- The Montgomery County minimum wage is $18.00 an hour (large employer (51+ employees)), effective .
- That is $3.00 above the Maryland state rate of $15.00 and $10.75 above the federal $7.25.
- 3 tiers apply: large employer (51+ employees) $18.00; mid-sized employer (11-50 employees; or 11+ and 501(c)... $16.50; small employer (10 or fewer employees) $15.95.
- The next change is : an indexed adjustment, amount to be announced.
- Coverage: Employees working in Montgomery County for an employer doing business in the County with 1+ employees (County government included; federal/state/other local governments excluded); excludes workers exempt under...
Rates and tiers
| Tier | Rate | Since |
|---|---|---|
| large employer (51+ employees) | $18.00 | |
| mid-sized employer (11-50 employees; or 11+ and 501(c)... | $16.50 | |
| small employer (10 or fewer employees) | $15.95 |
Indexing
Yes
CPI-W for Washington-Baltimore (successor: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria), annual... adjusts 07-01 announced Chief Administrative Officer calculates the adjustment...
Tipped
$4.00
Tip credit may not exceed the County minimum wage less $4.00/hour (Code 27-69(c)); cash wage plus tips must reach the applicable County rate; quarterly wage reports required.
Ordinance
Montgomery County Code, Chapter 27, Article XI (Secs. 27-67 to 27-70A)
Scheduled increases
July 1, 20273 jurisdictions
CountyTBA
Montgomery County, MDlarge employer · indexed-unannounced · Annual CPI-W adjustment under Code 27-68(b).
TBAindexed, amount to be announced
CountyTBA
Montgomery County, MDmid-sized employer · indexed-unannounced · CPI-W adjustment plus, if that is under $0.50, 1% of prior-year rate up to $0.50 total, until equal to the large-employer rate (2017 L.M.C. ch. 32...
TBAindexed, amount to be announced
CountyTBA
Montgomery County, MDsmall employer · indexed-unannounced · Same catch-up formula as mid-sized until parity.
TBAindexed, amount to be announced
Prior year (7/1/2025): $17.65 / $16.00 / $15.50. Maryland DOL flyer Rev. 6/2026 and MD DOL wage facts page both show the 7/1/2026 rates. Employer size is fixed at the size when first subject to the law.
Common questions
What is the Montgomery County minimum wage?
$18.00 an hour for large employer (51+ employees), effective July 1, 2026.
Is the Montgomery County minimum wage higher than the Maryland state minimum wage?
Yes, by $3.00: $18.00 versus $15.00.
When does the Montgomery County minimum wage change next?
On July 1, 2027, by an indexed amount to be announced.
Sources
- https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/office-human-rights/minimum-wage-increase official
- https://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/wages/minimumwagelawmont.pdf official
- https://www.labor.maryland.gov/labor/wages/wagehrfacts.shtml official
- https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/montgomerycounty/latest/montgomeryco_md/0-0-0-136345
- https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/inventory-of-us-city-and-county-minimum-wage-ordinances/
Checked 2026-09-02; researcher confidence 0.97.