Twenty-two states plus the District of Columbia are raising their minimum wage at some point in 2026, nineteen of them on 1 January. The mid-year changes are the ones payroll systems miss: Alaska moves from $13.00 to $14.00 on 1 July 2026, Oregon adjusts on 1 July, and Florida moves to $15.00 on 30 September 2026. Counting cities and counties, roughly 88 jurisdictions increase during the year.
The January cluster
Most states that index to inflation recalculate in the autumn and apply the new figure on 1 January. That makes January the moment to re-check your own rate, and the moment employers most often update.
The four that do not
Alaska rises from $13.00 to $14.00 on 1 July 2026 under a 2024 ballot measure.
Oregon adjusts annually on 1 July, with regional rates around the standard figure.
Florida moves to $15.00 on 30 September 2026, completing a schedule set by constitutional amendment.
The District of Columbia also adjusts mid-year. A mid-year increase is the one a payroll system is most likely to miss, because nothing else changes at that point in the calendar.
Why these are worth diarizing
An increase you are entitled to is not automatic in practice, only in law. If your rate does not move on the date it should, that is a wage claim from the first affected hour, and the earlier you notice the smaller and more provable it is.
Multi-year schedules
Several states are working through phased increases set by ballot initiative or statute years ago, so the next step is already law rather than a proposal. Where that is the case you can plan around a figure that is not yet in force, which is unusual and useful.
What is not scheduled
Any federal increase. $7.25 has been the rate since 2009 and nothing is scheduled to change it, so for workers in the roughly twenty states at the federal floor there is no date to watch at all.
Common questions
When do most increases happen?
1 January. Nineteen of the twenty-two states raising rates in 2026 did so then, along with most indexed local ordinances.
Which states change mid-year?
Alaska on 1 July 2026, Oregon on 1 July, Florida on 30 September 2026, and the District of Columbia mid-year.
How many jurisdictions change in a year?
Around 88 in 2026 once cities and counties are counted, against 22 states plus DC.
What if my pay does not rise on the date?
That is a wage claim from the first affected hour. Noticing early keeps it small and easy to prove.
Is a federal increase scheduled?
No. The federal rate has been $7.25 since 2009 and no increase is scheduled.