West Virginia Minimum Wage 2026
The minimum wage in West Virginia is $8.75 per hour in 2026, effective January 1, 2016. Tipped employees can be paid a cash wage of $2.62 per hour, as long as tips bring them to the full minimum.
What is the minimum wage in West Virginia in 2026?
The West Virginia minimum wage is $8.75 per hour in 2026, exactly where it has stood since January 1, 2016. A full decade without an increase makes West Virginia one of the longest-frozen state minimums in the country, and the rate is not indexed to inflation.
The law covers employers with six or more employees at a single location; smaller worksites fall back to the federal $7.25. In practice, ten years of inflation have pushed market wages in most West Virginia industries well past $8.75, so the legal floor matters less for recruiting than the rates just across the state's many borders.
Tipped minimum wage in West Virginia
The tipped minimum wage in West Virginia is $2.62 per hour. The state allows a tip credit of 70 percent of the minimum wage, and since the minimum has not moved since 2016, neither has the tipped rate.
Tips plus the $2.62 cash wage must reach $8.75 per hour for covered employees. The threshold is low by modern standards, but the recordkeeping duty is the same as anywhere: document tips per pay period and cover any shortfall in wages.
West Virginia minimum wage history: 2020 to 2026
| Year | Minimum wage | Tipped wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $8.75 | $2.62 |
| 2021 | $8.75 | $2.62 |
| 2022 | $8.75 | $2.62 |
| 2023 | $8.75 | $2.62 |
| 2024 | $8.75 | $2.62 |
| 2025 | $8.75 | $2.62 |
| 2026 | $8.75 | $2.62 |
Upcoming minimum wage increases in West Virginia
No increases are scheduled. West Virginia's minimum wage is set by statute with no inflation indexing, so the $8.75 rate stays until the legislature passes a new bill. Increase proposals have appeared in recent sessions without advancing.
The longer the freeze runs, the wider the gap with neighboring states grows. Employers should treat $8.75 as a legal formality and benchmark actual pay against regional market rates, which have moved substantially since 2016.
Minimum wage by city in West Virginia
West Virginia has no local minimum wages. Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, and Parkersburg all follow the statewide $8.75 rate.
The state's borders tell a more complicated story. West Virginia touches five states whose minimums pull in every direction: Ohio at $10.95, Virginia at $12.77, and Maryland at $15.00 all sit above it, while Pennsylvania matches the federal $7.25. Employers in border cities like Huntington and Morgantown compete directly with those higher-wage markets for hourly workers.
State rate applies
State rate applies; Ohio across the river is at $10.95
State rate applies; nearby Pennsylvania remains at the federal $7.25 while Maryland is at $15.00
State rate applies; Virginia's $12.77 pulls workers toward the eastern border
What West Virginia employers need to know
Six-employee threshold
The $8.75 state rate applies to employers with six or more employees at one location. Smaller worksites fall under the federal $7.25 minimum instead.
Tipped employees
The cash wage is $2.62, reflecting a 70 percent tip credit. Verify tips bring each tipped employee to $8.75 per hour every pay period and make up any gap.
Federal overlap
FLSA-covered employers owe at least the federal $7.25 regardless of state coverage, and the higher $8.75 applies where both laws reach. Confirm which law covers each worksite.
Benchmark against borders
With Ohio, Virginia, and Maryland all paying more, the legal minimum is a poor guide to competitive pay. Budget hourly roles against the regional market, not the statute.
How other states compare
See how West Virginia's $8.75 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 West Virginia labor department. Minimum wage laws change frequently; confirm current rates with those sources or legal counsel before setting pay.
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