2024 Missouri Minimum Wage
The 2024 Missouri Minimum Wage is $12.30.
Effective 2024-01-01Source: Minimum Wage Rate Set for Private Employers for 2024 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)Verified 2026-08-30
Compared with 2023
| Item | 2023 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $12 | $12.30 | +$0.30 (+2.5%) |
Who it applies to
Private employers in Missouri
What changed this year, and why
The Missouri minimum wage for private employers is $12.30 per hour, effective January 1, 2024. This is an increase from the 2023 rate of $12.00 per hour. The rate was set under Proposition B, which ties annual adjustments to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
Common questions
- What is the minimum pay for tipped employees?
- Employers must pay tipped employees at least half of the minimum wage, plus any additional amount necessary to bring total hourly compensation to $12.30.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
In Missouri, all private businesses must pay at least $12.30 per hour, except for retail and service businesses whose gross annual sales are less than $500,000. Those smaller employers are exempt from the state minimum wage requirement. The state law also does not apply to public employers such as government agencies. Additionally, Missouri's minimum wage cannot be set lower than the federal minimum wage rate, ensuring workers always receive whichever amount is higher.
At a minimum, all private businesses are required to pay the $12.30 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 2024 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
Workers and employers in Missouri with questions about the minimum wage can contact the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. The department can be reached by phone at 573-751-4091 or by email at communications2@labor.mo.gov. More information about the minimum wage, including an updated poster, is available at labor.mo.gov/dls/minimum-wage. Required workplace posters can also be downloaded from labor.mo.gov/posters.
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations 573-751-4091 communications2@labor.mo.gov
Minimum Wage Rate Set for Private Employers for 2024 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
Missouri's minimum wage law works alongside the federal minimum wage. The state requires that its rate cannot be set lower than the federal minimum wage. This means workers in Missouri are always entitled to whichever rate is higher — state or federal. Currently, Missouri's rate of $12.30 per hour exceeds the federal floor, so employers in the state must pay at least $12.30 per hour to covered workers. If the federal rate were ever increased above the state amount, the federal rate would control instead.
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 2024 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
In Missouri, tipped employees must receive at least $12.30 per hour in total compensation. Employers may pay a cash wage that is at least 50 percent of the state minimum wage, but they must add enough to cover tips so the worker's combined earnings reach the full $12.30 hourly rate. If tips in a given pay period fall short, the employer is responsible for making up the difference. This means a Missouri employer cannot rely on tips alone to meet the minimum wage obligation — the guaranteed floor remains $12.30 per hour regardless of how much a worker receives in tips.
Compensation for tipped employees must also total at least $12.30 per hour. 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 $12.30 per hour.
Minimum Wage Rate Set for Private Employers for 2024 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
Why the federal rate applies when the state rate is lower
Missouri law requires that the state's minimum wage rate cannot fall below the federal minimum wage. If the federal rate were ever set higher than Missouri's $12.30 per hour, the federal floor would control and employers in the state would have to pay at least that higher amount. This ensures workers in Missouri always receive whichever rate is more generous — state or federal.
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 2024 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
How the rate is adjusted each year, and who announces it
Missouri's minimum wage is tied to inflation through a formula established by a voter-approved initiative. Starting on January 1, 2024, the rate adjusts each year — up or down — based on changes in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations calculates the new rate and announces it, with the adjusted amount taking effect on January 1 of the following year. Workers and employers in Missouri can expect the $12.30 hourly rate to change annually as the cost of living shifts.
Starting on January 1, 2024, the minimum wage may increase or decrease each year depending on cost-of-living changes reflected in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
Minimum Wage Rate Set for Private Employers for 2024 (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 2024 (Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations)
- Hourly
announces the state minimum wage rate for 2024 has been established, according to state law, at $12.30 per hour
Other years
Every Missouri Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state