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State labor laws: all 50 states and the District of Columbia

One page per jurisdiction, each with its 2026 minimum wage, overtime rule, leave laws, final paycheck deadline and break rules.

This index opens the 51 state pages of the site. Each one brings together the rules a private-sector employee meets in that state in 2026: the minimum wage in force and its dated changes, the tipped cash wage, the overtime thresholds and the salary test for exempt jobs, paid sick leave, paid family leave, the deadline for the last paycheck and whether unused vacation is paid, the meal and rest breaks owed to adults, and the right-to-work status. 20 states still rely on the federal $7.25; 21 jurisdictions require paid sick leave and 14 run a paid family leave program. Use the comparison tool to set two states side by side, then open the state where you work to see every rule with the link to the agency that publishes it.

Compare two states for a full-time minimum wage job

Texas / California, per hour

$7.25 / $16.90

Full-time year (2,080 h)$15,080 / $35,152
Gap over a year$20,072
Paid sick leave lawno / yes
Paid family leave programno / yes
Minimum wage in every state →

Reading a state page

Each page opens with six key figures, then a calculator locked on the state: enter your hourly pay and schedule and it applies the state minimum wage, overtime rule, sick leave accrual, break rules and final pay deadline to your own week. The prose that follows explains what is unusual about that state, such as a regional minimum wage, a daily overtime rule or a recent repeal. At the bottom, a table lists every 2026 minimum wage row and the local rates, with links to the official pages.

States that share a rule are not identical

Two states with the same minimum wage can still differ on everything else. Alaska, California, Colorado and Nevada pay overtime by the day as well as by the week; the rest follow the weekly rule alone. Some states require a meal period after five hours, others after six, and many require none. Paid family leave programs differ in weeks, replacement rate and weekly maximum. That is why the comparison tool shows more than one line, and why the minimum wage page and the paid family leave page go deeper on each rule.

When state and federal rules differ

When a state and the federal law set different standards, the one that is more protective of the worker applies, provided the employer is covered by both. A state rate below $7.25 only matters for the few workers outside federal coverage. Local ordinances add another layer in some cities and counties, listed on each state page.

Questions people ask

Where can I find the labor laws for my state?

Each state page on this site lists the 2026 rules with a link to the state labor agency page they come from. The agency itself, usually the department of labor or a wage and hour division, publishes the official text, posters and claim forms. For federal rules, the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division covers the minimum wage, overtime and the FMLA.

Do state labor laws apply to remote workers?

In general the rules of the state where you physically do the work apply, not the state where the employer is based. A remote employee living in Colorado and working for a Texas company is usually covered by Colorado wage and leave laws. Some programs, such as paid family leave insurance, have their own rules for workers who split time between states.

Which is better for workers, state or federal labor law?

Neither replaces the other. Federal law sets a floor, and a state can only add to it for employers covered by both. When the two differ, the worker gets the more protective standard, such as the higher minimum wage or the shorter overtime threshold. In states that have not passed their own rules, the federal $7.25 and the 40-hour overtime rule are what apply.

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Publisher of the state-by-state guide to US employment law: minimum wage, overtime, leave, final pay and breaks

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General information, not legal advice: the calculators apply the published federal and state rules to the numbers you enter. Union contracts, local ordinances, industry wage orders and exemptions can change the answer; the state labor agency decides a wage claim.

Federal and state employment rules for 2026, checked on official sources on