OHIO — Come the New Year, Ohioans receiving minimum wage are set to see an increase in their pay, according to the state’s Department of Commerce.
For non-tipped employees, the increase will be to $11 per hour, and for tipped employees, it will rise to $5.50 per hour.
The department said the change represents a 2.8% increase from the current $10.70 for non-tipped employees and $5.35 for tipped employees. The change is a mandate of a constitutional amendment passed by Ohio voters in 2006 that requires the state’s minimum wage to rise on Jan. 1 each year by the rate of inflation.
Ohio’s minimum wage will increase on Jan. 1, 2026.
“We encourage all employers to stay informed and compliant with the updated wage rates and posting requirements,” said Stephen Clegg, Wage & Hour Administration Bureau Chief. “The Department of Commerce offers resources to support employers in meeting those obligations.”
The Department of Commerce said the minimum wage standard is tied to the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers for the 12-month period ending in August. The 2.8% increase corresponds to the change from Sept. 1, 2024, to Aug. 31, 2025.
Effective Jan. 1, 2026, the Ohio minimum wage will apply to businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $405,000, which is an increase from the current $394,000 threshold.
“For employees at businesses with annual gross receipts of $405,000 or less per year after Jan. 1, 2026, and for 14- and 15-year-old workers, the state minimum wage remains tied to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour,” the Department of Commerce said in a news release. “Any changes to this rate would require an act of the U.S. Congress and the President’s signature.”
Madison MacArthur
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