fair Labor Standards Act.

In cases where the minimum wage and the tips that the employee receives are not enough to comply with the provisions of the law, then the employer must cover the remaining amount, regardless of what state they are in.

Minimum wage in the United States: Who does it apply to?

The minimum wage law in the United States applies to employees of companies that generate an annual income, from sales or negotiations, of at least $500,000. It also applies to employees of small businesses, when the employees work in interstate commerce or participate in the production of commercial goods, such as transportation or telecommunications.

The minimum wage also applies to people who work as security guards, janitors, and maintenance employees, as well as those who work for federal, state, and local agencies, hospitals, and schools, or self-employed home care workers.

States with the highest and lowest minimum wage

Currently, the states with the highest minimum wage are California at $15.50 per hour; Washington, with a minimum wage of $15.74 per hour; NY and Massachusetts at $15, and New Jersey at$14.13.

Among the states with the lowest minimum wage are Georgia and Wyoming. Both have determined it should be $5.15 per hour, although under the Fair Labor Standards Act, workers in Georgia and Wyoming receive a minimum hourly wage of $7.25.