Minimum wage to increase in 2026

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s minimum wage is going up. The scheduled increase will occur on January 1, 2026, and will take the state’s minimum wage to $11 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.50 per hour for tipped employees.

This adjustment represents a 2.8 percent increase from the current 2025 rates of $10.70 for non-tipped employees and $5.35 for tipped employees. The change reflects the mandate of the Constitutional Amendment (II-34a), passed by Ohio voters in November of 2006, which states Ohio’s minimum wage shall increase on January 1 each year by the rate of inflation.

In addition to the wage rate adjustment, the threshold for business applicability will also change. Effective January 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 January 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. Any changes to this rate would require an act of the U.S. Congress and the President’s signature.