2021 Missouri Minimum Wage
The 2021 Missouri Minimum Wage is $10.30.
Effective 2021-01-01Source: Minimum Wage Rate Set for Private Employers for 2021 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)Verified 2026-09-01
Compared with 2020
| Item | 2020 | 2021 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $9.45 | $10.30 | +$0.85 (+9.0%) |
Who it applies to
Private employers in Missouri. Retail and service businesses with gross annual sales below the statutory threshold are exempt. Tipped employees must receive total compensation of at least $10.30 per hour, with employers paying no less than half of the minimum wage plus any amount needed to reach that total.
What changed this year, and why
Missouri's minimum wage for private employers was set at $10.30 per hour, effective January 1, 2021.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in Missouri for 2021?
- The minimum wage in Missouri for 2021 is $10.30 per hour, effective January 1, 2021.
- Does the Missouri minimum wage apply to all employers?
- No. It applies to private employers. Public employers are not covered. Retail and service businesses with gross annual sales below a set threshold are also exempt.
- How are tipped employees paid under Missouri's minimum wage law?
- Employers must pay tipped employees at least half of the minimum wage, plus any amount necessary so that the employee's total compensation reaches at least $10.30 per hour.
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
Missouri workers and employers who have questions about the minimum wage rate can find detailed information and downloadable posters on the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations website. The division that handles minimum wage matters maintains a dedicated page at labor.mo.gov/DLS/MinimumWage, where the current rate, official posters, and related guidance are published. For additional workplace posting requirements, businesses can visit labor.mo.gov/posters to access printable versions of required notices. Workers in Missouri who believe they are not being paid the correct minimum wage should direct their complaint to the state labor office, which enforces these wage protections. The department's Communications Staff can also be reached at 573-751-4091 for general inquiries about minimum wage requirements and where to file a wage complaint.
To learn more about the minimum wage and to download a copy of the updated poster, visit labor.mo.gov/DLS/MinimumWage. Additionally, a printable version of the poster along with other required posters for businesses can be found at labor.mo.gov/posters. ### Communications Staff Department of Labor and Industrial Relations 573-751-4091 communications2@labor.mo.gov
Minimum Wage Rate Set for Private Employers for 2021 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
Missouri law sets the state minimum wage above the federal floor and also prohibits it from dropping below that floor. For 2021, the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations established the state rate at $10.30 per hour, effective January 1, 2021. The state's minimum wage law does not apply to public employers, nor does it allow the state's minimum wage rate to be lower than the federal minimum wage rate. This means that workers in Missouri covered by the state law are guaranteed at least $10.30 per hour, and if the federal rate were ever raised above the state rate, Missouri employers would have to pay the higher federal amount instead. All private businesses are required to pay at a minimum, the $10.30 hourly rate, except retail and service businesses whose gross annual sales are less than $500,000. For those exempt small businesses, the federal minimum wage still applies.
All private businesses are required to pay at a minimum, the $10.30 hourly rate, except retail and service businesses whose gross annual sales are less than $500,000. Missouri ‘s minimum wage law does not apply to public employers, nor does it allow the state’s minimum wage rate to be lower than the federal minimum wage rate.
Minimum Wage Rate Set for Private Employers for 2021 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
For tipped employees in Missouri, employers must pay at least 50 percent of the minimum wage as a direct cash wage, plus any additional amount needed so the employee's total compensation reaches at least $10.30 per hour. The rule does not let an employer count tips toward the wage floor without first paying half the full rate in cash, and it requires the employer to make up any shortfall. For Missouri workers who receive tips, this means the combined cash wage and tips must total $10.30 per hour for every hour worked; if tips in a given pay period fall short, the employer owes the difference.
Employers are required to pay tipped employees at least 50 percent of the minimum wage, plus any amount necessary to bring the employee’s total compensation to a minimum of $10.30 per hour.
Minimum Wage Rate Set for Private Employers for 2021 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
Why the federal rate applies when the state rate is lower
Missouri's minimum wage law covers private employers but expressly does not apply to public employers such as state agencies, cities and counties acting as employers. For Missouri workers, this means the $10.30 per hour rate binds private businesses but does not set a floor for wages paid by the state itself or its political subdivisions. The law also does not allow Missouri's rate to fall below the federal minimum wage, so even in years when the state schedule would produce a lower number, the federal floor still governs what private employers in Missouri must pay.
Missouri ‘s minimum wage law does not apply to public employers, nor does it allow the state’s minimum wage rate to be lower than the federal minimum wage rate.
Minimum Wage Rate Set for Private Employers for 2021 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
How the rate is adjusted each year, and who announces it
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations sets the state minimum wage each year and publicly announces the new rate, as it did when establishing the 2021 rate of $10.30 per hour effective January 1. The adjustment mechanism comes from Proposition B, a ballot measure Missouri voters approved in 2018, which directs the minimum wage to increase by 85 cents per hour annually through 2023. This means the rate rises by a fixed amount each year on a schedule written into state law, rather than being recalculated annually based on a consumer price index or cost-of-living formula. The department is responsible for publishing the updated rate and providing an official poster so that employers across Missouri know the current floor before it takes effect. For workers in Missouri, this means the state minimum wage follows a predetermined path set by the ballot measure, and the department serves as the office that formally announces each year's rate.
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations announces the state minimum wage rate for 2021 has been established, according to state law, at $10.30 per hour, effective January 1, 2021. Pursuant to Proposition B, which was approved by Missouri voters on November 6, 2018, the minimum wage will increase 85 cents per hour each year through 2023.
Minimum Wage Rate Set for Private Employers for 2021 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
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 Set for Private Employers for 2021 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
- Hourly
announces the state minimum wage rate for 2021 has been established, according to state law, at $10.30 per hour
Other years
Every Missouri Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state