2027 Virginia Minimum Wage
The 2027 Virginia Minimum Wage is $13.75.
Effective 2027-01-01Source: § 40.1-28.10. Minimum wages (Virginia Law)Verified 2026-09-01
Compared with 2026
| Item | 2026 | 2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $12.77 | $13.75 | +$0.98 (+7.7%) |
Who it applies to
All employers in Virginia and their employees
What changed this year, and why
Virginia's state minimum wage rises from $12.77 to $13.75 per hour on January 1, 2027.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in Virginia in 2027?
- Beginning January 1, 2027, the minimum wage in Virginia is $13.75 per hour, or the federal minimum wage if that is higher.
- How does the 2027 rate compare to 2026?
- In 2026, the Virginia minimum wage was $12.77 per hour. The 2027 rate of $13.75 per hour takes effect on January 1, 2027.
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.
Why the federal rate applies when the state rate is lower
Virginia's 2027 minimum wage of $13.75 per hour is not always the rate an employer must pay. The state statute says the wage must be the greater of the state rate or the federal minimum wage. If Congress were to raise the federal minimum wage above $13.75 while Virginia's rate stayed at $13.75, employers in Virginia would have to pay the higher federal amount instead. In other words, the federal floor still protects Virginia workers whenever it exceeds what the state sets.
C. From January 1, 2027, until January 1, 2028, every employer shall pay to each of its employees wages at a rate not less than the greater of (i) $13.75 per hour or (ii) the federal minimum wage.
§ 40.1-28.10. Minimum wages (Virginia Law)
How the rate is adjusted each year, and who announces it
Virginia's minimum wage for 2027 is $13.75 per hour, but each year after that the state adjusts the rate for inflation. By October 1 before each new year, the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry sets the new hourly rate. The adjustment adds a percentage increase tied to the change in the United States Average Consumer Price Index for all items, all urban consumers (CPI-U), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. If the CPI-U rose during the most recent calendar year, the state rate goes up by the same percentage. If prices did not rise, the adjustment is zero — the rate cannot go down. Virginia's statute also allows the U.S. Department of Labor to designate a successor index if the CPI-U is replaced.
By October 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, the Commissioner shall establish the adjusted state hourly minimum wage that shall be in effect during the 12-month period commencing on the following January 1. The Commissioner shall set the adjusted state hourly minimum wage at the sum of (i) the amount of the state hourly minimum wage rate that is in effect on the date such adjustment is made and (ii) a percentage of the amount described in clause (i) that is equal to the percentage by which the United States Average Consumer Price Index for all items, all urban consumers (CPI-U), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, or a successor index as calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor, has increased during the most recent calendar year for which such information is available. The amount of each annual adjustment shall not be less than zero.
§ 40.1-28.10. Minimum wages (Virginia Law)
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.
§ 40.1-28.10. Minimum wages (Virginia Law)
- Hourly
C. From January 1, 2027, until January 1, 2028, every employer shall pay to each of its employees wages at a rate not less than the greater of (i) $13.75 per hour
Other years
Every Virginia Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state