Arkansas Minimum Wage 2026
Current year
The 2026 Arkansas Minimum Wage is $11.
Effective 2026-01-01Source: State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)Verified 2026-08-29
Who it applies to
Employers and employees in Arkansas covered by the state minimum wage law. Unlike most entries in the table, the Arkansas entry opens with a coverage line applying the rate only to employers at or above a stated number of employees, so the condition and the rate are published together in the source. The entry also states premium pay after designated hours on a weekly basis, and the table does not display subminimum rates for minors, students or trainees, or any higher rate set by a local government.
What changed this year, and why
The U.S. Department of Labor's table of state minimum wage laws, updated July 1, 2026, lists Arkansas's basic minimum rate as $11.00 per hour, under a coverage line limiting it to employers at or above a stated number of employees. The entry records no dated step inside the year, and no earlier year of this record is published on this site, so this page states no year-over-year change.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in Arkansas in 2026?
- $11.00 per hour. That is the basic minimum rate the U.S. Department of Labor lists for Arkansas in its State Minimum Wage Laws table, in the version updated July 1, 2026. The entry states the rate under a line applying it to employers at or above a stated number of employees, and the figure published here is taken from that entry alone.
- Which employers have to pay the Arkansas minimum wage?
- The table's Arkansas entry begins with a line applying the rate to employers with a stated number of employees or more. Most entries in the same table carry no such condition; Arkansas's does, and it governs the basic minimum rate itself rather than only the overtime requirement. The table does not list the exemptions written into the state law.
- What applies to Arkansas employers below that size?
- The entry states the coverage condition and stops there. It does not say what applies to a smaller employer, and this page does not either. Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act are separately covered by the federal minimum wage, which the same table cites in its entries for states that have no minimum wage law of their own.
- Does Arkansas have daily overtime?
- The Department of Labor's table records premium pay after designated hours for Arkansas on a weekly basis only. Several entries in the same table state a daily threshold as well; the Arkansas entry has no daily line, so this page states none. The table's footnote adds that the overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate unless otherwise specified.
- Is there a separate tipped minimum wage for Arkansas?
- The Department of Labor's state table lists one basic minimum rate per hour for Arkansas and no separate cash wage for tipped employees, so this page does not publish one. The same table states that differential provisions are not displayed in it, naming subminimum rates for minors and students and training wages for new hires as examples of what it leaves out.
- Does the Arkansas minimum wage change during 2026?
- The Department of Labor's table lists no scheduled change for Arkansas. Its entry carries a single basic minimum rate with no dated step attached, unlike the entries the department dates for some other states. A change taking effect after the table's July 1, 2026 update would not appear on this page until the department republishes the table and this record is verified against it again.
- How is the Arkansas minimum wage adjusted each year?
- The same table states an annual adjustment formula inside the entry for several states. The Arkansas entry contains no such statement. This page therefore publishes the rate the table listed as of July 1, 2026 and makes no claim about how or when the rate is recalculated, because the source document does not say.
- Where does the $11.00 figure on this page come from?
- From the Wage and Hour Division's State Minimum Wage Laws table at dol.gov, in the snapshot captured for this record, where the Arkansas entry gives the basic minimum rate per hour as $11.00. The division notes on the same page that it tries to keep the information accurate and that individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information.
Every amount on this page is a published figure rather than yours. The Minimum wage pay calculator takes the number you enter and works it out against them, showing which published figure it used.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
This page lists each state's general minimum wage, but the figures shown do not reflect every special rate a state may apply. Several states authorize employers to pay certain categories of workers less than the standard minimum. Typical examples include minors (young workers below a specified age), students employed in certain seasonal or retail jobs, and newly hired employees during a short initial training period. A state may also exempt an entire class of workers from its minimum-wage coverage. Because those subminimum, training, and exemption rules vary widely from state to state, they are not displayed in this table. Workers and employers who need to know whether a particular employee qualifies for a lower rate should check the rules that apply in their state.
Some states set subminimum rates for minors and/or students or exempt them from coverage or have a training wage for new hires.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
When a city or county sets a higher minimum wage
The rates shown in this table are each state's baseline minimum wage, but they do not include ordinances enacted by cities, counties, or other local jurisdictions. Some local governments set minimum wage rates higher than their respective state minimum wage. When a city or county has adopted its own floor, employers in that locality must pay the higher local rate, not the state rate listed here. Those locally adopted rates differ from place to place and change frequently, so the table does not attempt to display them. Workers and employers should check with the city or county where the work is performed to determine whether a local minimum wage applies in addition to, or instead of, the state figure shown.
Some local governments set minimum wage rates higher than their respective state minimum wage.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
When a non-exempt employee works more than the hours defined as regular under state law, the employer must pay an overtime premium on those extra hours. Under the standard rule referenced by the footnote on this page, that premium is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay. The table on this page reports only the basic minimum hourly rate; it does not calculate what an overtime hour costs, because overtime pay depends on the worker's own regular rate, which can be above the minimum. Some states impose a daily overtime threshold, so that hours beyond a set number in a single day trigger premium pay in addition to any weekly threshold. Employers must apply whichever formula produces the greater premium for the employee, unless a specific exemption removes the obligation entirely. The footnote's language - unless otherwise specified - signals that a few states depart from this multiplier for certain workers or industries, and those departures are noted in the individual state entries rather than in the footnote itself.
The overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate, unless otherwise specified.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
The Wage and Hour Division maintains this table as a reference, but it cannot serve as the final word on any state's current rate. Because state minimum wages are set by each state's own legislature and agencies, the authoritative source for any given state is that state's labor department. The page therefore advises that individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information. A state labor office can confirm the current rate, any applicable subminimum or training rates, local ordinances that may raise the floor, and how to file a wage complaint if an employer is not paying what is owed. Contact details for each state's labor office are available through the DOL's State Labor Offices directory.
The Wage and Hour Division tries to ensure that the information on this page is accurate, but individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
How each figure was verified
Each number below was read from a stored copy of the document named beside it, and checked to occur word for word in the quoted sentence. The digest is of that stored text.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
- Hourly
Arkansas Applicable to employers with 4 or more employees Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $11.00
By year
Every published year
8 years on record, 2026 back to 2015. Each year links to its own page, its own document and its own verification date.