Ohio minimum wage rising to $11 on Jan. 1: What workers need to know

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  1. Ohio Politics
  • Published: Dec. 30, 2025, 1:54 p.m.

Backers of an effort to raise Ohio's minimum costs to $13 tin now statesman collecting signatures needed to make nan November ballot.

The yearly ostentation accommodation to Ohio's minimum costs will raise non-tipped worker salary to $11 hourly successful 2026, up from $10.70 successful 2025.Associated Press record photo

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Minimum costs workers crossed Ohio will spot a bump successful their paychecks connected Jan. 1, erstwhile nan state’s minimum costs will summation to $11 per hr for non-tipped labor and $5.50 per hr for tipped workers.

The alteration represents a 2.8% summation from 2025, which group minimum hourly rates astatine $10.70 and $5.35, respectively. The summation will impact nan estimated 150,000 minimum costs workers of nan full 5.5 cardinal workers successful Ohio.

Unlike nan national minimum wage, which has remained astatine $7.25 per hr since 2009, Ohio’s minimum costs adjusts automatically each twelvemonth based connected nan complaint of inflation. A law amendment passed by voters successful 2006 mandates that Ohio’s minimum costs increases connected Jan.1 each twelvemonth by nan complaint of inflation.

“I deliberation nan cardinal truth for everybody to understand is Ohio’s minimum wage, dissimilar nan national minimum wage, is already indexed,” said Steve Stivers, President and CEO of nan Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

“And truthful because our minimum costs is higher than nan national minimum wage, nan authorities minimum costs is what applies to Ohio employers that they person to pay.”

However, location are requirements that find which businesses must comply pinch Ohio’s minimum costs – a period that will besides emergence successful 2026. Starting connected Jan. 1, nan authorities minimum costs will use to businesses pinch yearly gross receipts exceeding $405,000, up from nan existent $394,000 threshold.

While Stivers said that nan period includes almost each Ohio business, smaller businesses pinch yearly receipts of $405,000 aliases little will stay taxable to nan national minimum costs of $7.25 per hour. This national complaint besides applies to workers aged 14 and 15, sloppy of business size.

Mary Frances McGowan is simply a governmental newsman for Cleveland.com. Prior to joining nan squad successful 2025, McGowan was astir precocious a unit analogous astatine National Journal, wherever she covered governmental campaigns for...

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Source cleveland.com
cleveland.com