2026 Oklahoma Minimum Wage
The 2026 Oklahoma Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2026-01-01Source: State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)Verified 2026-09-01
Compared with 2025
Every figure on this page is unchanged from 2025.
| Item | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $7.25 | $7.25 | +$0 (+0.0%) |
Who it applies to
Employers and employees in Oklahoma. The Department of Labor's entry opens with a coverage condition: the rate on this page applies to employers at or above a stated headcount of full time employees at any one location, or to employers above a stated level of annual gross sales whatever their headcount. All other employers are given a lower basic minimum rate the entry states separately, which this record does not verify or publish. The entry also says the state law excludes from coverage any employment subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
What changed this year, and why
The U.S. Department of Labor's table of state minimum wage laws, updated July 1, 2026, lists Oklahoma's basic minimum rate as $7.25 per hour for the employers named at the head of its entry. The entry adds that the state minimum wage law sets no current dollar minimums of its own and that the state adopts the federal minimum wage rate by reference. 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 Oklahoma in 2026?
- It is $7.25 per hour for the employers the Department of Labor's entry names first, in its State Minimum Wage Laws table as updated July 1, 2026. The same entry gives a lower basic minimum rate for all other employers, which this record does not verify. The figure published here is the one attached to the entry's first coverage block and nothing else.
- Which Oklahoma employers have to pay $7.25 an hour?
- The entry names two ways to fall inside its first block: employers at or above a stated headcount of full time employees at any one location, and employers above a stated level of annual gross sales regardless of how many full time employees they have. Those thresholds are figures in the table rather than figures this record verifies, so this page describes the conditions without restating them.
- Do smaller Oklahoma employers pay a lower minimum wage?
- The entry sets out a second block, headed as all other employers, with its own and lower basic minimum rate. This record verifies only the rate attached to the first block, so the second is described here and not published. The Department of Labor's table is where the two blocks are printed together, one under the other, with the rate for each.
- Does Oklahoma set its own minimum wage amount?
- The entry states that the Oklahoma state minimum wage law does not contain current dollar minimums, and that the state instead adopts the federal minimum wage rate by reference. So the amount the table prints for Oklahoma is the federal rate reaching the state through that reference rather than a figure written into the state statute. The table says nothing further about how the reference operates.
- Is employment covered by federal wage law also covered by Oklahoma's law?
- The entry says the state law excludes from coverage any employment that is subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. It states that exclusion flatly, without the condition several other entries attach, such as applying only when the federal rate is greater than the state rate. What the table does not do is list the exemptions written into the state law itself.
- When does overtime pay start in Oklahoma?
- The Department of Labor's Oklahoma entry carries no premium pay line, so this source states no threshold after which overtime becomes due and no premium rate. Most entries in the same table do carry such a line, and Oklahoma's does not. That is a statement about what this table displays, not about what obligations the federal Fair Labor Standards Act places on a covered employer.
- Is there a separate tipped minimum wage in Oklahoma?
- The Department of Labor's state table gives basic minimum rates per hour for Oklahoma 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.
- Where does the Oklahoma 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 first block of the Oklahoma 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
The federal minimum wage applies broadly, but certain categories of workers may be paid less than the standard rate. States have the authority to establish subminimum wages for specific groups, including minors and students. Additionally, some states provide exemptions from minimum wage coverage entirely or allow employers to pay a lower training wage to newly hired employees during an initial period. These special provisions vary by state and are not reflected in the federal rate shown on this page. Employers must determine whether any applicable state subminimum wage, exemption, or training wage applies to their workers. Workers who believe they may fall into one of these categories should verify the rules that apply in their state, as the conditions and rates differ. The federal floor of $7.25 per hour remains the baseline for covered, nonexempt employees unless a qualifying exception is in effect.
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
While the federal minimum wage sets a floor of $7.25 per hour, cities and counties within a state can enact their own minimum wage ordinances that exceed the state rate. When a local government does this, employers in that locality must pay the higher local rate rather than the state minimum. These local increases are not shown in the federal table, which only displays state-level rates. Workers in high-cost urban areas often find that their city or county minimum is significantly above both the state and federal figures. Employers operating in multiple jurisdictions must track which local rules apply at each worksite.
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 who work beyond their designated weekly hours are entitled to overtime pay. The federal overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate, unless otherwise specified by a particular provision or agreement. This means that for every overtime hour worked, the employee must receive at least a multiplier above what they normally earn per hour. For a worker paid the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour, the overtime rate would be calculated from that base using the one-and-one-half multiplier. The requirement is triggered by total hours worked in a workweek rather than by daily hours. Certain exemptions exist for specific categories of workers, but the one and one-half multiplier is the standard federal rule for most hourly employees who exceed the weekly threshold.
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
The Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor maintains the federal minimum wage table, but it advises that individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information about the rate that applies to them. Because states may set their own minimum wages, exemptions, and overtime rules that differ from the federal figures, the state labor office is the authoritative source for workplace-specific guidance. Workers who believe they are being paid below the required rate or who have questions about coverage should contact their state agency directly. The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor also provides a toll-free help line and a website for federal wage and hour inquiries, but the page itself directs readers to their state office for the information that governs their specific employment situation.
The Wage and Hour Division tries to ensure that the information on this page is accurate, but individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
Oklahoma does not set a state minimum wage that is higher than the federal floor. The state law does not contain its own dollar minimums; instead it adopts the federal minimum wage rate by reference. For Oklahoma workers whose employment is covered by both state and federal law, the result is that they earn at least $7.25 per hour, which is the federal rate. Oklahoma's law then excludes from coverage any employment that is already subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which means most covered employees in the state are governed directly by the federal minimum wage rather than by a separate state rate that is higher. There is no Oklahoma-specific rule that pushes the wage above the federal amount, and no separate state formula that adds to it. The $7.25 figure that applies in Oklahoma therefore comes from the federal government, not from a state decision to go beyond it.
The Oklahoma state minimum wage law does not contain current dollar minimums. Instead the state adopts the federal minimum wage rate by reference. The State law excludes from coverage any employment that is subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Why the federal rate applies when the state rate is lower
Oklahoma does not keep its minimum wage independent of the federal one: state law takes the federal figure by reference where the federal rate is the higher of the two. The rate on this page is $7.25 an hour, and it moves when the federal minimum moves rather than when Oklahoma legislates. That is worth knowing for two reasons. It means no Oklahoma bill is needed for your rate to rise - a federal increase reaches you automatically. And it means an employer cannot pay less by pointing at a lower state figure, because there is no lower state figure to point at. Where a state rate is the higher one, the state rate is what applies; that is simply not the position in Oklahoma today.
The Oklahoma state minimum wage law does not contain current dollar minimums. Instead the state adopts the federal minimum wage rate by reference.
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
Oklahoma Employers with ten or more full time employees at any one location or employers with annual gross sales over $100,000 irrespective of number of full time employees. Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $7.25
Other years
Every Oklahoma Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state