Cook County minimum wage 2026

What to know about the Cook County minimum wage

Where the Cook County minimum wage applies is the first question, because it is not uniform across the county. The ordinance, Section 42-13 of the Cook County Code, covers unincorporated areas and the suburbs that accept it. Home-rule municipalities can opt out, and a number have, leaving their workers on the Illinois minimum. Towns with their own minimum wage, Chicago above all, apply that rate instead. The county's own applicability list dates from June 2023 and it warns that opt-outs change often, so it advises checking with the municipality.⁠¹

The rate is reset every July 1 by the Commission on Human Rights. It takes the highest of the federal minimum, the Illinois minimum and an inflation-based county calculation, and the inflation calculation is set aside when county unemployment reaches 8.5%. From July 1, 2026 the result is $15.40, with overtime at $23.10.⁠¹ Illinois's statewide rate has been $15.00 since January 1, 2025.⁠²

Tipped employees may be paid $9.25 an hour in cash from July 1, 2026, with tips measured over any seven-day period.⁠¹ The ordinance covers only workers aged 18 and over; younger workers are paid under state law. Drivers making deliveries in the county are covered for that work. Complaints go to the Commission on Human Rights, which can order back wages and reinstatement.⁠¹

All 2026 rates

Compared with Illinois

When a local minimum wage, the state minimum wage and the federal minimum wage differ, the employer must pay the highest one that applies to the work. For most covered work in Cook County, that is the local rate.

Tipped employees

Tipped employees may be paid a cash wage of $9.25 from July 1, 2026, as long as wages plus tips over any seven-day period reach $15.40 an hour. From July 1, 2026 the overtime minimum is $16.94 for tipped employees and $23.10 for others.

An employer that takes a tip credit must make up the difference whenever wages plus tips fall short of the full minimum wage for the workweek. See the tipped minimum wage guide.

How the rate changes

Each July 1 the Cook County Commission on Human Rights sets the rate at the highest of the federal minimum, the Illinois minimum, or the county's own figure based on the Consumer Price Index. The inflation-based figure may not be used when the county's unemployment rate is 8.5% or higher.

Rate history

Who is covered

Hourly, salaried and tipped employees aged 18 and over who work in Cook County, including drivers making deliveries within the county. Workers under 18 are paid under state law instead. Chicago and other municipalities with their own minimum wage apply that rate, and some home-rule municipalities have opted out and follow the Illinois minimum; the county says the opt-out list changes often.

• The county ordinance is in Chapter 42, Article I, Section 42-13 of the Cook County Code, with rules issued by the Commission on Human Rights.
• The county's list of which municipalities apply the ordinance was last updated in June 2023, so the county advises checking with the local municipality.
• Cook County also has a Paid Leave Ordinance, giving one hour of leave per 40 hours worked since December 31, 2023.
• Complaints go to the Cook County Commission on Human Rights, 69 W. Washington St., Suite 1130, Chicago, by online form, at 312-603-1100 or [email protected].

Other local rates in Illinois

• Chicago$17.05

Everywhere else in Illinois, the state rate applies.

Get help or file a claim

If you are paid less than the minimum wage that applies to your job, you can file a wage claim with the agency below. Federal law prohibits firing or otherwise retaliating against a worker for complaining about federal minimum wage rights.

Sources

1. 1
   Cook County Commission on Human Rights, Minimum Wage Ordinance and Regulations Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Illinois Department of Labor, Minimum Wage Law Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑

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