Minimum wage in Minnesota

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Minimum wage in Minnesota

Minimum-wage rate adjusted for inflation as of Jan. 1, 2019

Minnesota's minimum-wage rates will be adjusted for inflation Jan. 1, 2019, to $9.86 an hour for large employers and $8.04 an hour for other state minimum wages.

Under Minnesota law, the commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry is required to determine and announce the inflation-adjusted minimum-wage rate each year by Aug. 31. This year, the change in the price index used for this purpose is an increase of 2.16 percent. Read news release here.

Minimum-wage rates

Provision	Amount as of Jan. 1, 2019
Large-employer wage	$9.86 an hour
Small-employer wage	$8.04 an hour
90-day training wage (under 20 years of age)	$8.04 an hour
Youth wage (under 18 years of age)	$8.04 an hour

Resources

Brochure: A guide to Minnesota's minimum-wage laws
Employer fact sheet: Employer size and minimum wage
Employer fact sheet: Minimum-wage rates
Minimum-wage report: Understanding the minimum wage in Minnesota, published August 2018
Workplace posters: Required to be displayed for employees and updated when Minnesota law changes.

State and federal minimum-wage law

The state minimum-wage is higher than the federal minimum-wage, so employees who are covered by both laws must be paid the higher state minimum-wage.
Minimum-wage rates apply to all hours worked, whether part time or full time.
Employees must be paid at least the current minimum-wage rate, no matter how they are paid.

Tip credit

No employer may take a tip credit against minimum wages in Minnesota.
An employee must be paid at least the minimum wage per hour, plus any tips the employee might earn.

Exempt employees

A partial list of exempt employees includes: bona fide executive, administrative or professional workers; babysitters; volunteers of nonprofit organizations; and employees subject to the provisions of the U.S. Department of Transportation (drivers, drivers' helpers, mechanics and loaders).
Under Minnesota Statutes 177.28, the Department of Labor and Industry is authorized to issue a permit to a disabled worker (performance-limited employee) unable to earn the state minimum-wage, to work at a wage commensurate with his or her ability. View the Disabled-worker employment information guide.
For a complete list of exempt employees, see Minnesota Statutes 177.23, subd. 7.