What’s the minimum wage for servers in each state?
All 50 states + DCVerified September 23, 2026
The short answer
Federal law lets employers pay servers a cash wage as low as $2.13 an hour and count tips toward the rest of the $7.25 minimum, as long as your wages plus tips reach $7.25 every week. Many states set a higher cash wage, and 7 states don’t let tips count toward minimum wage at all. Find your state below.
Every state, from the U.S. Department of Labor
As of the DOL tables revised July 1, 2026. “BLS median” is the May 2025 BLS estimate for waiters and waitresses: BLS counts tips, but it’s based on employers’ estimates. Where it sits at or below the state minimum, it likely doesn’t capture tips, so we don’t show it. Local rates can be higher.
| State | Tipped cash wage | Minimum wage | Tips count toward minimum? | BLS median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $12.91 |
| Alaska | $14.00 | $14.00 | No | — |
| Arizona | $12.15 | $15.15 | Yes | $21.13 |
| Arkansas | $2.63 | $11.00 | Yes | $11.86 |
| California | $16.90 | $16.90 | No | $17.35 |
| Colorado | $12.14 | $15.16 | Yes | $21.57 |
| Connecticut | Hotel, restaurant: $6.38; Bartenders who customarily receive tips: $8.23 | $16.94 | Yes | — |
| Delaware | $2.23 | $15.00 | Yes | $17.73 |
| District of Columbia | $10.30 | $18.40 | Yes | $23.01 |
| Florida | $10.98 | $14.00 | Yes | $17.38 |
| Georgia | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $8.99 |
| Hawaii | $14.75 | $16.00 | Conditions apply | $29.99 |
| Idaho | $3.35 | $7.25 | Yes | $14.45 |
| Illinois | $9.00 | $15.00 | Yes | — |
| Indiana | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $13.69 |
| Iowa | $4.35 | $7.25 | Yes | $10.10 |
| Kansas | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $17.36 |
| Kentucky | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $14.26 |
| Louisiana | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | — |
| Maine | $7.55 | $15.10 | Yes | $20.85 |
| Maryland | $3.63 | $15.00 | Yes | $17.67 |
| Massachusetts | $6.75 | $15.00 | Yes | $18.49 |
| Michigan | $5.49 | $13.73 | Yes | $18.16 |
| Minnesota | $11.41 | $11.41 | No | $12.25 |
| Mississippi | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $10.27 |
| Missouri | $7.50 | $15.00 | Yes | — |
| Montana | same as MW (full MW) | $10.85 (sales over $110,000); $4.00 (non-FLSA, sales of $110,000 or less) | No | — |
| Nebraska | $2.13 | $15.00 | Yes | $16.24 |
| Nevada | $12.00 | $12.00 | No | $12.70 |
| New Hampshire | $3.27 | $7.25 | Yes | $18.48 |
| New Jersey | $6.05 | $15.92; $15.23 for employers with fewer than 6 and for seasonal | Conditions apply | — |
| New Mexico | $3.00 | $12.00 | Yes | $17.75 |
| New York | DOL does not state it: "Tipped workers' minimum wage rates vary by region and type of employer. See New York's Minimum Wage: Overview." | $17.00 (NYC, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester); $16.00 (remainder) | Yes | — |
| North Carolina | $2.13 | $7.25 | Conditions apply | $15.46 |
| North Dakota | $4.86 | $7.25 | Yes | $14.85 |
| Ohio | $5.50 | $11.00 (gross receipts of $405,000 or more); $7.25 (under $405,000) | Yes | — |
| Oklahoma | $2.13 | $7.25 (10+ full-time at a location or sales over $100,000); $2.00 other employers | Yes | — |
| Oregon | same as MW (full MW) | $15.55 (standard); $16.80 (Portland Metro); $14.55 (non-urban counties) | No | — |
| Pennsylvania | $2.83 | $7.25 | Yes | $16.68 |
| Rhode Island | $3.89 | $16.00 | Yes | $17.03 |
| South Carolina | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $8.83 |
| South Dakota | $5.93 | $11.85 | Yes | $13.94 |
| Tennessee | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $13.35 |
| Texas | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $11.18 |
| Utah | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $14.98 |
| Vermont | $7.21 | $14.42 | Yes | $28.43 |
| Virginia | $2.13 | $12.77 | Yes | $21.52 |
| Washington | $17.13 | $17.13 | No | $26.98 |
| West Virginia | $2.62 | $8.75 | Yes | $17.01 |
| Wisconsin | $2.33 | $7.25 | Yes | $14.26 |
| Wyoming | $2.13 | $7.25 | Yes | $11.50 |
Why so many states sit at $2.13: Which states pay servers $2.13 an hour?
Official sources
Last verified
. Checked the DOL state tables and BLS OEWS May 2025. States with several rates or where DOL defers to the state show DOL’s own wording.