2026 North Dakota Minimum Wage
The 2026 North Dakota Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2026-01-01Source: State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)Verified 2026-08-29
Who it applies to
Employers and employees in North Dakota covered by the state minimum wage law. The Department of Labor's table gives the North Dakota rate with no employer-size or gross-receipts condition attached, unlike its entries for several other states. The entry adds a premium pay line naming a weekly threshold after which overtime is owed, and names no daily one. The table does not display subminimum rates for minors, students or trainees.
What changed this year, and why
The U.S. Department of Labor's table of state minimum wage laws, updated July 1, 2026, lists North Dakota's basic minimum rate as $7.25 per hour. The entry records no dated step inside the year and no statement that the rate is recalculated on any cycle, and no earlier year of this record is published here, so this page states no year-over-year change.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in North Dakota in 2026?
- It is $7.25 per hour. That is the basic minimum rate the U.S. Department of Labor lists for North Dakota in its State Minimum Wage Laws table, in the version updated July 1, 2026. The figure published here is taken from that entry and from nothing else, so it is the state rate as the department recorded it on that date.
- Does the North Dakota minimum wage go up during 2026?
- The Department of Labor's table lists no scheduled increase for North Dakota. The entry carries a single basic minimum rate with no dated step beside it and no statement that the rate is recalculated on any cycle, which the same table does carry for several other states. A change taking effect after the July 1, 2026 update would appear here only once the department republishes the table and this record is verified against it again.
- Which North Dakota employers have to pay the minimum wage?
- The table's North Dakota entry states a basic minimum rate and attaches no coverage condition to it. For several other states the same table opens the entry with a line limiting the rate to employers above a stated headcount or above a stated level of annual sales; North Dakota's entry carries no such line. The table also does not list the exemptions written into the state law itself.
- Is there a separate tipped minimum wage in North Dakota?
- The Department of Labor's state table lists a single basic minimum rate per hour for North Dakota and no separate cash wage for tipped employees, so this page does not publish one. The same table says plainly that differential provisions are not displayed in it, naming subminimum rates for minors and students and training wages for new hires as its examples.
- When does overtime pay start in North Dakota?
- The entry states a premium pay threshold measured by the week, and states no daily threshold, unlike the entries the table gives for some other jurisdictions. The table's footnote adds that the overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate unless otherwise specified. The hour count itself is a figure in the table rather than one this record verifies, so this page describes the threshold without restating it.
- Is the North Dakota minimum wage adjusted for inflation each year?
- The table states an annual adjustment inside the entry itself for the states that have one, in the words that the minimum wage is adjusted annually based on a set formula. The North Dakota entry contains no such statement. This page therefore publishes the rate the table listed as of July 1, 2026 and makes no claim about how or when the rate is recalculated, because the source document does not say.
- Is North Dakota's minimum wage the same as the federal minimum wage?
- The department lists North Dakota's own basic minimum rate as $7.25 per hour, and cites that same amount as the current federal minimum wage in its entries for the states that have no minimum wage law of their own. North Dakota's entry carries no clause adopting the federal rate by reference or replacing the state rate when the federal one is higher, which several other states' entries do carry.
- Where does the North Dakota figure on this page come from?
- From the Wage and Hour Division's State Minimum Wage Laws table at dol.gov, in the snapshot captured for this record, where the North Dakota entry gives the basic minimum rate per hour as $7.25. The division notes on the same page that it tries to ensure the information there is accurate and that individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information.
Every amount on this page is a published figure rather than yours. The Minimum wage pay calculator takes the number you enter and works it out against them, showing which published figure it used.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
Although the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, certain categories of workers may be paid less under state law. States may establish a subminimum rate for minors, often based on age or the size of the employer. Full-time students employed by certain retail or service businesses, by agriculture, or by institutions of higher education may also qualify for a lower rate. In addition, some states authorize a training wage for newly hired employees, typically limited to a set number of hours or a short introductory period before the full minimum wage must be paid. In some cases states exempt these groups from minimum-wage coverage altogether. Because these lower rates are set by individual states and are not shown in this table, employers must look to their state's own labor law to determine whether a subminimum or training wage applies to a particular worker.
Some states set subminimum rates for minors and/or students or exempt them from coverage or have a training wage for new hires.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
When a city or county sets a higher minimum wage
Even when a state follows the federal floor of $7.25 per hour, a city, county, or other local jurisdiction may enact its own minimum wage that exceeds the state rate. Workers employed within that locality are entitled to the higher local rate, not the lower state or federal figure. These local ordinances vary widely in their hourly amounts, the size of employer they cover, and whether they apply to all workers or only certain industries. Because local minimum wages are set independently and can change more frequently than state rates, they are not shown in this table. Workers and employers should check the website or labor department of the city or county where the work is performed to confirm the local rate that applies.
Some local governments set minimum wage rates higher than their respective state minimum wage.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, covered non-exempt employees must receive overtime pay for all hours worked beyond the standard workweek. The overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay. The "regular rate" includes all remuneration for employment - base wages, non-discretionary bonuses, commissions, and certain other payments - divided by total hours worked, so the overtime amount may be higher than the employee's stated hourly wage. The workweek is a fixed, recurring period of seven consecutive days chosen by the employer; it need not match the calendar week. Overtime is calculated on a weekly basis, not a daily one, unless a state or local law requires daily overtime. The overtime rule applies regardless of whether the employee is paid hourly, by salary, by piece rate, or by any other method.
The overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate, unless otherwise specified.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
Questions about whether a particular employer or worker is covered by the federal minimum wage, or about state-specific rates, should be directed to the relevant state labor office, which maintains the official and most current information for that jurisdiction. For complaints that an employer has failed to pay the required minimum wage or overtime, workers may contact the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. The Division can be reached by phone or through its website. Complaints may also be filed in person at a local Wage and Hour Division office. Workers are protected from retaliation for filing a complaint or participating in any proceeding under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information.
State Minimum Wage Laws (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.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
- Hourly
North Dakota Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $7.25
Other years
- 2026
Every North Dakota Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state