Minimum Wage January 2027: Every Confirmed Raise (and the 17 States Still Secret)
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Michigan workers already know their 2027 raise to the penny. Workers in 17 other states won't find out until fall — and one state's number is hiding in a formula nobody reads.
Fuente: Departamentos de Trabajo estatales (DOL, Minnesota DLI) y leyes de salario mínimo vigentes.
On January 1, 2027, Michigan's minimum wage jumps to $15.00 per hour (from $13.73), and roughly 17 states that index to inflation will announce their new rates in late 2026 — Minnesota is first out with $11.87 (+3.99%). Alaska hits $15.00 on July 1, 2027, Nebraska switches from its fixed schedule to a CPI formula, and the federal minimum stays at $7.25, unchanged since 2009.
Every January 1, millions of hourly workers get an automatic raise most of them never applied for. The 2027 round is unusually interesting: a major swing-state crossing the $15 line, several cities blowing past it, and a batch of inflation adjustments that will land just as holiday bills come due.
The Confirmed 2027 Raises So Far
| Location | Current | 2027 rate | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | $13.73 | $15.00, then indexed yearly | Jan 1, 2027 |
| Minnesota | $11.41 | $11.87 (+3.99%) · training wage $9.68 | Jan 1, 2027 |
| Nebraska | $15.00 | First CPI-based increase after ballot schedule ends | Jan 1, 2027 |
| Boulder, CO | $16.82 | $18.17 | Jan 1, 2027 |
| Edgewater, CO | $18.17 | $19.99 | Jan 1, 2027 |
| Santa Fe, NM | $15.40 | $17.50 | Jan 1, 2027 |
| Alaska | $14.00 | $15.00 | Jul 1, 2027 |
The 17 States Waiting on Inflation Math
Roughly 17 states — including Arizona ($15.15 in 2026), California ($16.90), Colorado ($15.16), Washington ($17.13) and New York ($16.00 NYC) — recalculate every year using CPI formulas set months earlier. Their exact 2027 rates get announced between August and December 2026, then take effect January 1. Dozens of cities, mostly in California and Washington, follow the same calendar with higher local rates.
Why Michigan's Number Matters Beyond Michigan
Michigan reaching $15.00 puts another big industrial state at that threshold via law rather than ballot-measure momentum — and unlike one-time jumps, its rate now indexes annually, meaning raises become automatic forever. Watch the same pattern in Nebraska, whose voter-approved climb ended at $15 in 2026; from 2027 on, its increases ride the Consumer Price Index like the rest of the indexing states.
What It Means for You
If you're in an indexing state, your exact 2027 rate arrives with your state labor department's fall announcement — we'll update this page the day each one lands. Employers should update posters and payroll before January 1; workers paid near the old minimum should check their first paycheck of 2027 for the new rate. And remember: where state law sets nothing above federal, the floor remains $7.25 — Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee have no state minimum at all.
