Michigan leads 15 state minimum-wage increases on Jan. 1, and New York sits out
Fifteen states lock in higher wage floors on January 1, with Vermont's rate still to come. Michigan and Virginia jump the most, New York holds, and agencies staffing crews across state lines will see their cost per hour move unevenly.
Michigan workers get the biggest raise on Jan. 1: the state minimum jumps $1.27 to $15, and the tipped cash wage climbs to $6.30. Fourteen other states also raise their floors, from Washington's $17.73, the highest state rate, to Nebraska's 26 cents. New York is not among them.
Vermont's inflation-indexed rate had not been posted as of Nov. 9. If it adjusts as usual, the count becomes 16. Most event work pays above the legal floor, so the pressure shows up first in the lowest-paid roles and in the cost of booking crews across state lines. How agencies turn pay into bill rates explains why that cost moves by more than the raise itself.
- The 15 increases fall into two groups. Inflation-indexed states mostly land at 3% to 4%, such as California at 3.0% and Washington at 3.5%. Law-driven jumps are larger: Virginia 7.7%, Rhode Island 6.3%, Michigan 9.2%.
- Tipped cash wages move only where a tip credit exists: Colorado $12.69, Arizona $12.65, South Dakota $6.15, Ohio $5.70. California and Washington have none.
- City rates can sit well above the state figure. Seattle ($22.14) and Denver ($19.84) rise on Jan. 1. Los Angeles, San Francisco and DC reset in July, so a January rate card may need a second update.
- Nevada, Florida, Texas and Georgia do not move in 2027, so a multi-state event faces a wider gap between locations, not one uniform rise.
State minimum wages on Jan. 1, 2027
| State | 2026 rate | Jan. 1, 2027 | Change | Tipped cash wage 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $17.13 | $17.73 | +$0.60 (3.5%) | None |
| Connecticut | $16.94 | $17.48 | +$0.54 (3.2%) | – |
| California | $16.90 | $17.40 | +$0.50 (3.0%) | None |
| Rhode Island | $16.00 | $17.00 | +$1.00 (6.3%) | – |
| New Jersey | $15.92 | $16.48 | +$0.56 (3.5%) | – |
| Colorado | $15.16 | $15.71 | +$0.55 (3.6%) | $12.69 |
| Maine | $15.10 | $15.70 | +$0.60 (4.0%) | – |
| Arizona | $15.15 | $15.65 | +$0.50 (3.3%) | $12.65 |
| Nebraska | $15.00 | $15.26 | +$0.26 (1.7%) | – |
| Michigan | $13.73 | $15.00 | +$1.27 (9.2%) | $6.30 |
| Virginia | $12.77 | $13.75 | +$0.98 (7.7%) | – |
| South Dakota | $11.85 | $12.30 | +$0.45 (3.8%) | $6.15 |
| Minnesota | $11.41 | $11.87 | +$0.46 (4.0%) | None |
| Ohio | $11.00 | $11.40 | +$0.40 (3.6%) | $5.70 |
| Montana | $10.85 | $11.20 | +$0.35 (3.2%) | – |
| Vermont | $14.42 | Not yet posted | Indexed to inflation | – |
A dash means the figure has not been verified. Vermont's 2027 rate is not posted yet. Rates for Washington, Connecticut and California come from state announcements; the others are cross-checked against rate trackers fedratecalc and Start Business by State. Percent changes are calculated from the two rates.
New York holds, and Michigan stands out
New York is the notable non-mover. The state says an "off-ramp" condition in its 2023 law was met, so rates stay at $17 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester and $16 elsewhere. Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed raising them to $17.60 and $16.55 on Mar. 1, 2027, but that needs the Legislature, and we found no vote as of Nov. 9. Home care aides do rise, to $20 and $19.
Michigan is the other outlier. Its schedule sets the tipped cash wage at 42% of the new minimum, up from 40%, which gives $6.30. That is still far below $15. According to IBTimes, employers must make up the difference when tips fall short.
What changes for event crews
January is less a sudden raise than a squeeze. Barbacks, setup and teardown crews, coat check and entry-level hospitality sit closest to the floor and feel it first. Employers often have to adjust the rungs above them to keep pay differences, so a floor change can reach past minimum-wage jobs.
Tipped pay moves only where a tip credit exists. California and Washington allow none, so bartenders and servers there start at the full $17.40 and $17.73. Where a credit exists, the cash wage can be far lower: $6.15 in South Dakota, $5.70 in Ohio. Federal rules on side work for workers paid the $2.13 cash wage also shifted this fall, as we reported in our look at the Labor Department's tip-credit letters.
Event pay adds a wrinkle. Whether a service charge or a tip pool counts toward tipped pay varies by state. Check service charge vs tip before you assume a shift pays the way a restaurant shift does, and use the bartender pay calculator to test a rate.
City rates that sit above the state
Where a city sets its own minimum, employers pay the higher figure; Colorado's guidance says so directly. Seattle's Office of Labor Standards announced $22.14 for all employers in city limits, up 84 cents. Denver rises 55 cents to $19.84, and San Diego goes to $18.35.
| Rate now | New rate | Takes effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $21.30 | $22.14 | Jan. 1, 2027 |
| Denver | $19.29 | $19.84 | Jan. 1, 2027 |
| San Diego | $17.75 | $18.35 | Jan. 1, 2027 |
| San Francisco | $19.61 | Not announced | Jul. 1, 2027 |
| Los Angeles | $18.42 | Not announced | Jul. 1, 2027 |
| Washington, DC | $18.40 | Not announced | Jul. 1, 2027 |
| New York City | $17.00 | No change | Proposed $17.60 on Mar. 1, 2027, pending |
| Las Vegas (Nevada rate) | $12.00 | No change | No change in 2027 |
| Orlando (Florida rate) | $15.00 | No change | No change in 2027 |
Los Angeles, San Francisco and DC adjust on Jul. 1, not Jan. 1, so do not assume their rates move with the calendar year. Chicago is left out because we could not verify its current figure against a city source.
What agencies and buyers should check
If your rate card was built in 2026, check these rows against it: Michigan, Virginia, Rhode Island and Washington first, then any city in the table above. A national activation staffed in Seattle, Denver, Phoenix and Austin now runs across pay floors from $7.25 to $22.14.
Salaried coordinators and account managers are affected too, because exempt salary thresholds move with the wage. California's is $72,384, and Washington's is $92,196 for employers with 51 or more employees.
Fifteen states is down from 19 a year ago, but the raises that matter most for budgets are the few that jump. Pay in Seattle and Las Vegas, where Nevada's statewide rate stays at $12, will keep diverging.
