2019 Minnesota Minimum Wage
The 2019 Minnesota Minimum Wage is $9.86.
Effective 2019-01-01Source: Minimum-wage rate adjusted for inflation as of Jan. 1, 2019 (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry)Verified 2026-08-31
Compared with 2018
| Item | 2018 | 2019 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $9.65 | $9.86 | +$0.21 (+2.2%) |
Who it applies to
Large employers in Minnesota
What changed this year, and why
Minnesota's minimum wage for large employers was adjusted for inflation, increasing from $9.65 per hour in 2018 to $9.86 per hour in 2019.
Common questions
- Does this rate apply to all employers in Minnesota?
- No. The $9.86 rate applies to large employers. A lower minimum wage applies to small employers.
- Does this rate apply in Minneapolis?
- No. Minneapolis has its own, higher minimum-wage rates that are not covered here.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
In Minnesota, certain workers may be paid less than the $9.86 large-employer minimum wage. The training wage of $8.04 an hour applies to employees younger than 20 years of age, but only for the first 90 consecutive days of employment. After that period, the employer must pay the full applicable minimum wage. The youth wage of $8.04 an hour applies to employees younger than 18 years of age. These subminimum rates mean that young workers in Minnesota may legally earn less than the standard large-employer rate, but the reduced wages are limited to specific circumstances based on age and the duration of employment. Minnesota employers should confirm that any worker paid at a subminimum rate meets the age and time-limit conditions, because paying below the standard rate to someone who does not qualify is a violation of state law.
The training wage rate, $8.04 an hour, may be paid to employees younger than 20 years of age for the first 90 consecutive days of employment. The youth wage rate, $8.04 an hour, may be paid to employees younger than 18 years of age.
Minimum-wage rate adjusted for inflation as of Jan. 1, 2019 (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry)
When a city or county sets a higher minimum wage
Minnesota's state minimum-wage rates do not apply everywhere in the state. The state rates do not apply to work performed in the city of Minneapolis, which has set its own higher minimum-wage rates. Workers employed in Minneapolis are covered by the city's local minimum wage instead of the state rate. A Minnesota worker who lives outside Minneapolis is covered by the state rates listed here, including the $9.86 per hour rate for large employers. Employers with locations both inside and outside Minneapolis must apply the correct rate based on where the work is actually performed. Local minimum-wage ordinances in other Minnesota cities may similarly set rates above the state floor, and when a local rate is higher, the employer must pay the higher amount.
These state minimum-wage rates will not apply to work performed in the city of Minneapolis, which has higher minimum-wage rates.
Minimum-wage rate adjusted for inflation as of Jan. 1, 2019 (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry)
How the rate is adjusted each year, and who announces it
Minnesota adjusts its minimum wage each year to reflect changes in the cost of living. The state's minimum-wage rates are adjusted for inflation beginning each January 1. For 2019, the large-employer rate was set at $9.86 per hour, and the other state minimum wages, including small-employer, youth, and training rates, were set at $8.04 per hour. The adjustment is announced by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, whose commissioner stated the increase would help the state's lowest-wage workers keep up with inflation. Minnesota employers and workers should check the department's announcement each year, because the new rate takes effect on January 1 and applies to all covered hours worked from that date forward. The adjustment mechanism ties future increases to a cost-of-living index so that the minimum wage does not lose purchasing power over time.
Minnesota's minimum-wage rates will be adjusted for inflation beginning Jan. 1, 2019, to $9.86 an hour for large employers and $8.04 an hour for other state minimum wages.
Minimum-wage rate adjusted for inflation as of Jan. 1, 2019 (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry)
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 rate adjusted for inflation as of Jan. 1, 2019 (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry)
- Hourly
Large employers must pay at least $9.86 an hour when the employer’s annual gross revenues are $500,000 or more.
Other years
Every Minnesota Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state