# Washington — US minimum wage rates by state, city, and worker type

For Washington, type is state; worker type is standard; hourly rate ($) is 17.13; indexing method is Annual indexed increases began Jan. 1, 2020. (2016 ballot measure), recorded from its source on 2026-08-12.

- **Jurisdiction:** Washington _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Type:** state
- **Parent state:** Washington _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Worker type:** standard
- **Hourly rate ($):** 17.13 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Indexing method:** Annual indexed increases began Jan. 1, 2020. (2016 ballot measure) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Effective date:** 2026-01-01 _(per lni.wa.gov, not stated by the source above)_
- **Tip credit allowed:** no _(per lni.wa.gov, not stated by the source above)_

## What the source says

> Washington | $17.13 | | Annual indexed increases began Jan. 1, 2020. (2016 ballot measure)

## Sources disagree

More than one authority states this, and they do not state the same
thing. Both are reproduced with the source each came from.

### Indexing method

ncsl.org says indexing method is **Annual indexed increases began Jan. 1, 2020. (2016 ballot measure)**, as of 2026-08-12.

> Washington | $17.13 | | Annual indexed increases began Jan. 1, 2020. (2016 ballot measure)

Source: https://www.ncsl.org/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wages

lni.wa.gov says indexing method is **cost-of-living adjustment to the minimum wage based on the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)**, as of 2026-08-12.

> The 2026 minimum wage in the state of Washington is $17.13 per hour . <https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/_docs/2026MinimumWageAnnouncementEnglish.pdf> 2026 minimum wage announcement poster . (English) <https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/_docs/2026MinimumWageAnnouncementSpanish.pdf> 2026 minimum wage announcement poster . (Espa&ntilde;ol) <https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/_docs/2026MinimumWageAnnouncementMultipleLanguages.pdf> 2026 minimum wage announcement in multiple languages The 2025 minimum wage in the state of Washington was $16.66 per hour. <https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/_docs/2025MinimumWageAnnouncementEnglish.pdf> 2025 minimum wage announcement poster . (English) <https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/_docs/2025MinimumWageAnnouncementSpanish.pdf> 2025 minimum wage announcement poster . (Espa&ntilde;ol) <https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/_docs/2025Minimumwageannouncementmultiplelanguages.pdf> 2025 minimum wage announcement in multiple languages Some local jurisdictions have higher minimum wage rates and different labor rules than Washington State. Visit <https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/minimum-wage/local-minimum-wage-rates> Local Minimum Wage Rates for information about minimum wage rates in other local jurisdictions. Who Qualifies for Minimum Wage? Most agricultural and non-agricultural jobs qualify for the minimum wage. Employers must pay employees the minimum wage for all hours worked as defined by state law. Hours worked includes opening and closing a business, required trainings, and meetings. Employers can also pay some workers less than the state minimum wage, including: Minors 14 to 15 years old (no less than 85% of minimum wage). Workers who meet certain criteria. Jobs that are exempt from the Minimum Wage Act. Future Minimum Wage Beginning mid-September each year, L&I will make a cost-of-living adjustment to the minimum wage based on the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

Source: https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/minimum-wage/


## Source

- https://www.ncsl.org/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wages
- https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/minimum-wage/

Last verified: 2026-08-12. Review by: 2026-11-10.
Part of [US minimum wage rates by state, city, and worker type](https://referencesource.org/minimum-wage-rates-by-jurisdiction/).