2023 Federal Minimum Wage
The 2023 Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2023-01-01Source: Minimum Wage (DOL)Verified 2026-09-01
Compared with 2022
Every figure on this page is unchanged from 2022.
| Item | 2022 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $7.25 | $7.25 | +$0 (+0.0%) |
Who it applies to
Workers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
What changed this year, and why
The federal minimum wage remained $7.25 per hour for 2023, unchanged from the prior year.
Common questions
- What is the federal minimum wage?
- The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.
- Does the federal minimum wage apply if a state has a higher minimum wage?
- No. If an employee is covered by both federal and state minimum wage laws and the state rate is higher, the employer must pay the higher rate.
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
The FLSA sets the federal minimum wage but does not itself provide a procedure for collecting wages or commissions that an employee believes are owed above that floor. If a worker's dispute is about unpaid regular wages, promised pay, or commissions beyond what the FLSA requires, the federal statute does not supply a claims process. Some states, however, have their own wage-payment laws that allow employees to file claims for these amounts, and in certain states the claims process can also cover fringe benefits. A worker in that situation would look to the relevant state agency or state-law mechanism rather than the FLSA to pursue the claim.
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