Household employees like nannies, housekeepers, and in-home senior caregivers are required to be paid at least the prevailing minimum wage hourly rate. This will be the highest of the federal, state, or local rates. The federal rate of $7.25/hour hasn’t changed for quite some time. However, many states, counties, and cities have much higher rates.
Here are the current minimum wage rates for nannies and other household employees.
Alabama
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
Alaska
$11.91/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Arizona
$14.70/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Flagstaff
$17.85/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Tucson
$15/hour – The minimum wage may increase each January, depending on the inflation rate.
Arkansas
$11/hour
California
$16.50/hour
California city-specific rates
See the chart below for local rates that exceed California’s state minimum wage rate.
Colorado
$14.81/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Boulder
$15.57/hour
Boulder County
$16.57/hour – Effective January 1, 2025. This rate will increase each year until it reaches $25/hour on January 1, 2030.
Denver
$18.81/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Edgewater
$16.52/hour – Increases to $18.17 in 2026; $19.99 in 2027; and $21.99 in 2028.
Connecticut
$16.35/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Delaware
$15/hour – Effective January 1, 2025.
District of Columbia
$17.50/hour – The minimum wage is expected to increase on July 1, 2025
Florida
$13/hour – Increases by $1/hour every September 30 until it reaches $15/hour in 2026.
Georgia
$7.25/hour – The state’s minimum wage rate of $5.15/hour doesn’t apply to household employees as it is below the federal rate.
Hawaii
$14/hour – Increases to $16/hour on January 1, 2026; and then to $18/hour on January 1, 2028.
Idaho
$7.25/hour
Illinois
$15/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Chicago
$16.20/hour – This rate applies to domestic workers regardless of the number employed by the family.
Cook County (outside of Chicago)
$15/hour – Effective January 1, 2025. An inflation-adjusted minimum wage rate will be announced each year by June 1.
Indiana
$7.25/hour
Iowa
$7.25/hour
Kansas
$7.25/hour
Kentucky
$7.25/hour
Louisiana
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
Maine
$14.65/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Portland
$15.50/hour – Effective January 1, 2025. May change annually based on a cost of living increase.
Rockland
$15.50/hour – Effective January 1, 2025. Each January 1, the city will adjust the rate based on the consumer price index.
Maryland
$15/hour
Howard County
$15/hour – Increases to $15.50/hour on January 1, 2026, and then to $16/hour on July 1, 2026. This rate is for employers with under 15 workers.
Montgomery County
$15/hour – Beginning July 1, 2025, the minimum wage for small employers will be adjusted annually by the average increase in the previous year’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for Washington-Arlington.
Prince George’s County
$15/hour
Massachusetts
$15/hour
Michigan
$10.56/hour – Effective January 1, 2025. This rate will increase to $12.46/hour on February 21, 2025.
Minnesota
$11.13/hour
Minneapolis
$15.97/hour – Effective January 1, 2025. This rate is now for all employers.
St. Paul
$12.25/hour – This rate is for employers with five or fewer workers. The rate will increase to $13.25 on July 1, 2025.
Mississippi
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
Missouri
$13.75/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Montana
$10.55/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Nebraska
$13.50/hour – Effective January 1, 2025 – Voters in Nebraska recently approved an initiative that increases the state’s minimum wage rate by $1.50/hour each year until it reaches $15 per hour in 2026. Beginning in 2027, the minimum wage rate will be adjusted annually for increases in the cost of living.
Nevada
$12/hour
New Hampshire
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
New Jersey
$14.53/hour – Effective January 1, 2025, for employers with fewer than six employees
New Mexico
$12/hour
Las Cruces
$12.65/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Santa Fe (City and County)
$14.60/hour – Annual living wage increases occur on March 1.
New York
$15.50/hour, increasing to $16/hour in 2026. As of January 1, 2027, the minimum wage will be based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (“CPI-W”) for the Northeast Region.
The minimum wage for home health care aides is $18.10/hour, increasing to $18.65 in 2026.
New York City, Long Island & Westchester County
$16.50/hour, increases to $17/hour in 2026.
The minimum wage for home health care aides $19.10/hour and then increases to $19.65 in 2026.
North Carolina
$7.25/hour
North Dakota
$7.25/hour
Ohio
$7.25/hour – Ohio has a special minimum wage for businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $385,000 per year ($10.45/hour). However, household employers follow the lower rate.
Oklahoma
$7.25/hour
Oregon
To determine which rate applies to your county, visit Oregon Minimum Wage Rate Summary.
Portland
$15.95/hour
Standard
$14.70/hour
Non-urban counties
$13.70/hour
Pennsylvania
$7.25/hour
Rhode Island
$15/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
South Carolina
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
South Dakota
$11.50/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Tennessee
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
Texas
$7.25/hour
Utah
$7.25/hour
Vermont
$14.01/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Virginia
$12.41/hour – Effective January 1, 2025. The state’s new minimum wage law removes exempt status from several categories of employees, including home care providers and domestic service workers.
Washington
$16.66/hour
Bellingham
$17.66/hour – Increases to $18.66/hour on May 1, 2025.
King County
$17.29/hour – Effective January 1, 2025. Applies to small employers (15 or fewer employees and less than $2 million in annual gross revenue).
Seattle
$20.76/hour – Effective January 1, 2025. Small businesses will no longer be able to make up any part of the minimum wage with tips or medical benefits paid to their employees.
West Virginia
$7.25/hour – The state minimum wage of $8.75 applies if you have six or more employees working at any one separate, distinct, and permanent work location.
Wisconsin
$7.25/hour
Wyoming
$7.25/hour – The state’s minimum wage rate of $5.15/hour doesn’t apply to household employees as it is below the federal rate.
California Local Minimum Wage Rates
Alameda
$17/hour
Belmont
$18.30/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Berkeley
$18.67/hour
Burlingame
$17.43/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Cupertino
$18.20/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Daly City
$17.07/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
East Palo Alto
$17.45/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
El Cerrito
$18.34/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Emeryville
$19.36/hour
Foster City
$17.40/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Fremont
$17.30/hour
Half Moon Bay
$17.47/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Hayward
$16.50/hour – Effective January 1, 2025 for employers with 25 or fewer employees.
Los Altos
$18.20/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Los Angeles (city)
$17.28/hour
Los Angeles (county)
$17.27/hour
Malibu
$17.27/hour
Menlo Park
$17.10/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Milpitas
$17.70/hour
Mountain View
$19.20/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Novato
$16.50/hour – Effective January 1, 2025 for small employers
Oakland
$16.89/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Palo Alto
$18.20/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Pasadena
$17.50/hour
Petaluma
$17.97/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Redwood City
$18.20/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Richmond
$17.77/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
San Carlos
$17.32/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
San Diego
$17.25/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
San Francisco (city and county)
$18.67/hour
San Jose
$17.95/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
San Mateo
$17.95/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
San Mateo County
$17.46/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Santa Clara
$18.20/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Santa Monica
$17.27/hour
Santa Rosa
$17.87/hour – Effective January 1, 2025. Applies to all employers.
Sonoma
$16.96/hour – Effective January 1, 2025, for employers with 25 or fewer employees
South San Francisco
$17.70/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
Sunnyvale
$19/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
West Hollywood
$19.65/hour – Effective January 1, 2025
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