Arkansas Minimum Wage in 2026: $11 an hour

Sources

The 10 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.

1. Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing labor.arkansas.gov/labor/labor-standards/minimum-wage-and-overtime“Effective January 1, 2021, the minimum wage in Arkansas is $11.00 per hour.”
2. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped“Definition of Tipped Employee by Minimum Tips received (monthly unless otherwise specified) … State requires employers to pay tipped employees a minimum cash wage above the minimum cash wage required under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act ($2.13/hour) … Arkansas $11.00 $8.37 $2.63 Not specified”
3. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state“Arkansas … Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $11.00 … Applicable to employers with 4 or more employees … Premium Pay After Designated Hours 1 : Weekly - 40 … The overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate, unless otherwise specified.”
4. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Changes in Basic Minimum Wages in Non-Farm Employment Under State Law: Selected Years 1968 to 2024“Arkansas 1.25/day(b) 1.10 1.20 1.90 2.30 2.55 2.70 … Arkansas 3.25 3.35 3.65 4.25 4.25[c] 4.25[c] 5.15[c] … Arkansas 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15 [c] … Arkansas 6.25[c] 6.25[c] 6.25[c] 6.25[c] 6.25[c] 6.25[c] 6.25[c] … Arkansas 6.25[c] 7.50[c] 8.00[c] 8.50[c] 8.50[c] 9.25[c] … Arkansas 10.00[c] 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00” “Federal (FLSA) $1.15 & $1.60 $1.30 & $1.60 $1.60 $2.20 & $2.30 $2.90 $3.10 $3.35 … Federal (FLSA) $3.35 $3.80 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.75 $5.15 … Federal (FLSA) $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 5.15 … Federal (FLSA) 5.15 5.85 6.55 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Federal (FLSA) 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Federal (FLSA) 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25” “For the years indicated, the laws in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, Utah, and Wisconsin applied only to women and minors.” “Rates applicable to employers of four or more.”
5. Internal Revenue Service IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide“For 2026, the social security tax rate is 6.2% (amount withheld) each for the employer and employee (12.4% total).”
6. Social Security Administration ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html“Tax rates under the HI program are 1.45 percent for employees and employers, each, and 2.90 percent for self-employed persons.”
7. Internal Revenue Service Topic no. 759, Form 940 – FUTA tax (IRS)“If you're entitled to the maximum 5.4% credit, the FUTA tax rate after credit is 0.6%.” “FUTA tax rate: The FUTA tax rate is 6.0%. The tax applies to the first $7,000 you paid to each employee as wages during the year.”
8. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/sigpros/2020-2029/January2026.pdf“New employer rate shown is the base rate. … AR … 1.8%” “AR … $7,000”
9. Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/cost/Pages/premium-index-rates.aspx“Premium index rate: Less than $0.75 … State Index rate Percent of study median … 50 49 Arkansas 0.53 48%”
10. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (MEPS-IC) meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/summ_tables/insr/state/series_2/2025/ic25_iia_f.pdf“Table II.C.1 Average total single premium (in dollars) per enrolled employee … Division and State Total … Arkansas 7,804 7,630 -- 7,130 7,555 7,989 7,691 7,823” “Table II.C.2 Average total employee contribution (in dollars) per enrolled employee for single coverage … Division and State Total … Arkansas 1,795 -- -- 2,344 1,407 2,018 1,404 1,859”