Illinois Minimum Wage 2026
The minimum wage in Illinois is $15.00 per hour in 2026, effective January 1, 2025. Tipped employees can be paid a cash wage of $9.00 per hour, as long as tips bring them to the full minimum.
What is the minimum wage in Illinois in 2026?
The Illinois minimum wage is $15.00 per hour in 2026. The state reached this level on January 1, 2025, completing the phase-in schedule signed into law in 2019, and the rate is unchanged for 2026.
Chicago and Cook County set their own higher minimums that adjust every July 1, so the applicable rate in the Chicago metro area depends on the exact work location. Statewide, workers under 18 who work fewer than 650 hours a year have a lower youth rate of $13.00.
Tipped minimum wage in Illinois
The tipped minimum wage in Illinois is $9.00 per hour in 2026. Illinois sets the tipped cash wage at 60 percent of the full minimum, and tips must bring employees to at least $15.00 per hour.
Chicago is a special case: the city is phasing out its tip credit under the One Fair Wage ordinance, and its tipped cash wage reached $12.96 on July 1, 2026. The City Council delayed the larger scheduled jumps, so the next big step now lands July 1, 2028, with full parity due by 2030. Chicago restaurants should still model labor costs on the full city rate arriving by the end of the decade.
Illinois minimum wage history: 2020 to 2026
| Year | Minimum wage | Tipped wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $10.00 | $6.00 |
| 2021 | $11.00 | $6.60 |
| 2022 | $12.00 | $7.20 |
| 2023 | $13.00 | $7.80 |
| 2024 | $14.00 | $8.40 |
| 2025 | $15.00 | $9.00 |
| 2026 | $15.00 | $9.00 |
Upcoming minimum wage increases in Illinois
No further statewide increases are scheduled, and Illinois does not index its minimum wage to inflation. Future increases require new legislation.
Chicago and Cook County adjust their local minimums every July 1 based on inflation, so the local rates will keep climbing on their own schedule even while the state rate stays at $15.00.
Minimum wage by city in Illinois
Chicago's minimum wage is higher than the state's: $17.05 per hour for employers with 4 or more employees as of July 1, 2026. Cook County (outside Chicago) sets its own rate as well, at $15.40 as of July 2026.
Everywhere else in Illinois, from Aurora to Springfield to Rockford, the $15.00 state rate applies. For Chicago-area hiring, confirm the current city and county figures each July before posting pay ranges.
City rate from July 1, 2026; adjusts each July, employers with 4+ employees
County ordinance from July 1, 2026; some suburbs opted out, check locally
State rate applies
State rate applies
What Illinois employers need to know
Youth rate
Workers under 18 who work fewer than 650 hours in a calendar year may be paid $13.00 per hour. Once they cross 650 hours, the full minimum applies.
Tipped employees
The tipped cash wage is 60 percent of the applicable minimum. In Chicago, the tip credit is being phased out; the larger scheduled increases were delayed to July 2028, with full parity due by 2030.
Paid leave
The Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act gives employees up to 40 hours of paid leave per year, usable for any reason. Chicago and Cook County have their own paid leave ordinances.
One Day Rest in Seven
Illinois requires at least 24 consecutive hours of rest per calendar week and meal breaks on longer shifts; violations are actively enforced alongside wage claims.
How other states compare
See how Illinois's $15.00 rate stacks up against other state minimum wages in 2026, or browse the full minimum wage index for all 50 states.
Last verified:
Sources: the US Department of Labor's state minimum wage table and official announcements from the Illinois labor department. Minimum wage laws change frequently; confirm current rates with those sources or legal counsel before setting pay.
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