Wisconsin Minimum Wage 2026
The minimum wage in Wisconsin is $7.25 per hour in 2026, effective July 24, 2009. Tipped employees can be paid a cash wage of $2.33 per hour, as long as tips bring them to the full minimum.
What is the minimum wage in Wisconsin in 2026?
The minimum wage in Wisconsin is $7.25 per hour in 2026, equal to the federal rate last raised on July 24, 2009. Wisconsin keeps its own wage code, though, and it differs from the federal baseline in two ways employers should know: a slightly higher tipped cash wage and a special rate for young new hires.
That special rate is the opportunity employee wage: workers under 20 may be paid $5.90 per hour during their first 90 consecutive days with an employer. After 90 days, or the moment the employee turns 20, the full $7.25 applies. It is a genuine onboarding discount, but the clock and the birthday both need tracking in payroll.
Tipped minimum wage in Wisconsin
Wisconsin sets its tipped minimum wage at $2.33 per hour, a notch above the federal $2.13. Counting tips, every tipped employee must still average at least $7.25 per hour for the pay period, and the employer owes any shortfall.
Tipped opportunity employees have their own cash wage of $2.13 during the 90-day window. Wisconsin also requires that tip credit records be verified by the employee's signature each pay period, a documentation step many out-of-state employers miss.
Wisconsin minimum wage history: 2020 to 2026
| Year | Minimum wage | Tipped wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $7.25 | $2.33 |
| 2021 | $7.25 | $2.33 |
| 2022 | $7.25 | $2.33 |
| 2023 | $7.25 | $2.33 |
| 2024 | $7.25 | $2.33 |
| 2025 | $7.25 | $2.33 |
| 2026 | $7.25 | $2.33 |
Upcoming minimum wage increases in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has no scheduled increases. The rate changes only through the state Legislature in Madison or a federal increase from Congress, and proposals to lift the state minimum, including phased paths to $15.00, have not passed either chamber.
Governors have included minimum wage increases in budget proposals, but the Legislature has removed them each time. Meanwhile the regional gap widens: Minnesota next door pays $11.41, and Illinois across the southern border is at $15.00, which matters most in commuter markets like Kenosha.
Minimum wage by city in Wisconsin
A 2017 preemption law (building on earlier restrictions) bars Wisconsin municipalities from setting their own minimum wages, and Madison's older local ordinance was nullified by state preemption. Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, and Kenosha all follow the $7.25 rate.
Border geography does what ordinances cannot. Kenosha workers can cross into Illinois and earn a $15.00 minimum, and Twin Cities-bound commuters from western Wisconsin see Minnesota's $11.41, so employers in those corridors price jobs against neighboring states rather than Wisconsin law.
Federal rate; the state's largest labor market, where manufacturing and healthcare set real pay
Federal rate; the city's earlier local minimum was preempted by state law
Federal rate; paper, packaging, and logistics employers drive hourly demand
Federal rate; Illinois's $15.00 minimum just across the border pulls local wages up
What Wisconsin employers need to know
Opportunity employee wage
Employees under 20 may be paid $5.90 per hour for their first 90 consecutive days of employment. Move them to $7.25 on day 91 or on their 20th birthday, whichever comes first.
Tipped employees
Pay a cash wage of at least $2.33 per hour ($2.13 for tipped opportunity employees) and ensure tips bring pay to $7.25. Wisconsin expects employee-signed tip declarations supporting the credit.
Overtime
Wisconsin requires 1.5x pay after 40 hours in a workweek and maintains its own list of covered occupations, which largely parallels the FLSA but is enforced by the state DWD.
Posting and records
Post Wisconsin's minimum wage poster (ERD-9247) in addition to the federal notice, and retain payroll and tip records so the Department of Workforce Development can verify compliance.
How other states compare
See how Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin labor department. Minimum wage laws change frequently; confirm current rates with those sources or legal counsel before setting pay.
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