Minimum wage after taxes, by state
What does a minimum-wage job actually put in your bank account? Working full time at the minimum wage, take-home pay ranges from $31,093 a year in the District of Columbia to $13,437 in Alabama — after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and state taxes.
| State | Minimum wage | Take-home per 2-week paycheck | Take-home a year | After tax per hour | Tipped cash wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $18.40 | $1,195.91 | $31,093 | $14.95 | $10.30 |
| Washington | $17.13 | $1,165.96 | $30,315 | $14.57 | no tip credit |
| California | $16.90 | $1,136.13 | $29,539 | $14.20 | no tip credit |
| Connecticut | $16.94 | $1,133.76 | $29,478 | $14.17 | $6.38 |
| New Jersey | $15.92 | $1,074.79 | $27,945 | $13.43 | $6.05 |
| Hawaii | $16 | $1,062.99 | $27,638 | $13.29 | $14.75 |
| New York | $16 | $1,058.20 | $27,513 | $13.23 | $10.70 |
| Rhode Island | $16 | $1,051.69 | $27,344 | $13.15 | $3.89 |
| Florida | $15 | $1,048.05 | $27,249 | $13.10 | $11.98 |
| Arizona | $15.15 | $1,033.46 | $26,870 | $12.92 | $12.15 |
| Missouri | $15 | $1,028.05 | $26,729 | $12.85 | $7.50 |
| Maine | $15.10 | $1,018.43 | $26,479 | $12.73 | $7.55 |
| Nebraska | $15 | $1,015.24 | $26,396 | $12.69 | $2.13 |
| Colorado | $15.16 | $1,008.93 | $26,232 | $12.61 | $12.14 |
| Delaware | $15 | $1,002.68 | $26,070 | $12.53 | $2.23 |
| Massachusetts | $15 | $994.84 | $25,866 | $12.44 | $6.75 |
| Illinois | $15 | $994.22 | $25,850 | $12.43 | $9 |
| Oregon | $15.55 | $993.70 | $25,836 | $12.42 | no tip credit |
| Vermont | $14.42 | $982.86 | $25,554 | $12.29 | $7.21 |
| Alaska | $14 | $978.17 | $25,432 | $12.23 | no tip credit |
| Maryland | $15 | $972.83 | $25,293 | $12.16 | $3.63 |
| Michigan | $13.73 | $929.37 | $24,164 | $11.62 | $5.49 |
| Virginia | $12.77 | $875.75 | $22,770 | $10.95 | $2.13 |
| Nevada | $12 | $852.48 | $22,165 | $10.66 | no tip credit |
| South Dakota | $11.85 | $842.59 | $21,908 | $10.53 | $5.93 |
| New Mexico | $12 | $834.73 | $21,703 | $10.43 | $3 |
| Ohio | $11 | $772.92 | $20,096 | $9.66 | $5.50 |
| Arkansas | $11 | $772.06 | $20,074 | $9.65 | $2.63 |
| Minnesota | $11.41 | $770.43 | $20,031 | $9.63 | no tip credit |
| Montana | $10.85 | $764.71 | $19,883 | $9.56 | no tip credit |
| West Virginia | $8.75 | $623.37 | $16,208 | $7.79 | $2.62 |
| Texas | $7.25 | $535.63 | $13,926 | $6.70 | $2.13 |
| Tennessee | $7.25 | $535.63 | $13,926 | $6.70 | $2.13 |
| Wyoming | $7.25 | $535.63 | $13,926 | $6.70 | $2.13 |
| New Hampshire | $7.25 | $535.63 | $13,926 | $6.70 | $3.27 |
| Mississippi | $7.25 | $535.63 | $13,926 | $6.70 | $2.13 |
| Idaho | $7.25 | $535.63 | $13,926 | $6.70 | $3.35 |
| North Dakota | $7.25 | $535.63 | $13,926 | $6.70 | $4.86 |
| Georgia | $7.25 | $535.48 | $13,922 | $6.69 | $2.13 |
| Iowa | $7.25 | $534.13 | $13,887 | $6.68 | $4.35 |
| Louisiana | $7.25 | $533.01 | $13,858 | $6.66 | $2.13 |
| North Carolina | $7.25 | $531.63 | $13,822 | $6.65 | $2.13 |
| Kansas | $7.25 | $531.02 | $13,807 | $6.64 | $2.13 |
| Oklahoma | $7.25 | $530.63 | $13,796 | $6.63 | $2.13 |
| South Carolina | $7.25 | $529.94 | $13,778 | $6.62 | $2.13 |
| Utah | $7.25 | $525.63 | $13,666 | $6.57 | $2.13 |
| Wisconsin | $7.25 | $524.77 | $13,644 | $6.56 | $2.33 |
| Kentucky | $7.25 | $519.85 | $13,516 | $6.50 | $2.13 |
| Indiana | $7.25 | $519.65 | $13,511 | $6.50 | $2.13 |
| Pennsylvania | $7.25 | $517.41 | $13,453 | $6.47 | $2.83 |
| Alabama | $7.25 | $516.82 | $13,437 | $6.46 | $2.13 |
40 hours a week, paid every two weeks, single filer, standard W-4, no benefits; each state's default withholding choices. Rates in force on September 29, 2026, or from the date shown on the state's page. Some cities and counties set higher minimums, and a few states have regional rates (New York and Oregon); the state pages explain them.
Why the ranking isn't just the wage
The same minimum wage can take home different amounts: at $15 an hour, workers in a state with no income tax keep more than workers in a state with one, and a few states also take a paid-leave or disability premium. At the federal $7.25 — the minimum in 20 states — full-time take-home is about $13,926 a year in a state with no income tax. Federal income tax is small at these wages: the 2026 withholding tables leave the first part of the year's pay untaxed, so most of what comes out is Social Security and Medicare (7.65%).
Scheduled increases
- California: $17.40 on January 1, 2027
- Colorado: $15.71 on January 1, 2027 (tipped $12.69)
- Connecticut: $17.48 on January 1, 2027
- Maine: $15.70 on January 1, 2027 (tipped $7.85)
- Michigan: $15 on January 1, 2027 (tipped $6.30)
- Minnesota: $11.87 on January 1, 2027
- Nebraska: $15.26 on January 1, 2027 (tipped $2.13)
- Rhode Island: $17 on January 1, 2027
- Virginia: $13.75 on January 1, 2027
- Alaska: $15 on July 1, 2027
- Hawaii: $18 on January 1, 2028
Arizona, District of Columbia, Florida, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington raise their minimum each year with inflation; their next rates haven't been announced yet, and this page is updated when they are.
Tipped workers
Most states let employers pay tipped workers a lower cash wage as long as tips bring them up to the full minimum; 7 (Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington) allow no tip credit, so tipped workers get the full minimum wage before tips. Reported tips are taxed like wages, so a tipped worker's take-home depends on the tips — enter them in your state's hourly calculator. The 2025–2028 federal deduction for tips can lower the income tax on them when you file (how it works).
By hourly rate
$12 an hour · $13 an hour · $14 an hour · $15 an hour · $16 an hour · $17 an hour · $18 an hour · $19 an hour · $20 an hour · $21 an hour · $22 an hour · $23 an hour · $24 an hour · $25 an hour · $26 an hour · $27 an hour · $28 an hour · $29 an hour · $30 an hour · $32 an hour · $35 an hour · $40 an hour · $45 an hour · $50 an hour
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division — State minimum wage laws — each state's basic minimum rate and tipped cash wage; the federal $7.25 applies where a state has none or a lower one
- California DIR — News release 2026-66 — beginning January 1, 2027, the statewide minimum wage will increase to $17.40 per hour; no tip credit (checked 2026-09-29)
- Colorado CDLE — Colorado minimum wage will increase to $15.71/hour in 2027 — $15.71 per hour in 2027, and $12.69 for tipped workers (checked 2026-09-29)
- Office of Governor Lamont — Minimum wage will increase (August 2026) — $17.48 per hour beginning January 1, 2027; tipped cash wage for 2027 not stated (checked 2026-09-29)
- Maine DOL — Minimum wage increase for 2027 — from $15.10 to $15.70 per hour; service employees from $7.55 to $7.85 (checked 2026-09-29)
- Michigan LEO — Minimum wage and overtime — effective January 1, 2027, $15.00 per hour; tipped rate 42% of the minimum in 2027 (checked 2026-09-29)
- Minnesota DLI — Minimum wage rate adjusted for inflation Jan. 1, 2027 — $11.87 an hour for all employers; no tip credit (checked 2026-09-29)
- Nebraska DOL — State of Nebraska minimum wage (updated 7/31/2026) — January 1, 2027 $15.26; tipped employees at least $2.13 an hour (checked 2026-09-29)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-12-3 — commencing January 1, 2027, the minimum wage is $17.00 per hour (checked 2026-09-29)
- Office of the Governor of Virginia — Bills signed to raise the state minimum wage (April 2026) — $13.75 per hour on January 1, 2027, then $15.00 on January 1, 2028 (checked 2026-09-29)
- Alaska DOLWD — News release 25-11, minimum wage — $14.00 on July 1, 2026 and $15.00 on July 1, 2027; indexed for inflation from January 1, 2028; no tip credit (checked 2026-09-29)
- Hawaii DLIR — Minimum wage — $18.00 per hour beginning January 1, 2028; the 2028 tip credit differs between the statute ($1.50) and the DLIR poster ($1.25) (checked 2026-09-29)
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
Questions
Which state has the highest minimum wage after taxes?
District of Columbia: $18.40 an hour, about $31,093 a year after taxes for a full-time single worker.
How much is $7.25 an hour after taxes?
About $535.63 every two weeks, or $13,926 a year, working full time in a state with no income tax.
Do minimum wage workers pay federal income tax?
A little, if they work full time: the 2026 withholding tables take federal income tax only from pay above the tax-free amount built into them. Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) come out of every dollar.