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OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington’s minimum wage will rise 2.8% at the start of 2026, reaching $17.13 an hour, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) announced.
Minimum wage to increase statewide Jan. 1
What to know:
State law requires L&I to adjust the minimum wage each year based on inflation using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. L&I compares the index from August of the previous year to August of the current year to determine the percentage change.
The increase takes effect Jan. 1, 2026.
Washington’s current statewide minimum wage of $16.66 is already the highest in the nation. Local governments can set higher minimums — and several already do, including Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton, Bellingham, Everett, Burien, and unincorporated King County.
The federal minimum wage remains $7.25 an hour.
More details about state wage laws, including overtime rules, rest breaks, and how to file a wage complaint, are available on L&I’s website in 15 different languages.
Overtime-exempt employees
By the numbers:
The change also affects the minimum salary that certain employees must earn to be exempt from overtime pay.
For 2026, executive, administrative, and professional workers — including some computer professionals — must be paid at least 2.25 times the minimum wage to qualify for exemption.
That means an exempt worker must earn at least $1,541.70 per week, or $80,168.40 per year.
L&I is midway through an eight-year implementation schedule that gradually raises the exemption threshold through 2028, when it will reach 2.5 times the minimum wage. The pace of increase depends on the size of the employer.
Computer professionals who are paid hourly, rather than on salary, must earn 3.5 times the minimum wage, or $59.96 per hour in 2026.
Young workers
Employers may pay 85% of the minimum wage to workers ages 14–15. In 2026, that rate will be $14.56 an hour.
Rideshare driver pay
Minimum pay for rideshare drivers will also increase on Jan. 1, 2026:
- Trips within Seattle: Drivers will earn 70 cents per passenger platform minute and $1.63 per passenger platform mile, or $6.12, whichever is greater.
- Trips outside Seattle: Drivers will earn 40 cents per passenger platform minute and $1.38 per passenger platform mile, or $3.55, whichever is greater.
Non-compete agreements
L&I also adjusts income thresholds for non-compete clauses using the same inflation measure.
In 2026, the minimum annual salary threshold for an enforceable non-compete will be:
- Employees: $126,858.83
- Independent contractors: $317,147.09
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Washington Department of Labor and Industries.