2021 Federal Minimum Wage
The 2021 Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2021-01-01Source: Minimum Wage (DOL)Verified 2026-09-01
Compared with 2020
Every figure on this page is unchanged from 2020.
| Item | 2020 | 2021 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $7.25 | $7.25 | +$0 (+0.0%) |
Who it applies to
Employers and workers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
What changed this year, and why
The federal minimum wage remained at $7.25 per hour in 2021, unchanged from the prior year.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
The U.S. Department of Labor page for the 2021 federal minimum wage does not contain any discussion of subminimum wage rates for minors, students, or workers in training. While the page's navigation menu links to a "Youth Minimum Wage" fact sheet and to "Subminimum Wage" as a topic, the text of the page itself does not quote or describe the special rates that may be paid to young workers, full-time students, or trainees. Information about who may be paid less than the standard federal hourly floor of $7.25 therefore cannot be drawn from this document. Readers should consult the DOL's Youth Minimum Wage fact sheet or the Subminimum Wage topic page for details on those separate provisions.
Youth Minimum Wage
Minimum Wage (DOL)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
The Fair Labor Standards Act itself does not include a procedure for collecting wages that an employee earned or was promised above the federal minimum, such as unpaid overtime or commissions. However, some states do have laws under which such claims (sometimes including fringe benefits) may be filed. This means that when a worker believes the employer has withheld pay beyond the $7.25 federal floor, the path for recovering those wages typically runs through state labor agencies or state courts, not through the FLSA's minimum-wage enforcement process. Workers should look to their own state's labor office or wage claim process to file a complaint about unpaid wages above the federal minimum, while complaints specifically about being paid below $7.25 can be directed to the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.
The FLSA does not provide wage payment collection procedures for an employee’s usual or promised wages or commissions in excess of those required by the FLSA. However, some states do have laws under which such claims (sometimes including fringe benefits) may be filed.
Minimum Wage (DOL)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
The $7.25 federal minimum is a floor and not a ceiling, and for most workers in the United States it is not the operative number. Many states set their own minimum wage, some of them well above the federal one, and where a state gives greater protection the employer must comply with both laws - which in practice means paying the higher rate. Nothing in the federal act preempts the more generous state rule; it sets the minimum below which no covered employer may go. Two consequences worth carrying. Your own rate is the highest of the federal, state and local figures that reach your job, so the number to look up is your state's and your city's rather than this one. And a job that pays exactly $7.25 in a state with a higher minimum is not a lawful federal-rate job; it is an underpaid one.
Many states also have minimum wage laws. Some state laws provide greater employee protections; employers must comply with both.
Minimum Wage (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.
Minimum Wage (DOL)
- Hourly
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour
Other years
Every Federal Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state