Ohio minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Ohio is $11.00 an hour in 2026, rising to $11.40 on January 1, 2027. Ohio's rate is written into Article II, Section 34a of the state constitution, added by voters in 2006, but it binds only employers above a yearly sales threshold, $405,000 in 2026. Smaller employers and workers under 16 are owed the federal $7.25 in 2026.
Contents12 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $11.00 an hour, since January 1, 20262 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $11.40 on January 1, 2027 (announced)17 |
| Tipped employees | $5.50 cash wage, tip credit up to $5.5021 |
| Overtime | 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours a week1011 · details |
| Full-time pay | $440 a week, $22,880 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance, Wage and Hour, 614-644-2239 |
What to know about the Ohio minimum wage
Ohio voters put the minimum wage into the state constitution in 2006. Article II, Section 34a ties the rate to the consumer price index for urban wage earners, so it changes every January 1, and the annual sales threshold that decides which employers must pay it rises with it.7 The recent path: $9.30 in 2022, $10.10 in 2023, $10.45 in 2024, $10.70 in 2025, $11.00 in 2026 and $11.40 from January 1, 2027, a 3.5% increase announced on September 30, 2026.7
The threshold creates a two-level system. A business with annual gross receipts above $405,000 in 2026 pays the state rate to non-tipped employees aged 16 and older; a business at or below it pays the federal $7.25, as does any employer for workers aged 14 and 15.2 The official 2027 poster lists the threshold as $419,000.1 Tipped employees, defined as those receiving more than $30 a month in tips, get half the state rate in cash: $5.50 in 2026 and $5.70 from January 1, 2027.
Overtime rules carry their own size test: employers grossing less than $150,000 a year are not required to pay time and a half after 40 hours.2 The Ohio Department of Commerce publishes a new minimum wage poster each year, which employers must display.
All 2026 rates
Two rates apply in Ohio. Employers with annual gross receipts above the threshold pay the state rate to employees aged 16 and older. Employers at or below the threshold, and any employer for workers aged 14 and 15, pay the federal minimum.
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Larger employers | Non-tipped employees aged 16 and older at businesses above the gross receipts threshold ($405,000 in 2026)$11.40 from January 1, 202717 | $11.002 |
| Smaller employers and workers under 16 | Employers at or below the threshold, and employees aged 14 and 15, who receive the federal minimum | $7.252 |
| Workers with impaired earning capacity | A lower wage is allowed under Ohio Department of Commerce rules. | See rule2 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $5.50 an hour21 |
| Maximum tip credit | $5.50 an hour |
Employees who regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips may be paid half the state minimum in cash, $5.50 in 2026 and $5.70 from January 1, 2027.
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 rate1011 |
|---|---|
| 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 (R.C. 4111.03), applied with the exemptions and methods of the federal FLSA; agricultural employees are not covered by the state overtime rule.
Overtime at the minimum wage of $11.00 is $16.50 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
Each January 1 the rate rises by the change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) over the previous 12 months, and the gross receipts threshold rises with it. The Ohio Department of Commerce announces the new figures around September 30.
Indexed to inflation: yes. Adjusted each January 1 by CPI-W for the 12 months ending in August under the state constitution; small employers pay the federal rate.711
Rate history
Who is covered
The state rate covers non-tipped employees aged 16 and older at businesses above the gross receipts threshold. Federal employees, babysitters and live-in companions, outside salespeople, executive, administrative, professional and computer professionals, volunteers, nonprofit children's camp staff and family members in family-owned businesses are exempt.
Cities and counties
Ohio law bars cities and other political subdivisions from setting a minimum wage different from the state's (Revised Code 4111.02), and none has one.
Largest cities in Ohio
- ColumbusState $11.00
Cities of Ohio 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 |
|---|---|
| Michigan | $13.73 |
| West Virginia | $8.75 |
| Indiana | $7.25 |
| Kentucky | $7.25 |
| Pennsylvania | $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 | Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance, Wage and Hour |
|---|---|
| Phone | 614-644-2239 |
| The law | Ohio Constitution, Article II, Section 34a; Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4111 (minimum fair wage standards); Ohio Revised Code 4111.02 (minimum wage; no different local rate) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1
- 2 Ohio Department of Commerce, State of Ohio 2026 Minimum Wage poster Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 3 Ohio Department of Commerce, State of Ohio 2025 Minimum Wage poster Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 4 Ohio Department of Commerce, State of Ohio 2024 Minimum Wage poster Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 5 Ohio Department of Commerce, State of Ohio 2023 Minimum Wage poster Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 6 Ohio Department of Commerce, State of Ohio 2022 Minimum Wage poster Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 7 Ohio Department of Commerce, Ohio Minimum Wage to Increase by 3.5% in 2027 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 8 Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Revised Code 4111.02 Checked Oct 9, 2026
- 9 Ohio Department of Commerce, Ohio minimum wage to increase in 2027 Checked Oct 10, 2026
- 10 Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Revised Code 4111.03 Overtime Checked Oct 28, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 11
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