Missouri Minimum Wage 2026
The minimum wage in Missouri is $15.00 per hour in 2026, effective January 1, 2026. Tipped employees can be paid a cash wage of $7.50 per hour, as long as tips bring them to the full minimum.
What is the minimum wage in Missouri in 2026?
The Missouri minimum wage is $15.00 per hour as of January 1, 2026. This is the final step of Proposition A, the ballot measure voters approved in November 2024, which raised the rate from $12.30 to $13.75 in 2025 and then to $15.00 in 2026.
The $15.00 rate applies to most private employers in Missouri. One notable carve-out remains: retail and service businesses with annual gross sales under $500,000 are exempt from the state minimum wage, though the federal $7.25 floor still applies to most of them.
Tipped minimum wage in Missouri
The tipped minimum wage in Missouri is $7.50 per hour in 2026. Missouri sets the tipped cash wage at 50 percent of the full minimum wage, so it rose automatically when the full rate reached $15.00.
Tips plus the $7.50 cash wage must add up to at least $15.00 per hour. If they do not, the employer must pay the difference. Restaurants and bars hiring at scale should audit tip reporting monthly to stay ahead of shortfall claims.
Missouri minimum wage history: 2020 to 2026
| Year | Minimum wage | Tipped wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $9.45 | $4.73 |
| 2021 | $10.30 | $5.15 |
| 2022 | $11.15 | $5.58 |
| 2023 | $12.00 | $6.00 |
| 2024 | $12.30 | $6.15 |
| 2025 | $13.75 | $6.88 |
| 2026 | $15.00 | $7.50 |
Upcoming minimum wage increases in Missouri
No further increases are currently scheduled after the jump to $15.00. Proposition A originally included annual inflation adjustments starting in 2027, but 2025 legislation (HB 567) removed the automatic CPI indexing along with the measure's paid sick leave provisions.
That means Missouri's minimum wage stays at $15.00 unless the legislature acts or a new ballot measure passes. Given how Proposition A itself came about, another voter initiative in the next few years would not be a surprise.
Minimum wage by city in Missouri
Missouri preempts local minimum wages, so cities cannot set their own rates. St. Louis briefly enforced a higher city minimum in 2017 before the state's preemption law rolled it back, and Kansas City's approved increase never took effect for the same reason.
Every city in Missouri therefore follows the $15.00 state rate in 2026.
State rate applies; local rate preempted
State rate applies; 2017 city rate rolled back
State rate applies
State rate applies
What Missouri employers need to know
Small retail and service exemption
Retail or service businesses with annual gross sales under $500,000 are exempt from Missouri's state minimum wage. Most are still covered by the federal $7.25 minimum under the FLSA.
Overtime
Pay 1.5x the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Missouri follows the federal overtime framework.
Tipped employees
The cash wage is $7.50 (50 percent of the minimum). Reconcile tips every pay period and make up any gap below $15.00 per hour.
Posting and records
Post the current Missouri minimum wage summary where employees can see it and retain payroll records showing hours and wages.
How other states compare
See how Missouri'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 Missouri labor department. Minimum wage laws change frequently; confirm current rates with those sources or legal counsel before setting pay.
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