North Carolina Minimum Wage 2026: Still $7.25, No Local Increases Allowed
North Carolina’s minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, matching the federal rate and unchanged since July 24, 2009. State law directly prohibits cities and counties from setting their own higher minimum wage, so $7.25 applies uniformly everywhere in the state — there’s no local ordinance to check, unlike states such as Illinois or Washington.
North Carolina at a glance
| Current rate | $7.25 / hour |
|---|---|
| Effective | July 24, 2009 (federal rate) |
| Tipped cash wage | $2.13 / hour (tips must bring total to $7.25) |
| Next scheduled change | None — would require federal legislation |
What this means for hiring
Because North Carolina bars local minimum wage laws outright, $7.25 is the one number to plan around statewide — a job ad or offer letter never needs a city- or county-specific check the way it would in a state like California or New York. Overtime still applies after 40 hours in a workweek (45 in seasonal recreational businesses), which is worth pricing into any role expected to run long weeks.
Hiring hourly workers in North Carolina?
We can tell you honestly whether your job ads are priced to the current wage floor — before you spend anything.
Book a DemoPart of Boostpoint’s minimum wage by state series, covering the states where Boostpoint runs the most hiring campaigns.