North Carolina minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in North Carolina is $7.25 an hour in 2026. North Carolina's statute, G.S. 95-25.3, ties the state minimum to the federal rate and carries it to smaller businesses, generally those under $500,000 in sales, that federal law does not reach.
Contents12 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $7.25 an hour, since July 24, 200913 |
|---|---|
| Next change | None scheduled. |
| Tipped employees | $2.13 cash wage, tip credit up to $5.1213 |
| Overtime | 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours a week5 · details |
| Full-time pay | $290 a week, $15,080 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | North Carolina Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Bureau, 1-800-625-2267 |
What to know about the North Carolina minimum wage
North Carolina's Wage and Hour Act sets the state minimum at $6.15 or the federal rate, whichever is higher, so the figure has followed federal law to $7.25 since July 24, 2009.3 The state law does its real work in the space federal law leaves open. The North Carolina Department of Labor enforces the state minimum mainly for businesses with less than $500,000 in gross sales, and the law also binds the state, counties and cities as employers.1
The exemptions show which jobs the state left to federal law or to no law at all. Agricultural and domestic workers fall outside the state minimum wage, as do performers and models, seafood workers, summer camp and outdoor drama staff, the employer's own family members and several other groups listed in G.S. 95-25.14.4 Full-time students, learners, apprentices and messengers working under the state Act may be paid 90% of the minimum, rounded down to the nickel.
North Carolina's tip rules are more detailed than the federal ones. Tipped workers must be told in advance that the employer is taking a tip credit, must keep all their tips, and must certify tip records each month or pay period; a tip pool may not reduce any worker's tips by more than 15%.1 Overtime under state law starts after 40 hours, or after 45 hours at seasonal amusement businesses.5 Workers can reach the department at 1-800-NC-LABOR (800-625-2267).
All 2026 rates
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| State and federal minimum | Federally covered employers under federal law, and smaller employers under the state Wage and Hour Act | $7.2513 |
| Full-time students, learners, apprentices and messengers | 90% of the minimum wage, rounded down to the nickel (G.S. 95-25.3(b)). Applies only to jobs under the state Act, not to federally covered work. | See rule3 |
| Seasonal food service and certain hard-to-employ workers | The Commissioner of Labor may allow, by regulation, a rate of no less than 85% of the minimum wage for seasonal food service businesses, and for up to 52 weeks for some long-term unemployed or public assistance recipients with an eligibility certificate. | See rule3 |
| Workers with impaired earning capacity | The Commissioner of Labor may set a lower rate by regulation (G.S. 95-25.3(c)). | See rule3 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $2.13 an hour13 |
| Maximum tip credit | $5.12 an hour |
Employers may count tips up to the amount federal law allows, paying at least $2.13 an hour in cash in 2026, and tip pools are allowed only among tipped employees.
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.
Overtime and salaried staff
| Weekly overtime | After 40 hours in a workweek, at 1.5 times the regular rate5 |
|---|---|
| Daily overtime | None in state law |
| Exempt salary | The federal level, $684 a week ($35,568 a year) |
Time and a half after 40 hours a week, or after 45 hours in seasonal amusement or recreational establishments, under the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act (G.S. 95-25.4).
Overtime at the minimum wage of $7.25 is $10.875 an hour. Salaried managers, administrators and professionals are exempt from overtime only if they meet the duties tests and are paid at least the exempt salary. See overtime rules in every state or calculate pay with overtime.
How the rate changes
There is no state schedule or index. Because G.S. 95-25.3(a) ties the rate to federal law, it moves only if Congress changes the federal minimum.
Indexed to inflation: no. Not indexed; tied to the federal minimum wage.5
Rate history
Who is covered
Employees of businesses covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act are paid under federal law; the state minimum reaches smaller businesses and the state and local governments. G.S. 95-25.14 also exempts executive, administrative, professional and outside sales employees.
- North Carolina has no statewide paid sick leave law.
- Local governments may set pay for their own employees, and some publish living wage policies for their staff; these do not apply to private employers.
Cities and counties
Since a 2023 law, G.S. 95-25.1(d) has barred any local ordinance or policy that sets requirements on employers' pay, hours, benefits or leave, with narrow exceptions such as a local government's pay for its own employees.
Largest cities in North Carolina
- CharlotteFederal rate $7.25
- RaleighFederal rate $7.25
Cities of North Carolina among the 50 most populous in the US (U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates for July 1, 2025). “Local” marks a city with its own minimum wage, “Regional” a state wage region, and “Federal rate” a city where the federal $7.25 is the rate that applies.
Neighboring states
If you live near a state line, the rate that applies is the one where you do the work, not where you live or where the employer is based.
| State | Per hour now |
|---|---|
| Virginia | $12.77 |
| Georgia | $7.25 |
| South Carolina | $7.25 |
| Tennessee | $7.25 |
Compare every state on the ranked list and map.
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.
| Agency | North Carolina Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Bureau |
|---|---|
| Phone | 1-800-625-2267 |
| The law | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 95-25.1 (purpose; local governments preempted); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 95-25.3 (minimum wage); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 95-25.14 (exemptions) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 North Carolina Department of Labor, Minimum Wage in NC Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2
- 3 North Carolina General Assembly, G.S. 95-25.3 Minimum wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 4 North Carolina General Assembly, G.S. 95-25.14 Exemptions Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 5 U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, State Minimum Wage Laws Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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