Current Minimum Wage
Kentucky minimum wage$7.25since July 1, 2009

State minimum wage

Kentucky minimum wage

$7.25 an hour as of September 2, 2026. Tipped cash wage $2.13.

  • The Kentucky minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, set by state law effective .
  • No increase is currently scheduled in Kentucky.
  • Tipped employees must be paid at least $2.13 in cash, with a tip credit of up to $5.12.
  • At $7.25 an hour, full-time work (2,080 hours) pays $15,080 a year before taxes.

Tipped cash wage

$2.13
Tip credit up to $5.12

Youth / training

None
No sub-minimum youth or training rate found on the state page.

Next change

None scheduled
Set by statute; no indexing

Local rates

None found
Not verified from a fetched source. (The 2016 Kentucky Supreme Court decision striking Louisville's and Lexington's ordinances could not be retrieved.)

Coverage, exemptions, and history

Who is covered. Every employer covered by KRS Chapter 337; the state rate automatically rises to match any higher federal minimum wage (KRS 337.275(1))..

Tipped employees. For employees regularly receiving more than $30/month in tips, the employer may pay 'not less than the hourly wage rate required to be paid a tipped employee under the federal minimum hourly wage...

Recent history. $5.85 (2007-06-26), $6.55 (2008-07-01), $7.25 (2009-07-01).

Kentucky also requires time-and-a-half for the 7th consecutive day worked in a workweek (DOL state table).

Statute. KRS 337.275 (minimum wage; $7.25 beginning July 1, 2009; federal-increase conformity).

Common questions

What is the minimum wage in Kentucky?

$7.25 an hour as of September 2, 2026, under state law effective July 1, 2009.

When does the Kentucky minimum wage go up next?

No increase is scheduled.

What is the tipped minimum wage in Kentucky?

$2.13 in cash plus tips; the employer must make up any shortfall to $7.25.

Do any cities in Kentucky have a higher minimum wage?

None were found in effect.

Sources

  1. https://elc.ky.gov/workplace-standards/Pages/Wages-and-Hours.aspx official
  2. https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=32064 official
  3. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state official
  4. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped official

Checked 2026-09-02 against Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, Department of Workplace Standards, Division of...; researcher confidence 0.88.