Minimum wage in Illinois, 2000–2026

Minimum wage in 2026

$15 an hour1

On January 1, 2027

No change scheduled2

$15 an hour since Jan 1, 2025, the latest rate Illinois Department of Labor gives (checked Oct 26, 2026).

Tipped employees

$9 an hour in cash3

Employers may count up to $6 an hour of tips toward the minimum wage.

Who it covers

Applicable to employers of 4 or more employees, excluding family members4

Overtime

Premium pay after 40 hours a week4

Chicago minimum wage

$17.05 an hour5

From July 1, 2026, for employers with 4 or more employees, per City of Chicago, Office of Labor Standards.

The Illinois minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $15 in 2026

$0$5$10$15200020052010201520202026$7.25$15

Line chart of the Illinois minimum wage against the federal minimum: $5.15 in 2000, $8.25 in 2010, $10 in 2020, and $15 in 2026. The federal minimum was $5.15 in 2000 and $7.25 in 2026.

Data: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division and Illinois Department of Labor, as of Nov 2, 2026. CC BY 4.0 · LeadChange Group Hiring Cost Atlas. 2000–2024: each year's rate as the U.S. DOL table prints it (2025 is not in its table, so the lines break there). 2026: the rate in force when checked.
Use this chart

Free to share, embed and reuse under the CC BY 4.0 license as long as the source line stays: every copy below carries it. The embed loads no cookies or trackers; addtheme=dark to its address for a dark frame.

Share

https://leadchangegroup.com/guides/minimum-wage-by-state/illinois/#minimum-wage-history

Embed
Cite

The Illinois minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $15 in 2026. LeadChange Group Hiring Cost Atlas; Data: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division and Illinois Department of Labor, as of Nov 2, 2026. CC BY 4.0. https://leadchangegroup.com/guides/minimum-wage-by-state/illinois/#minimum-wage-history

Download
PNGSVGCSV

Every year in the DOL table
The Illinois minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $15 in 2026: every year of the U.S. Department of Labor table
YearState rateFederal rate
1968...$1.15 & $1.60
1970...$1.30 & $1.60
19721.40$1.60
19762.10$2.20 & $2.30
19792.30$2.90
19802.30$3.10
19812.30$3.35
19883.35$3.35
19913.80$3.80
19924.25$4.25
19944.25$4.25
19964.25[c]$4.25
19974.75[c]$4.75
19985.15[c]$5.15
20005.15[c]$5.15
20015.15[c]$5.15
20025.15[c]$5.15
20035.15[c]$5.15
20045.50[c]$5.15
20056.50[c]$5.15
20066.50[c]5.15
20077.50[c]5.15
20087.75[c]5.85
20098.00[c]6.55
20108.25[c]7.25
20118.25[c]7.25
20128.25[c]7.25
20138.25[c]7.25
20148.25[c]7.25
20158.25[c]7.25
20168.25[c]7.25
20178.25[c]7.25
20188.25[c]7.25
20199.25[c]7.25
202010.00[c]7.25
202111.00[c]7.25
202212.00[c]7.25
202313.00[c]7.25
202414.00[c]7.25

As printed by the U.S. Department of Labor (“...” means no state rate applied). The table's key: (c) Rates applicable to employers of four or more.6

What a full-time minimum-wage employee costs in Illinois

At $15 an hour for 40 hours a week, a new employer with 10 staff pays $31,200 in wages and $3,246 on top (10.4%) in payroll taxes and workers' comp.

Wages (2,080 paid hours a year)
$31,200
Social Security (employer share)6.2%7 of $31,200
$1,934
Medicare (employer share)1.45%8 of $31,200
$452
FUTA (federal unemployment tax)0.6% (after the full 5.4% state credit)9 of $7,0009
$42
State unemployment insurance (new employer)2.8%10 of $14,25010
$399
Workers' compensation (benchmark index rate)$1.34 per $100 of payroll11
$418
Total a year
$34,446

If you also offer single health coverage, the average employer here pays about $7,866 more a year: a $9,724 average premium12 less $1,858 paid by the employee12.

Change the inputs in the Illinois employer cost calculator

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Illinois in 2026?

$15 an hour: $31,200 a year at full time.

What is the minimum wage for tipped employees in Illinois?

$9 an hour in cash, with up to $6 of tips counted toward Illinois's $15.

How much does a minimum-wage employee cost an employer in Illinois?

About $34,446 a year full time at $15: $31,200 of pay plus $3,246 on top, $2,828 in payroll taxes and $418 in workers' comp, before any health coverage.

How has the Illinois minimum wage changed since 2000?

The Illinois minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $15 in 2026. On the way: $8.25 in 2010 and $10 in 2020, per the U.S. DOL.

Which employers must pay the Illinois minimum wage?

Applicable to employers of 4 or more employees, excluding family members.

Sources

The 12 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.

Quotes from the sources
  1. Illinois Department of Labor labor.illinois.gov/news/press-release.30747.html“Workers will see an increase of $1 per hour from $14 to $15. The minimum wage for tipped workers will rise to $9 per hour”
  2. Illinois Department of Labor labor.illinois.gov/faqs/minimum-wage-overtime-faq.html“Beginning January 1, 2025, the minimum wage in Illinois is $15.00 per hour for those individuals who are 18 years and older.”
  3. 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) … Illinois $15.00 40% of the applicable minimum wage ($6.00) $9.00 Not specified”
  4. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state“Illinois … Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $15.00 … Applicable to employers of 4 or more employees, excluding family members … 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.”
  5. City of Chicago, Office of Labor Standards chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bacp/supp_info/minimumwageinformation.html“As of July 1, 2026, the minimum wage in Chicago is $17.05 per hour for employers with 4 or more employees.”
  6. 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“Illinois ... ... 1.40 2.10 2.30 2.30 2.30 … Illinois 3.35 3.80 4.25 4.25 4.25[c] 4.75[c] 5.15[c] … Illinois 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.50[c] 6.50[c] 6.50[c] … Illinois 7.50[c] 7.75[c] 8.00[c] 8.25[c] 8.25[c] 8.25[c] 8.25[c] … Illinois 8.25[c] 8.25[c] 8.25[c] 8.25[c] 8.25[c] 9.25[c] … Illinois 10.00[c] 11.00[c] 12.00[c] 13.00[c] 14.00[c]” “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” “Rates applicable to employers of four or more.”
  7. 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).”
  8. 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.”
  9. 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.”
  10. 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. … IL … 2.80%” “IL … $14,250”
  11. Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/cost/Pages/premium-index-rates.aspx“Premium index rate: $1.25-$1.50 … State Index rate Percent of study median … 13 19 Illinois 1.34 123%”
  12. 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 … Illinois 9,724 9,708 10,388 8,748 10,545 9,323 9,865 9,703” “Table II.C.2 Average total employee contribution (in dollars) per enrolled employee for single coverage … Division and State Total … Illinois 1,858 1,495 * 1,968 2,456 1,780 1,783 2,112 1,820”