What is the current federal minimum wage in the United States?

1. Why the $7.25 number still stands and what official records show

Department of Labor historical tables and multiple independent compendia record the last federal rate increase to $7.25 on July 24, 2009, and list no subsequent federal change; the DOL’s historical minimum‑wage chart is the canonical federal record used by economists and policymakers ^{[3] [6]}. The federal rate is a statutory floor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that applies to covered, nonexempt employees; the DOL pages and major U.S. labor reporting outlets uniformly treat $7.25 as the current federal baseline through 2025. Contemporary employer guidance and state-by-state compilations repeat the same figure and note its long tenure, reinforcing that federal law itself has not been amended to raise the rate since 2009 ^{[4] [7]}.

2. The tipped-wage exception and how it changes employer obligations

Federal law permits a lower direct cash wage for tip-dependent employees: $2.13 per hour is the federal cash minimum for tipped workers, with the legal requirement that tips plus the cash wage equal at least $7.25 per hour or the employer must make up the shortfall; DOL and consumer-facing guidance explain this two-tier structure clearly ^{[2] [3]}. States can and do override the federal tipped-wage exemption by setting higher cash wages for tipped employees or by eliminating the tip credit; therefore, the federal tipped figure is only one part of a patchwork of rules businesses must navigate, and statewide standards often dominate in practice when they exceed federal minima ^{[2] [4]}.

3. State and local floors versus the federal floor — the landscape of variation

While the federal floor remains $7.25, a majority of states and many cities have enacted higher minimum wages, meaning many workers are entitled to pay above the federal level under state or local law; employer compliance requires paying the higher applicable rate ^{[4] [7]}. Practical paychecks for low‑wage workers are therefore determined more often by state or municipal law than by the federal floor, especially in jurisdictions that have phased up to $12–$15 per hour or use annual cost-of-living indexing. Federal law operates as a backstop, not a ceiling, and enforcement responsibilities split between federal and state agencies depending on the claim ^{[4] [3]}.

4. Legislative proposals, messaging, and what remains pending

Multiple legislative and public advocacy efforts have proposed raising the federal minimum wage — some plans have sought incremental increases (for example proposals referenced that would move toward $9.50 in 2025 and $15 by 2030) — but those proposals had not been enacted into federal law as of 2025, so they do not alter the current $7.25 statutory floor ^[5]. Reporting from 2024–2025 documents debate, introduced bills, and political messaging arguing for higher federal standards, but the legal status remains unchanged; proposed dates and targets are useful to track legislative intent but do not change employer obligations until Congress enacts and the President signs a law ^{[5] [8]}.

5. How to evaluate the sources and what the records imply for workers and employers

Government primary sources such as the DOL historical pages provide the authoritative legal record showing the $7.25 federal rate and the $2.13 tipped cash wage; independent payroll and state‑by‑state trackers corroborate the DOL’s figure and add detail about state overrides and local increments ^{[3] [1] [7]}. Contemporary summaries and fact checks dated through 2025 consistently reflect no federal increase beyond 2009 levels, so the convergence of government data and private compilations yields high confidence in the factual claim. Where differences appear, they are typically about proposed future legislation or state-level variation rather than disagreement about the federal statutory number ^{[6] [4]}.

6. Bottom line: the federal legal floor and its practical meaning today

The authoritative answer is simple and legally decisive: the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour for covered, nonexempt workers, unchanged since July 24, 2009; tipped employees have a $2.13 cash wage with a tip-credit requirement. Employers and workers must consult state and local laws for potentially higher rates, and proposed federal increases remain proposals until enacted. For compliance or policy analysis, the DOL historical and state‑minimum pages and current state compilations are the primary references to confirm the applicable wage for a particular worker or jurisdiction ^{[3] [2] [4]}.