Ohio Minimum Wage Adjusts for Inflation to $11.00

On January 1, 2026, Ohio’s minimum wage will increase by 30-cents to $11.00 per hour. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that approximately 103,800 Ohioans paid less than $11.00 will experience a direct wage increase, and 169,300 more Ohioans will likely see an increase in their wages as employers adjust their pay scales. The minimum wage for tipped workers will increase to $5.50, with direct or projected indirect effects on every one of the 97,100 Ohioans in tipped occupations.

The adjustment will help an estimated 171,800 female and 101,400 male Ohioans. By Census-classified race/ethnicity, it will benefit an estimated 198,800 white workers, 43,000 Black workers, 14,400 Hispanic/Latine workers, 6,000 Asian workers, and 10,900 workers of “other race[s]/ethnicit[ies].” Nearly two-thirds of the workers affected are over 20 years old. Nearly three-quarters work more than 20 hours per week. Almost one in ten Ohio children — 203,900 total — live in homes that will be helped by this increase.

Policy Matters Ohio work and wages researcher Heather Smith issued the following statement:

“Thanks to the foresight of Ohio voters in 2006, who passed a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage and annually adjust it based on inflation, the lowest-paid working Ohioans will see a wage increase on January 1st. As a result, nearly a quarter of Ohio families classified as “in poverty” will experience some modicum of relief from rising prices.

“Across the country, voters have been passing $15 minimum wage laws, and in 2026 more workers will live in a state with a $15 minimum wage than in a state that relies on the federal minimum of $7.25. While Ohio’s indexed minimum wage is nothing to scoff at – it has ensured hundreds of thousands of Ohioans received relief from inflation for nearly twenty years – Ohio should join the ranks of states with minimum wage laws closer to the cost of living. Ohioans deserve better, and our economy can handle it. It’s time to raise the wage.”