Missouri's minimum wage hits $15 on Jan. 1
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Missouri workers will start 2026 with a pay bump when the state's minimum wage reaches $15 on Jan. 1.
Why it matters: The increase boosts pay not only for minimum wage workers but also for employees slightly above the floor as businesses adjust their wage ladders.
By the numbers: Missouri's minimum wage will rise from $13.75 to $15 an hour on Jan. 1, the final step in the voter-approved phase-in, according to the National Employment Law Project.
- Tipped workers will earn $7.50 an hour before tips.
- Missouri and Nebraska are the two states crossing the $15 threshold at the start of 2026.
The latest: Lawmakers who sought to scale back the 2024 ballot measure succeeded this year.
- A follow-up bill removed future inflation indexing that would have increased the wage beyond 2026, while leaving the scheduled jump to $15 intact.
- Worker advocates argued that removing inflation adjustments will weaken the wage's value as costs continue to rise, but lawmakers framed the rollback as a way to give employers more predictability.
The big picture: For the first time, more U.S. workers in 2026 will live in states with minimum wages of $15 or higher than in states still tied to the federal $7.25 floor.