2025 Rhode Island Minimum Wage
The 2025 Rhode Island Minimum Wage is $15.
Effective 2025-01-01Source: Minimum Wage (Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training)Verified 2026-09-01
Compared with 2024
| Item | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $14 | $15 | +$1 (+7.1%) |
Who it applies to
Employers in Rhode Island must pay most workers at least the state minimum wage. Certain workers are exempt in specific situations, including federal government employees, some volunteers, newspaper carriers, shoe shiners, golf caddies, theater ushers, outside salespeople, and family employment arrangements between parents and children.
What changed this year, and why
Rhode Island's minimum wage increased to $15.00 per hour on January 1, 2025, up from $14.00 per hour in 2024.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in Rhode Island for 2025?
- The minimum wage in Rhode Island is $15.00 per hour, effective January 1, 2025.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training page for 2025 does not publish a subminimum hourly rate for minors, students, or workers in training. It lists a set of jobs and situations that are fully exempt from the state minimum wage — such as newspaper carriers, shoe shiners, golf caddies, theater ushers, outside salespeople, and family hires — but it does not describe a separate lower hourly figure that employers may pay to young workers, learners, or trainees. Rhode Island General Laws Title 28, Chapter 28-12 is cited on the page, with Sections 28-12-3 and 28-12-3.1 noted as the provisions covering minimum wage and minor workers, which suggests those statutes may contain subminimum wage rates. Until the DLT page posts those specific figures, employers and employees in Rhode Island should treat the $15 hourly minimum as the floor for all covered work and refer to the statute or contact the Department directly to confirm whether a particular minor, student, or trainee qualifies for a lower rate.
Sections 28-12-3 and 28-12-3.1 cover minimum wage and minor workers
Minimum Wage (Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
In Rhode Island, the Department of Labor and Training handles wage complaints and questions about minimum wage rates. The department is located at 1511 Pontiac Ave, Cranston, RI 02920. Workers can contact them via TTY through Relay RI at 711. The department provides various help forms for unemployment insurance claims, temporary disability insurance, and employer-related issues. Rhode Island's minimum wage rules come from Rhode Island General Laws, Title 28, Chapter 28-12, which defines jobs and special cases, covers minimum wage and minor workers, and addresses tips and gratuities. Workers in Rhode Island who believe they are not receiving proper wages should contact the Department of Labor and Training to file a complaint or get guidance on their rights under state labor law.
Department of Labor and Training 1511 Pontiac Ave Cranston, RI 02920 TTY (Relay RI): 711
Minimum Wage (Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
In Rhode Island, employers in industries such as restaurants and hotels may count tips received by workers toward meeting the minimum wage obligation. The employer pays a lower direct cash wage, with the expectation that tips will make up the difference. However, the total pay including both cash wages and tips must always be at least $16 per hour. If an employee's combined cash wages and tips fall short of the minimum wage in any pay period, the employer must make up the difference. This tip credit does not apply to taxi drivers or certain small public vehicle operators. Rhode Island General Laws Section 28-12-5 specifically covers tips and gratuities. Workers in Rhode Island who rely on tips should know that their employer is responsible for ensuring their total hourly compensation meets or exceeds the state minimum wage of $15, regardless of how much they earn in tips on any given shift.
Total pay including cash and tips must always be at least $16 per hour
Minimum Wage (Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training)
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 (Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training)
- Hourly
Commencing January 1, 2025: $15.00 per hour
Other years
Every Rhode Island Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state