COLUMBUS, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—Ohio’s minimum wage will increase to $11 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.50 per hour for tipped employees beginning Jan. 1, 2026, the state announced today.
The adjustment is a 2.8% increase over the current 2025 rates of $10.70 for non-tipped workers and $5.35 for tipped workers. The change is mandated by a Constitutional Amendment (II-34a) passed by Ohio voters in November 2006, which requires the state’s minimum wage to be adjusted annually for inflation.
The minimum wage rate is specifically tied to the change in the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) for the 12-month period ending in August. The 2.8% increase corresponds to the CPI-W change from Sept. 1, 2024, to Aug. 31, 2025.
Threshold for Businesses Also Rises
In addition to the wage rate adjustment, the financial threshold for which businesses must comply with the state minimum wage is also changing.
Effective Jan. 1, 2026, the Ohio minimum wage will apply to businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $405,000, an increase from the current $394,000 threshold.
For employees at businesses with annual gross receipts of $405,000 or less, and for 14- and 15-year-old workers, the state minimum wage remains tied to the federal rate of $7.25 per hour. Any change to the federal minimum wage requires an act of the U.S. Congress and the President’s signature.
Stephen Clegg, Wage & Hour Administration Bureau Chief, encouraged employers to prepare for the change.
“We encourage all employers to stay informed and compliant with the updated wage rates and posting requirements,” Clegg said. “The Department of Commerce offers resources to support employers in meeting those obligations.”
Employers are required to display the official 2026 Minimum Wage poster, which can be downloaded from the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Industrial Compliance website.