Washington Minimum Wage: State and Local Rates
Washington’s minimum wage is $17.13 an hour with no tip credit. State and city rates, exemptions, youth pay, posters, and what to do when it rises.
Washington Minimum Wage
The state rate, the city rates, and what to do when they change
A founder running two coffee shops once asked me why her payroll costs jumped when she opened a second location six miles from the first. Nothing about the jobs had changed. The second shop just happened to sit inside a city with its own wage ordinance, and her posted starting pay was suddenly below the legal floor for half her staff.
That is the shape of the minimum wage problem in Washington. The state rate is one of the highest in the country and it moves every January. On top of it, eight local governments run their own ordinances with their own numbers, their own employer size tiers, and in two cases a second increase halfway through the year.
This page covers one thing: the least you can legally pay for an hour of work in Washington, at the state level and in each city that raises the bar. The wider picture of leave, overtime, termination, and payroll taxes sits in the Washington HR compliance guide.
The Current Washington Rate
The Washington minimum wage is $17.13 per hour, effective January 1, 2026. It applies to workers age 16 and older at every employer in the state, with no exception for small businesses, part time staff, or seasonal hires. Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) publishes and enforces the figure.
L&I announced the rate on September 30, 2025, calling it a 2.8 percent increase over the previous year. The same L&I announcement set the youth rate at $14.56 and the salary threshold for most overtime exempt workers at $1,541.70 a week, or $80,168.40 a year.
| Year | Washington minimum wage | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $14.49 | Annual CPI-W adjustment |
| 2023 | $15.74 | Annual CPI-W adjustment |
| 2024 | $16.28 | Annual CPI-W adjustment |
| 2025 | $16.66 | Annual CPI-W adjustment |
| 2026 | $17.13 | Annual CPI-W adjustment, up 2.8 percent |
The rate ladder above comes from the L&I history of Washington’s minimum wage. CPI-W, in the Basis column, is the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. The pattern to remember: the increase is usually modest, the rate has never gone down, and it lands on January 1 without any action from the legislature.
Minimum wage in Washington covers all hours worked, and the state reads that phrase broadly. Opening and closing the business, required training, and mandatory meetings are all compensable time, meaning hours you must pay for. So are paid rest breaks, which matters for anyone paid a piece rate or a commission.
When the Rate Changes Next
The next Washington increase takes effect January 1, 2027. The amount has not been published yet. Under RCW 49.46.020, the statute that sets the state minimum wage, L&I calculates the adjusted rate each September 30 and the new figure takes effect the following January 1.
The adjustment is tied to CPI-W, the federal price index that tracks inflation for urban wage earners and clerical workers. L&I begins the calculation in mid September, which is why the announcement always lands in the last days of that month.
The statute sets no cap on the adjustment and frames each one as an increase. Since annual adjustments began in 2001, the rate has held flat only twice, in 2010 and 2016.
Practically, the September announcement gives you a three month planning window. The rate is public by October 1, and it applies to every hour worked from January 1 onward. If you build annual budgets in the fall, you are budgeting with a known number rather than a guess.
Tipped Employees and Service Charges
Washington allows no tip credit, meaning you cannot count an employee’s tips toward any part of the minimum wage. Tipped employees receive the full $17.13 per hour in cash wages, and tips are added on top. L&I is explicit that tips and service charges are in addition to, and not a part of, an employee’s state hourly minimum wage.
Automatic service charges added to a bill follow the same rule. Whatever portion of that charge goes to the employee sits on top of the hourly minimum, and you have to disclose the split to the customer on both the receipt and the menu.
That disclosure is not a formality. L&I’s rule is that when a business does not clearly state how much of a service charge the serving employee receives, the entire service charge has to be paid to that employee. A vague line on the menu is an expensive one.
Tip pooling is permitted. Salaried exempt managers and business owners cannot participate, though kitchen staff and hourly lead workers can. Employers, supervisors, and managers may accept tips only for services they personally provided. If you are used to a tip credit state, the arithmetic here is genuinely different.
City and County Rates
Eight Washington jurisdictions require more than the state rate: Seattle, Tukwila, Renton, Burien, Everett, SeaTac, Bellingham, and unincorporated King County. Where a local rate is higher, the local rate is what you pay. L&I maintains a summary of local minimum wage rates across the state.
What triggers the local rate is where the work is physically performed, not where your business is registered or where payroll is processed. A delivery driver, a mobile technician, and a caterer can all cross into a higher rate for part of a shift.
| Jurisdiction | Rate in effect | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Bellingham | $19.13 | Covered employers in the city; set at the state rate plus $2.00 |
| Burien (large) | $21.78 | 501 or more employees, per the rate the city publishes |
| Burien (medium) | $20.78 | 16 to 500 employees, per the rate the city publishes |
| Burien (small) | $19.28 | 15 or fewer employees, per the rate the city publishes |
| Everett (large) | $20.77 | 500 or more employees |
| Everett (other covered) | $18.77, then $19.77 | 15 to 499 employees, or over $2M gross revenue in Everett: $18.77 through June 30, $19.77 from July 1 |
| King County, unincorporated (large) | $20.82 | 500 or more employees |
| King County, unincorporated (mid) | $19.82 | 16 to 499 employees, or 15 or fewer with $2M or more gross revenue |
| King County, unincorporated (small) | $18.32 | 15 or fewer employees with under $2M in gross revenue |
| Renton (large) | $21.57 | More than 500 employees |
| Renton (mid-size) | $20.57, then $21.57 | 15 to 500 employees: $20.57 through June 30, $21.57 from July 1 |
| SeaTac | $20.74 | Hospitality and transportation employers only |
| Seattle | $21.30 | All employers, one rate regardless of size |
| Tukwila | $21.65 | 15 or more employees worldwide, over $2M gross revenue in Tukwila, or a franchisee in a network employing more than 500 in total |
Two of these deserve a closer look. Seattle collapsed its tiers on January 1, 2025, so there is now a single rate and small employers can no longer count tips or medical benefit payments toward minimum compensation. Tukwila did something similar on July 1, 2025, when its mid size employer rate rose to match the large employer rate.
Everett and Renton are the two jurisdictions where a mid size employer rate rises again on July 1 inside the same calendar year. If you run payroll in either city, put a July reminder next to your January one.
Cities and Counties With No Local Rate
Everywhere else in Washington, the state figure is the figure. Tacoma, Spokane, Vancouver, Bellevue, Kent, Olympia, and Yakima have no wage ordinance of their own, so an hour worked in any of them is paid at $17.13. L&I lists exactly eight local jurisdictions, and a city absent from that list has not set a floor above the state one.
County lines confuse people more than city lines do. The King County rate covers unincorporated areas only, so a Bellevue or Kent address falls back to the state minimum while a Renton or Tukwila address does not. Snohomish County has no county ordinance at all: Everett is the only jurisdiction inside it with a local rate.
Treat that as a current answer rather than a permanent one. City councils and ballot committees revisit local wage floors most years, and every jurisdiction in the table above was once absent from it. Before you open a location or send a crew into a new city, check that city’s labor standards page rather than assuming the state rate governs.
Industry Rules and Exemptions
Washington has no industry specific state minimum wage. There is no separate fast food rate, no healthcare rate, and no hospitality rate at the state level, unlike California. One statewide number under RCW 49.46.020 covers every sector, which makes Washington simpler to run than several comparable states.
The only industry limited rate anywhere in Washington is local: the SeaTac ordinance applies only to hospitality and transportation employers inside the city.
Agriculture is fully covered. L&I states that agricultural workers must be paid at least the state minimum wage for all hours worked, whether they are paid hourly or by piece rate. Piece rate is legal, but low output is no defense: the worker still has to earn at least minimum wage for every hour worked, rest breaks included.
The genuine carve outs are narrow. RCW 49.46.010 exempts certain hand harvest laborers: those paid a piece rate who commute daily from a permanent residence and worked fewer than 13 weeks in agriculture the previous calendar year.
Casual labor in or around a private home is also exempt when it is not part of the employer’s trade or business. Neither carve out is a general purpose exemption, and neither one applies to a normal small business payroll.
Youth, Learner, and Training Wages
Minors age 14 to 15 may be paid no less than 85 percent of the state minimum wage, which L&I calculates as $14.56 per hour for 2026. Workers 16 and older get the full rate. Washington sets no general 90 day training wage for adults, so a new hire at any age above 15 starts at the full applicable minimum.
L&I can issue special certificates under RCW 49.46.060 that allow a subminimum rate, meaning pay below the minimum wage, in limited cases. You need the certificate in hand before you pay the reduced rate, and in practice almost no small business uses one.
Each certificate has its own floor. A student worker certificate cannot go below 75 percent of the state minimum wage. A learner certificate, issued for genuine on the job training, cannot go below 85 percent of the state minimum wage unless the certificate itself sets another rate.
| Worker | Rate | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Age 16 and older | $17.13 | Full state minimum wage, no training period exception |
| Minors age 14 to 15 | $14.56 | 85 percent of the state minimum wage, at the employer’s option |
| Student worker on an L&I certificate | No less than 75 percent of the state minimum wage | Certificate required in advance under RCW 49.46.060 |
| Learner on an L&I certificate | No less than 85 percent of the state minimum wage, unless the certificate sets another rate | Certificate required; on-the-job training only |
| Worker with a disability | $17.13 | No new subminimum certificates since July 31, 2023 under RCW 49.46.170 |
That last row is a real change in Washington law. RCW 49.46.170 barred L&I from issuing any new special certificate for a worker with a disability after July 31, 2023, and certificates already in force ran only to their expiration dates.
L&I’s 2024 report to the legislature put the last possible date for subminimum pay under a certificate at July 30, 2026, after a one-time extension. Paying a worker with a disability less than minimum wage is no longer permitted in Washington under any certificate.
Back to minors, where the pay rate is the simple part. Hiring a minor brings obligations well beyond the hourly rate: a minor work permit endorsement on the business license, a signed parent and school authorization form (or, for a summer job, a parent authorization for summer work), restricted hours during the school year, and prohibited duties.
Posting and Notice Requirements
Washington has no state minimum wage poster. L&I answers the question directly on its own required workplace posters page: minimum wage information lives on the L&I website rather than on a poster that has to be replaced each January. That surprises employers arriving from states where the wage poster is the annual ritual. The federal minimum wage poster still hangs with the other required workplace posters, even though the higher Washington rate is the one you pay.
What you do post are the three L&I posters for any business with one or more workers at a Washington location, alongside the federal wage and hour poster. Local ordinances then add their own notices, and those are the ones that carry the actual rate and do need annual replacement.
| Jurisdiction | What you post or send | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Washington state | Your Rights as a Worker (F700-074-000), Job Safety and Health Law (F416-081-909), and the job injury notice | Displayed at every Washington work location |
| Federal | US Department of Labor wage and hour poster | Displayed alongside the state posters |
| Seattle | Office of Labor Standards workplace poster | Replaced for each new rate year |
| Tukwila | Tukwila Labor Standards notice to employees | Given on hire and again by December 2 each year |
| SeaTac | Written notice of the rate adjustment to each covered worker | Ahead of each annual rate change |
| Unincorporated King County | County minimum wage workplace poster | Reissued for each rate year |
| Everett, Renton, Burien, Bellingham | The city’s own workplace poster or employee notice | Check the city labor standards page each December |
L&I states that its Job Safety and Health Law poster takes the place of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workplace poster, and all three L&I posters are free to order. The Tukwila notice is the one that reaches individual employees rather than a wall: every covered worker gets a copy at hire and another by December 2.
Remote staff complicate posting everywhere. Federal guidance allows an electronic notice in place of a physical poster only when the entire workforce works remotely, everyone customarily receives information electronically, and everyone can reach the notice without asking permission. A hybrid team fails that test, so the paper stays up.
Washington and the Federal Floor
The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 per hour since 2009, and Washington’s rate is more than double that. The US Department of Labor states that an employee subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws is entitled to the higher of the two, so the federal figure never governs a Washington paycheck.
The federal rules still matter for everything the state law does not displace: overtime, recordkeeping, and the classification tests that decide who is entitled to a minimum wage in the first place.
One Washington specific link between the two systems is worth flagging. The state overtime exempt salary threshold is defined as a multiple of the state minimum wage, currently 2.25 times it, so a minimum wage increase automatically raises the salary floor for exempt staff.
Washington’s threshold sits far above the federal one. As a result, a salaried manager can be exempt under federal law yet non exempt, and so eligible for overtime, under Washington law.
What to Do When a Rate Rises
A minimum wage increase is a payroll project, not a single field update. The state rate moves every January 1, and if you operate in Everett or Renton a mid size employer rate can move again on July 1. Work through the same sequence each time.
The step most employers skip is the second one, the check on everyone just above the new floor. On the cost side, the increase is easier to model if your budgeting starts from a fully loaded hourly figure rather than the base rate.
Keeping the rate right is the easy half. Keeping the paperwork that proves it right (offer letters, wage notices, acknowledgments, and posted notices) is where small teams lose time. FirstHR keeps that documentation attached to the employee record so an updated rate flows into onboarding materials instead of living in a folder someone forgot to open.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum wage in Washington right now?
It is $17.13 per hour, effective January 1, 2026, for most workers age 16 and older. The rate applies at every employer with no small business exception and no separate figure for part time staff. Eight local jurisdictions require more, and where a local rate is higher, that is the rate you pay.
Can I count tips toward the minimum wage in Washington?
No. Washington allows no tip credit. L&I states that tips and service charges are in addition to, and may not count toward, the employee’s hourly minimum wage. A tipped worker in Washington receives the full $17.13 in cash wages, plus tips. Tip pools are allowed, but salaried exempt managers and owners cannot share in them.
Which Washington cities have their own minimum wage?
Seattle, Tukwila, Renton, Burien, Everett, SeaTac, Bellingham, and unincorporated King County. Burien prints the highest figure at $21.78 for its largest employers, Tukwila is next at $21.65, and Seattle applies a single $21.30 rate to all employers regardless of size. SeaTac is the outlier: its ordinance covers only hospitality and transportation employers.
Do Tacoma, Spokane, or Vancouver have their own minimum wage?
No. None of the three has a local wage ordinance, so work performed there is paid at the state rate of $17.13 per hour. The same is true of Bellevue, Kent, Olympia, and Yakima. The King County rate reaches unincorporated areas only, and Snohomish County has no county ordinance, which leaves Everett as the only local rate inside it.
What do I pay a 14 or 15 year old in Washington?
At least 85 percent of the state minimum wage, which works out to $14.56 per hour for 2026 by L&I’s calculation. From age 16, the full rate applies. Employing a minor also requires a minor work permit endorsement, a signed parent and school authorization form (or, for a summer job, a parent authorization for summer work), and compliance with restricted hours and prohibited duties.
Does Washington have a fast food or healthcare minimum wage?
No. Washington sets one statewide rate with no industry specific state minimum. Agriculture is fully covered, including piece rate work, where earnings must still reach minimum wage for all hours worked and paid rest breaks. The only industry limited rate in the state is the SeaTac ordinance for hospitality and transportation employers.
Do I have to post the minimum wage in Washington?
There is no state minimum wage poster. L&I keeps the rate on its website instead. You still post the three L&I posters and the federal wage and hour poster. Local ordinances are stricter: Seattle requires an annually updated workplace poster, and Tukwila and SeaTac require written notice to employees.
When does Washington’s minimum wage go up again?
On January 1, 2027. L&I calculates the adjusted rate each September 30 under RCW 49.46.020 using the change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. As of the last review of this page, the 2027 figure had not been announced, so any number circulating now is a projection.