Oklahoma Minimum Wage 2026
The minimum wage in Oklahoma is $7.25 per hour in 2026, effective July 24, 2009. Tipped employees can be paid a cash wage of $2.13 per hour, as long as tips bring them to the full minimum.
What is the minimum wage in Oklahoma in 2026?
Oklahoma's minimum wage is $7.25 per hour in 2026. The state adopts the federal minimum, which last changed on July 24, 2009, so the floor has now held steady through three presidential administrations.
Oklahoma is also one of the clearest examples of state preemption in action. In 2014, the legislature passed a law barring cities from setting their own minimum wages, a move aimed squarely at a petition drive that sought a higher minimum in Oklahoma City. That law remains the reason every Oklahoma municipality sits at $7.25 today.
Tipped minimum wage in Oklahoma
The tipped minimum wage in Oklahoma works out to $2.13 per hour in cash wages. State statute technically caps the tip credit at 50 percent of the minimum, but because the federal FLSA sets a $2.13 cash-wage floor and covers nearly all employers, $2.13 is the rate that governs in practice.
Whatever the cash wage, tips must bring each tipped employee to at least $7.25 per hour for the workweek. If a slow week leaves a server short, the employer owes the difference, so reconcile tip reports against hours every pay period rather than quarterly.
Oklahoma minimum wage history: 2020 to 2026
| Year | Minimum wage | Tipped wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2021 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2022 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2023 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2024 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2025 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
| 2026 | $7.25 | $2.13 |
Upcoming minimum wage increases in Oklahoma
No increase is scheduled for Oklahoma. Movement would require either the state legislature acting or Congress raising the federal $7.25 minimum, and neither body has passed such a measure.
A statewide ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage has been discussed and litigated in recent years, and initiative petitions remain the most plausible path to a higher Oklahoma rate given the legislature's 2014 preemption stance. Employers with multi-year labor budgets should watch initiative filings rather than legislative sessions.
Minimum wage by city in Oklahoma
Since the 2014 preemption law, Oklahoma cities have been prohibited from establishing local minimum wages. Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Norman, and Broken Arrow all follow the $7.25 federal rate.
The preemption bill was written in direct response to an Oklahoma City ballot initiative, so the state rate is unlikely to fragment by city. Market pay in the two big metros still exceeds the floor for most roles, particularly in energy, aerospace, and healthcare hiring.
Federal rate; the 2014 preemption law was passed to block a local initiative here
Federal rate; aerospace and energy employers set the real market floor
Federal rate; university-town labor pool with seasonal hiring swings
Federal rate; suburban Tulsa market follows metro pay levels
What Oklahoma employers need to know
Coverage
Oklahoma's minimum wage act applies to employers with ten or more full-time employees at one location or over $100,000 in annual gross sales, but the federal FLSA covers most others, so $7.25 is effectively universal.
Tipped employees
Pay at least $2.13 in cash wages and confirm tips close the gap to $7.25 each workweek. Keep declared-tip records tied to payroll in case of a Department of Labor audit.
Overtime
Oklahoma has no separate state overtime statute, so the federal rule applies: 1.5x the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek.
Posting and records
Display the federal FLSA minimum wage poster where employees can see it and preserve payroll records, including tip credits claimed, for at least three years.
How other states compare
See how Oklahoma's $7.25 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 Oklahoma labor department. Minimum wage laws change frequently; confirm current rates with those sources or legal counsel before setting pay.
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