Ohio MINIMUM WAGES

Ohio State Minimum Wage for 2026

Beginning January 1, 2025, Ohio increased its state minimum wage to $10.70 per hour for non-tipped workers and $5.35 for tipped workers. It’s a marginal increase of $0.25 and $0.10 from the 2024 rates. This increase is a part of Ohio’s constitutional amendment passed in 2006, mandating annual adjustments to the wage rates based on Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

Small businesses with gross receipts under $394,000, as well as employees under 16 years of age, are subject to the federal minimum wage rate of $7.25 per hour. Additionally, university student employees, including those participating in federal work-study and PACE programs, are entitled to a higher minimum wage rate of $13.00 per hour.

Overtime pay is required at 1.5 times the regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 hours per week. However, this overtime requirement applies only to businesses with annual gross receipts exceeding $150,000.

Ohio’s relatively low minimum wage rates have driven significant discussions and ballot initiatives aiming to raise the statewide minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Let’s further explore Ohio’s minimum wage structure in detail below.

Minimum Wages in Ohio Cities

The table below details minimum wage rates across all the cities of Ohio.

Threshold For Employees Exempt

As of 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (US DOL) have implemented the following changes to the salary thresholds for overtime exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

• The salary threshold for exemption applicable to Ohio employees is $1,128 per week (equivalent to $58,656 annually). Employees earning below this threshold are entitled to receive overtime pay for hours worked beyond 40 per week.
• The annual salary threshold for Highly Compensated Employees (HCE) is set at $151,164.

Employers in Ohio must ensure their payroll systems and employee classifications are updated to comply with these regulations to avoid penalties related to overtime misclassification.

Historical Data of Ohio Minimum Wages  

For many years, Ohio followed the federal minimum regulations. Even after the introduction of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938, the state continued to follow federal standards.  

However, a dramatic shift occurred in 2006 when Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment. This required the state to establish its own minimum wage rules, adjusting them annually based on inflation and tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).  

The table below details changes in the basic minimum wage over the years. 

* – Under the FLSA, the two rates shown in 1968, 1970, and 1976 reflect the former multiple-track minimum wage system in effect from 1961 to 1978.

*** – Rates applicable to only women and minors. 

*** – During this, a lower rate was set for employers with gross sales under $150,000. 

Source: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/history

Exemptions In Minimum Wages of Ohio 

People exempt from Ohio’s minimum wage laws are as follows: 

• Employees of the United States government. 
• Babysitters working in the employer’s home. 
• Live-in companions for the sick, convalescing, or elderly people whose duties do not include housekeeping. 
• Salespeople receiving commissions, or those working in executive, administrative, professional capacity, or computer professionals. 
• Volunteers performing services for a public agency such as state, local, or interstate government agencies, 
• Who either do not get paid or only receive reimbursement, small benefits, or a token fee, 

• Or these services are different from their regular paid work. 
• Charity workers at hospitals or health institutions who do not expect to receive any compensation. 
• People working at camps or recreation centers for children under 18 years of age, which are run by non-profit organizations. 
• Family members working in a family-owned and operated business