2024 Federal Minimum Wage
The 2024 Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2024-01-01Source: Minimum Wage (DOL)Verified 2026-09-01
Compared with 2023
Every figure on this page is unchanged from 2023.
| Item | 2023 | 2024 | 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 remains $7.25 per hour for 2024, unchanged from the prior year.
Common questions
- What is the federal minimum wage in 2024?
- The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour for 2024.
- Does my state have a different minimum wage?
- Yes. Many states have their own minimum wage laws. When a state minimum wage is higher, the employer must pay the higher rate. When the federal rate is higher, the employer must pay the federal rate.
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets the minimum wage but does not create a process for employees to recover wages or commissions that exceed the federal minimum yet were promised or earned under an employment agreement. If a worker is owed more than $7.25 per hour under a contract or state law and the employer refuses to pay, the FLSA itself will not help collect the difference. Instead, workers in this situation must look to their individual state's laws. Many states have enacted wage-payment statutes that allow employees to file claims for unpaid wages, and some of these state laws extend to fringe benefits as well. The procedures, deadlines, and available remedies vary by state. Workers should contact their state labor department or labor commissioner to learn whether a claim can be filed and what steps are required. The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division can assist with questions about the federal minimum wage, but disputes over wages above that federal floor generally fall under state jurisdiction.
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