• In 2026, 23 states and dozens of localities are scheduled to increase their minimum wage.
• Tennessee does not have a state minimum wage and instead defaults to the federal rate of $7.25 per hour.
• The last time the minimum wage increased in Tennessee was in 2009, when the federal rate was raised.

While nearly half the nation is boosting minimum wages, Tennessee stands firm — holding onto a long history of resisting increases.

According to an annual report from the National Employment Law Project, an employee advocacy group, Jan. 1, 2026, will include an increase in the minimum wage in 19 states and 49 cities and counties, with an additional four states and 22 localities lifting their minimums later in 2026.

With the nationwide increase in the cost of living, many states are raising their minimum wages to help residents afford basics like food, housing and medicine. Several states have implemented minimum wage increases that are aimed to take place over the course of a few years, hence the large number of raises.

Here's what to know about Tennessee's minimum wage.

What states are raising the minimum wage?

These are the 22 states raising the minimum wage in the new year:

• Alaska: $13 rising to $14 by July 1, 2026.
• Arizona: $14.70 rising to $15.15
• California: $16.50 rising to $16.90
• Colorado: $14.81 rising to $15.16
• Connecticut: $16.35 rising to $16.94
• Florida: $14 rising to $15 by Sept. 30, 2026.
• Hawaii: $14 rising to $16
• Maine: $14.65 rising to $15.10
• Michigan: $12.48...

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