While researching 2027 minimum wage figures for a free 2027 State Minimum Wage calculator, we ran into a problem worth flagging: multiple aggregator sites listed specific "2027 rates" for states like Washington and New York that, when checked against the state's own official announcement, turned out to actually be the 2026 rate. Here's what's genuinely confirmed for 2027 so far, and what's still an open question.
Minimum wage increase 2027: what's already locked in
A handful of states have already made their 2027 rate official, through either a fixed legislated schedule or an early inflation-index announcement:
- California: $16.90 (2026) → $17.40 (2027), confirmed by the state on July 31, 2026.
- Colorado: $15.16 (2026) → $15.71 (2027), confirmed by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's official press release on August 13, 2026 — a 3.6% CPI-based increase.
- Michigan: $13.73 (2026) → $15.00 (2027), the final step of a legislated phase-in.
- Virginia: $12.77 (2026) → $13.75 (2027), under a newly signed state law.
Is my state minimum wage going up in 2027 — but the exact number isn't out yet
Many other states — including Washington and New York — index their minimum wage to inflation but haven't announced the exact 2027 figure as of this writing. Washington's Department of Labor & Industries is required to announce its 2027 rate by September 30, 2026. New York begins indexing to the Northeast CPI-W starting in 2027, with the exact number typically announced in the fall — its confirmed 2026 rates are $17.00 (NYC, Long Island, Westchester) and $16.00 (the rest of the state), not yet the 2027 figures some sites have published.
Why we didn't build a full 50-state table
Covering every state accurately would mean checking each one's official labor department announcement individually — and in the process of researching just a handful, we found real mismatches between what different aggregator sites claimed. Rather than publish unverified numbers for all 50 states, this calculator includes only the ones we could directly confirm against an official source, clearly labeled as "confirmed" or "pending." Check your own state's labor department directly for any state not listed here.
Try the 2027 State Minimum Wage Calculator →
Sources: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, official press release (2026-08-13); Washington State L&I, 2026 minimum wage announcement; New York Governor's Office, minimum wage announcement (2025-12-22); savingtoinvest.com, "2026–2027 Minimum Wage by State" (cross-checked, 2026-09). This is general information — check your state's official labor department for the authoritative current rate.
