Which states have higher minimum wages than the federal rate in 2025?

1. What “higher than federal” means in 2025: federal baseline and state overrides

The federal baseline minimum wage in 2025 remains $7.25 per hour; when states or cities set higher minimums, employers must pay whichever rate is higher for the worker’s location, and many states index or schedule increases that took effect Jan. 1, 2025 ^{[4] [1]}. The U.S. Department of Labor maintains consolidated state-level tables and guidance on interplay between federal and state rates ^{[5] [6]}. Employer guides emphasize that local ordinances can exceed state floors, creating additional higher pay obligations in some cities and counties ^{[7] [1]}.

2. Which states explicitly raised their rates effective Jan. 1, 2025

Multiple summaries and news stories identify a core list of 21 states that implemented increases on Jan. 1, 2025; repeated names include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington ^{[4] [3]}. These lists come from payroll providers and national news outlets tracking scheduled indexed or legislated hikes ^{[4] [3]}.

3. Broader counts and discrepancies among sources

Aggregators differ: Workforce.com reports “30 states, as well as DC” with minimum wages higher than the federal rate, while OnPay and other payroll blogs cite about 21 states that raised rates specifically in 2025 — a distinction between total states already above $7.25 and those that increased in 2025 ^{[1] [4] [2]}. The difference reflects methodology: some sources list every state whose current rate exceeds $7.25, others focus only on the cohort that enacted increases at the start of 2025 ^{[4] [2]}.

4. Notable high and low outliers

Reporting highlights Washington state becoming the highest state-level floor at $16.66 and California and New York with $16.50 (with additional local floors often higher, e.g., Tukwila or parts of Denver) ^{[3] [2] [7]}. Conversely, several states continue to use the federal $7.25 or have statutory rates below it, which means the federal floor applies in practice in those places ^{[4] [1]}. Some sources also flag that D.C. and certain localities set citywide floors above most states ^{[8] [7]}.

5. How to interpret employer obligations and exceptions

Employers must pay the highest applicable rate based on where work is performed; federal contractor rules and tip-credit variations can impose different floors in specific contexts ^{[1] [8]}. The Department of Labor’s consolidated charts and state law trackers are the official starting points for compliance, as different sources may list slightly different effective dates, revenue thresholds, or exemptions ^{[6] [5]}.

6. Limitations, methodological caveats, and where to verify

Available sources show consistent themes but vary in counts because: (a) some lists count states that enacted increases in 2025, not the total number above $7.25; (b) local (city/county) minimums can exceed state levels and change tallies; and (c) employer-specific rules (e.g., fast-food employer carve-outs, federal contractor rates) complicate a single “state vs federal” tally ^{[4] [8] [7]}. For authoritative, current numbers consult the Department of Labor’s state table and the National Conference of State Legislatures’ chart; the payroll-provider pages are useful summaries but can differ on framing ^{[6] [5] [9]}.

7. Bottom line for readers seeking a definitive list

If you want a firm list of all states whose 2025 minimum wage exceeds $7.25, use the DOL consolidated table or the NCSL chart as primary references ^{[6] [9]}. If you’re tracking which states increased their wage specifically on Jan. 1, 2025, a commonly reported list (21 states) is: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington ^{[4] [3]}. Available sources do not provide a single universally agreed-upon count without consulting those official tables for precise state-by-state numbers ^{[6] [5]}.