OLYMPIA — Washington’s minimum wage will increase to $17.13 per hour on Jan. 1, 2026 — a 2.8% bump driven by inflation, the Department of Labor and Industries announced Tuesday. The current $16.66 rate is already the highest in the country, just ahead of California and parts of New York at $16.50. The federal minimum wage remains $7.25.
Several Washington cities, including Seattle, Bellingham and Tukwila, already enforce higher local minimum wages. Lynnwood advocates are pushing a ballot initiative to raise the city’s rate to $20.24.
The state is also raising the salary threshold for overtime-exempt workers. By 2026, salaried employees must earn at least $80,168 annually — 2.25 times the minimum wage — to qualify for exemption. That threshold will increase to $93,392 by 2028.
Teen workers aged 14 and 15 will earn 85% of the minimum wage, or $14.56 per hour in 2026.
Pay for ride-hailing drivers is also increasing. In Seattle, they will earn at least 70 cents per minute and $1.63 per mile, or $6.12 per trip. Outside the city, the minimum is $3.55.
Lawmakers considered a bill this year to raise the statewide minimum wage to $25 by 2031. It stalled but may return in the 2026 session.