CITY ORDINANCES
US City Minimum Wage Rates (2026): Where City Law Beats State Law
Many cities have enacted their own minimum wages above the state floor. Rates here are verified as of April 2026. Always check the city ordinance or your city's labor standards office for the most current rate. Where cities distinguish large from small employers, both are shown.
THE FOUR HIGHEST MINIMUM WAGES IN THE US (ALL CITIES)
All four are in Washington State. No other state has a city this high. The Washington state rate of $17.13 already tops every other state.
Why Can Cities Set Their Own Minimum Wage?
Most US cities derive their authority to enact local minimum wage laws from Home Rule powers granted by state constitutions or statutes. Home Rule allows cities to govern their own affairs, including setting wage floors above the state rate, as long as state law does not explicitly pre-empt them.
However, not every state allows this. Several states have enacted pre-emption laws that explicitly ban cities from setting minimum wages above the state floor. As of April 2026, the following states pre-empt local minimum wage ordinances: Alabama, Arkansas (weak), Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri (partial), North Carolina, Ohio (partial), Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia (partial), and Wisconsin. This means that even though Birmingham AL might want a $15 minimum wage, state law prevents it.
Colorado reversed its pre-emption in 2019, allowing cities to set wages above the state floor -- which is why Denver, Boulder, and other Colorado cities now have city-specific rates above the state $15.16.
Complete US City Minimum Wage Table (2026)
Ordered by rate (highest first)
| City | State | Rate | Tipped | Effective | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tukwila | WA | $21.65 | $21.65 | 1 Jan 2026 | Highest in US; CPI-indexed |
| Burien | WA | $21.63 | $21.63 | 1 Jan 2026 | No tip credit in WA |
| Renton | WA | $21.57 | $21.57 | 1 Jan 2026 | CPI-indexed |
| Seattle | WA | $21.30 | $21.30 | 1 Jan 2026 | No tip credit in WA |
| West Hollywood | CA | $19.58 | $19.58 | 1 Jul 2025 | Hotel workers specific rate |
| Emeryville | CA | $19.36 | $19.36 | 1 Jul 2025 | CPI-indexed |
| Mountain View | CA | $18.75 | $18.75 | 1 Jan 2026 | CPI-indexed |
| Berkeley | CA | $18.67 | $18.67 | 1 Jul 2025 | CPI-indexed |
| Flagstaff | AZ | $18.35 | $18.35 | 1 Jan 2026 | Tip credit banned from 1 Jan 2026 |
| Washington DC | DC | $17.95 | $10.00 | 1 Jul 2025 | Rises to $18.40 on 1 Jul 2026 |
| New York City | NY | $17.00 | $13.35 | 1 Jan 2026 | Also applies Long Island and Westchester |
| Cupertino | CA | $17.90 | $17.90 | 1 Jan 2026 | CPI-indexed |
| San Francisco | CA | $18.67 | $18.67 | 1 Jul 2025 | CPI-indexed |
| Sunnyvale | CA | $18.55 | $18.55 | 1 Jan 2026 | CPI-indexed |
| Minneapolis | MN | $15.91 | $15.91 | 1 Jan 2026 | Small employer $13.50 |
| St. Paul | MN | $15.91 | $15.91 | 1 Jan 2026 | Small employer $13.50 |
| Chicago | IL | $16.20 | $10.02 | 1 Jul 2025 | Small employer $15.00; hotel rate $15.80 tipped |
| Los Angeles | CA | $17.86 | $17.86 | 1 Jul 2025 | No tip credit in CA |
| Denver | CO | $18.29 | $15.27 | 1 Jan 2026 | CPI-indexed |
| Portland | ME | $15.00 | $7.50 | 1 Jan 2025 | |
| Portland (metro) | OR | $16.45 | $16.45 | 1 Jul 2025 | No tip credit in OR; standard OR rate $15.45 |
SPOTLIGHT
Why Tukwila Has the Highest Minimum Wage in the US
Tukwila is a small city of about 20,000 people just south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. In November 2022, Tukwila voters passed Initiative Measure No. 1 -- "Tukwila $19" -- with 64 percent of the vote. The ordinance required a phased increase with a floor of $1.00 above Seattle's minimum wage plus annual CPI indexing. This formula, applied from January 2024, has compounded to push Tukwila's rate above every other city in the country.
The rationale was that airport and hotel workers in Tukwila face the same cost of living as Seattle workers but historically earned less because Tukwila had not followed Seattle's higher rate. The proximity to SeaTac Airport meant a significant share of the workforce was in hospitality and transportation -- industries with historically low wages despite high cost of living in the region.
Burien, Renton, and other King County cities have followed similar ballot-initiative paths, creating a cluster of very high city minimum wages in the south King County area.
SPOTLIGHT: FLAGSTAFF AZ
Flagstaff Banned the Tip Credit on 1 January 2026
Flagstaff is now the only US city outside the seven no-tip-credit states to ban the tip credit entirely. From 1 January 2026, all workers in Flagstaff -- including tipped workers -- receive the full city minimum wage of $18.35 plus all their tips on top. The Arizona state rate is $14.70 with a tipped rate of $11.70; Flagstaff's rate and tip-credit ban both exceed the state floor significantly.