What’s the minimum wage for servers in Minnesota?
The short answer
Minnesota at a glance
| Minimum wage | $11.41 | Federal: $7.25 |
|---|---|---|
| Tipped cash wage (paid before tips) | $11.41 | Federal: $2.13 |
| Can tips count toward minimum wage? | No | DOL: No |
| Who counts as tipped | n/a in tips a month | |
As of the U.S. Department of Labor table revised July 1, 2026. Your city may set a higher rate.
What’s different in Minnesota
Under federal rules a restaurant may pay $2.13 an hour and let tips make up the rest of $7.25. Minnesota closes that door completely. Your hourly rate is the same $11.41 a host or dishwasher is owed, and every tip stacks on it.
That number won’t stay fixed. The DOL notes that the state minimum is adjusted every year using a set formula, so check your rate when the new figure takes effect instead of relying on an old offer letter.
The May 2025 BLS median for Minnesota waiters and waitresses was $12.25 an hour, only a little above the base. Keep in mind that employers report that estimate and it already includes reported tips. It’s not a forecast of your own earnings, and a slow season can look very different.
Example shift
Say you work 6 hours and walk out with $120 in tips (illustrative numbers; use your own).
- Wages: $11.41 × 6 = $68.46.
- With tips: $68.46 + $120 = $188.46, or $31.41 an hour.
What servers earn: BLS estimates the median hourly wage for waiters and waitresses in Minnesota was $12.25 in May 2025. BLS counts tips in this figure, but the numbers come from employers’ estimates, so they may not reflect all the tips servers receive.
Check your own week: Am I being paid at least minimum wage?
Official sources
Last verified
. Checked the U.S. Department of Labor state tables (revised July 1, 2026) and BLS OEWS May 2025.
Related
- Server minimum wage in every state
- More in Minnesota: Benefits you can get
- Same rule in: Alaska · California · Nevada
- Why is my server paycheck so small?
- Tip-outs and tip pools