Minimum wage in Nebraska, 2000–2027

Minimum wage in 2026

$15 an hour1

On January 1, 2027

$15.26 an hour2

Up $0.26 from today.

Tipped employees

$2.13 an hour in cash3

The cash wage federal law requires; up to $12.87 of tips counted toward the minimum wage.

Who it covers

Applicable to employers of 4 or more employees1

Overtime

Time and a half after 40 hours a week (federal FLSA)4

For covered employees who are not exempt.

The Nebraska minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $15 in 2026; $15.26 from Jan 1, 2027

$0$5$10$15$20200020052010201520202027$7.25$15.26

Line chart of the Nebraska minimum wage against the federal minimum: $5.15 in 2000, $7.25 in 2010, $9 in 2020, $15 in 2026, and $15.26 in 2027. The federal minimum was $5.15 in 2000 and $7.25 in 2026.

Data: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division and Nebraska 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; 2027: the rate set for January 1.
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The Nebraska minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $15 in 2026; $15.26 from Jan 1, 2027. LeadChange Group Hiring Cost Atlas; Data: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division and Nebraska Department of Labor, as of Nov 2, 2026. CC BY 4.0. https://leadchangegroup.com/guides/minimum-wage-by-state/nebraska/#minimum-wage-history

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Every year in the DOL table
The Nebraska minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $15 in 2026; $15.26 from Jan 1, 2027: every year of the U.S. Department of Labor table
YearState rateFederal rate
19681.00$1.15 & $1.60
19701.00$1.30 & $1.60
19721.00$1.60
19761.60$2.20 & $2.30
19791.60$2.90
19801.60$3.10
19811.60$3.35
19883.35$3.35
19913.35$3.80
19924.25$4.25
19944.25$4.25
19964.25[c]$4.25
19974.25[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
20045.15[c]$5.15
20055.15[c]$5.15
20065.15[c]5.15
20075.15[c]5.15
20085.85[c]5.85
20096.55[c]6.55
20107.25[c]7.25
20117.25[c]7.25
20127.25[c]7.25
20137.25[c]7.25
20147.25[c]7.25
20158.00[c]7.25
20169.00[c]7.25
20179.00[c]7.25
20189.00[c]7.25
20199.00[c]7.25
20209.00[c]7.25
20219.00[c]7.25
20229.00[c]7.25
202310.50[c]7.25
202412.00[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.5

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

At $15 an hour for 40 hours a week, a new employer with 10 staff pays $31,200 in wages and $2,891 on top (9.3%) in payroll taxes and workers' comp. At the 2027 rate of $15.26 with 2026 payroll tax rates: $34,679 a year.

Wages (2,080 paid hours a year)
$31,200
Social Security (employer share)6.2%6 of $31,200
$1,934
Medicare (employer share)1.45%7 of $31,200
$452
FUTA (federal unemployment tax)0.6% (after the full 5.4% state credit)8 of $7,0008
$42
State unemployment insurance (new employer)1.25%9 of $9,0009
$113
Workers' compensation (benchmark index rate)$1.12 per $100 of payroll10
$349
Total a year
$34,091

If you also offer single health coverage, the average employer here pays about $7,185 more a year: a $8,907 average premium11 less $1,722 paid by the employee11.

Change the inputs in the Nebraska employer cost calculator

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Nebraska in 2026?

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

What will the minimum wage be in Nebraska in 2027?

$15.26 an hour from Jan 1, 2027 (Employers with 4 or more employees), after $15 an hour in 2026: $31,741 for a full-time year.

What is the minimum wage for tipped employees in Nebraska?

$2.13 an hour in cash, with up to $12.87 of tips counted toward Nebraska's $15.

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

About $34,091 a year full time at $15: $31,200 of pay plus $2,891 on top, $2,541 in payroll taxes and $349 in workers' comp, before any health coverage.

How has the Nebraska minimum wage changed since 2000?

The Nebraska minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $15 in 2026; $15.26 from Jan 1, 2027. On the way: $7.25 in 2010 and $9 in 2020, per the U.S. DOL.

Which employers must pay the Nebraska minimum wage?

Applicable to employers of 4 or more employees.

Sources

The 11 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. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state“Nebraska Applicable to employers of 4 or more employees Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $15.00” “Nebraska … Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $15.00 … Applicable to employers of 4 or more employees”
  2. Nebraska Department of Labor dol.nebraska.gov/webdocs/getfile/18bc2309-85ed-4957-b072-e899caeaca99“January 1, 2027 $15.26”
  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 minimum cash wage payment is the same as that required under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act ($2.13/hr.) … Nebraska $15.00 $12.87 $2.13 Not specified”
  4. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Overtime Pay - US Department of Labor“Unless exempt, employees covered by the Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rates of pay.”
  5. 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“Nebraska 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.60 1.60 1.60 1.60 … Nebraska 3.35 3.35 4.25 4.25 4.25[c] 4.25[c] 5.15[c] … Nebraska 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] 5.15[c] … Nebraska 5.15[c] 5.85[c] 6.55[c] 7.25[c] 7.25[c] 7.25[c] 7.25[c] … Nebraska 7.25[c] 8.00[c] 9.00[c] 9.00[c] 9.00[c] 9.00[c] … Nebraska 9.00[c] 9.00[c] 9.00[c] 10.50[c] 12.00[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.”
  6. 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).”
  7. 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.”
  8. 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.”
  9. 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. … NE … 1.25%” “NE … $9,000”
  10. Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/cost/Pages/premium-index-rates.aspx“Premium index rate: $1.00-$1.25 … State Index rate Percent of study median … 23 29 Nebraska 1.12 103%”
  11. 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 … Nebraska 8,907 11,363 9,410 7,787 8,321 9,135 9,253 8,822” “Table II.C.2 Average total employee contribution (in dollars) per enrolled employee for single coverage … Division and State Total … Nebraska 1,722 -- 3,092 1,618 1,399 1,672 2,206 1,602”