Minimum wage in Oklahoma, 2026–2026
- Minimum wage in 2026
$7.25 an hour (federal and state law)1
The same as the federal rate.
- Tipped employees
$2.13 an hour in cash2
Employers may count up to $5.12 an hour of tips toward the minimum wage.
- Who it covers
Employers with more than ten full-time employees at one location, or with over $100,000 in gross business a year; the act does not apply to employers that pay the federal minimum wage under the FLSA.3
- Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours a week (federal FLSA)4
For covered employees who are not exempt.
The Oklahoma minimum wage is $7.25 in 2026
Line chart of the Oklahoma minimum wage against the federal minimum: $7.25 in 2026. The federal minimum was $5.15 in 2000 and $7.25 in 2026.
What a full-time minimum-wage employee costs in Oklahoma
At $7.25 an hour for 40 hours a week, a new employer with 10 staff pays $15,080 in wages and $1,622 on top (10.8%) in payroll taxes and workers' comp.
- Wages (2,080 paid hours a year)
- $15,080
- Social Security (employer share)6.2%6 of $15,080
- $935
- Medicare (employer share)1.45%7 of $15,080
- $219
- Workers' compensation (benchmark index rate)$1.33 per $100 of payroll10
- $201
- Total a year
- $16,702
If you also offer single health coverage, the average employer here pays about $6,566 more a year: a $8,124 average premium11 less $1,558 paid by the employee11.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage for tipped employees in Oklahoma?
$2.13 an hour in cash, with up to $5.12 of tips counted toward Oklahoma's $7.25.
How much does a minimum-wage employee cost an employer in Oklahoma?
About $16,702 a year full time at $7.25: $15,080 of pay plus $1,622 on top, $1,422 in payroll taxes and $201 in workers' comp, before any health coverage.
Which employers must pay the Oklahoma minimum wage?
Employers with more than ten full-time employees at one location, or with over $100,000 in gross business a year; the act does not apply to employers that pay the federal minimum wage under the FLSA.
More minimum wage and employer cost pages
Employer costs in Oklahoma
States with a similar minimum wage
Data and rules for every state
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
- Oklahoma Department of Labor oklahoma.gov/labor/workplace-rights/wage-hour/faqs---wage-and-hour.html“The federal and state minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has been in effect since July 24, 2000.”
- 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) … Oklahoma 8 $7.25 $5.12 $2.13 Not specified”
- Oklahoma Statutes, Title 40, § 197.4 oksenate.gov/sites/default/files/2019-12/os40.pdf“"Employer" means any individual … hiring more than ten full-time employees or equivalent at any one location or place of business; provided, however, if an employer has less than ten full-time employees … but does a gross business of more than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) annually, said employer shall not be exempt … This act shall not apply to employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, and who are paying the minimum wage under the provisions of said act”
- 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.”
- 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“Oklahoma 1.00 1.00 1.40 1.80 2.00 2.00 3.10 … Oklahoma 3.35 3.80(g) 4.25(g) 4.25(g) 4.25(g) 4.75(g) 5.15(g) … Oklahoma 2.00 - 5.15(g) 2.00 - 5.15(g) 2.00 - 5.15(g) 2.00 - 5.15(g) 2.00 - 5.15(g) 2.00 - 5.15(g) 2.00 - 5.15 … Oklahoma 2.00-5.15(g) 2.00-5.85(g) 2.00-6.55(g) 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) … Oklahoma 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) … Oklahoma 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g) 2.00-7.25(g)” “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” “Oklahoma sets a lower rate for employers of fewer than 10 full-time employees at any one location and for those with annual gross sales of less than $100,000 ($2.00, January 1, 1991-January 1, 2005).”
- 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).”
- 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.”
- Internal Revenue Service irs.gov/taxtopics/tc759“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.”
- 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. … OK … 1.50%” “OK … $25,000”
- 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 … 15 17 Oklahoma 1.33 122%”
- 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 … Oklahoma 8,124 8,811 7,446 7,746 7,910 8,357 8,231 8,101” “Table II.C.2 Average total employee contribution (in dollars) per enrolled employee for single coverage … Division and State Total … Oklahoma 1,558 2,121 * 1,840 1,110 1,516 1,606 1,750 1,517”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state“Oklahoma … Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $7.25”