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

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 (employees of seasonal amusement or recreational establishments are exempt from the state overtime rule under G.S. 95-25.14(c)(8)), which is worth pricing into any role expected to run long weeks. To see what a North Carolina hire costs at the wage you actually pay, including payroll taxes and benefits, use our employee cost calculator.

For breaks, overtime, final paychecks and hiring rules in North Carolina, see our North Carolina labor laws guide for employers.

Part of Boostpoint’s minimum wage by state series.