What is the minimum wage?

The minimum wage is the starting hourly wage an employer can pay an employee for work. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour (part of the Fair Labor Standards Act). Some states and cities have raised their minimum wage higher than that. In most instances, the higher of the prevailing minimum wage requirements is binding for employers.

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Minimum Wage in the U.S.

Select your state to learn more about the standard minimum wage and the tipped wage in your state.

Fed. Min. Wage Fed. Tipped Wage
$7.25 $2.13

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January 24, 2025

Debunking False Narratives About D.C. Restaurant Job Trends

Last week, the D.C. City Council Committee on Executive Administration and Labor held a six-hour hearing to get feedback from employees and restaurants on how the city’s tip credit elimination…
January 17, 2025

DC Servers Flood Six-Hour Hearing Opposing Initiative 82

This week, the District of Columbia City Council Committee on Executive Administration and Labor hosted a hearing to hear employees’ experiences after a year and change under Initiative 82,…
January 10, 2025

New EPI Study Shows Initiative 82 Backfired On Workers

This week the Employment Policies Institute released a new study examining the impacts on DC restaurants of Initiative 82 – a ballot measure that would phase out the tip…
January 3, 2025

New Data Shows Tips are Lowest – and Declining – in One Flat Wage States

It’s no secret that states like California and Washington–which have a flat minimum wage with no tip credit–have had some of the lowest average tipping percentages in the nation.