Minimum Wage Rates for a Nanny and Other Household Employees

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

$10.34/hour

Arizona

$12.80/hour – Effective January 1, 2022.

Flagstaff

$15.50/hour – Effective January 1, 2022.

Tucson

$13/hour –  Effective April 1, 2022. This rate will increase to $13.50/hour in 2023; $14.25/hour in 2024; and $15/hour in 2025. Then the minimum wage may increase each January depending on the rate of inflation.

Arkansas

$11/hour

California

$14/hour – For employers with 25 or fewer employees. The state minimum wage rate is projected to increase to $15.50/hour for all employers effective January 1, 2023. It was scheduled to increase to $15/hour. The accelerated increase is required by a provision in the state’s minimum wage law when inflation exceeds 7 percent.

California city-specific rates

See the chart below for local rates that exceed California’s state minimum wage rate.

Colorado

$12.56/hour – Effective January 1, 2022.

Denver

$15.87/hour – Effective January 1, 2022.

Connecticut

$14/hour – Effective July 1, 2022. Increases to $15/hour on June 1, 2023. Beginning January 1, 2024, the state minimum wage will be indexed to the employment cost index and the rate will grow according to economic indicators.

Delaware

$10.50/hour – Effective January 1, 2022. Increases to $11.75/hour on January 1, 2023; $13.25/hour on January 1, 2024; and then to $15/hour on January 1, 2025.

District of Columbia

$16.10/hour – Effective July 1, 2022.

Florida

$10/hour – Increases to $11/hour on September 30, 2022. Will Increase $1/hour every September 30 thereafter 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

$10.10/hour – Increases to $12/hour on October 1, 2022; $14/hour on January 1, 2024; $16/hour on January 1, 2026; and then to $18/hour on January 1, 2028.

Idaho

$7.25/hour

Illinois

$12/hour – Increases by $1/hour every January 1 until it reaches $15/hour in 2025.

Chicago

$15.40/hour – This rate applies to domestic workers regardless of the number employed by the family.

Cook County (outside of Chicago)

$13.35/hour – 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

$12.75/hour – Effective January 1, 2022.

Portland

$13/hour – Effective January 1, 2022. Portland recently passed a referendum that annually raises the city’s minimum wage from $13/hour beginning on January 1, 2022, to $15/hour in 2024, and then annually thereafter based on a cost of living increase.

Rockland

$13/hour – Rockland recently approved a new minimum wage ordinance that increases the city’s minimum wage rate to $13/hour on January 1, 2022; $14/hour in 2023, and $15/hour in 2024. Each January 1 beginning in 2025 the city will adjust the rate based on the consumer price index. For 2021, Rockland follows the state minimum wage rate of $12.15/hour.

Maryland

$12.20/hour – Increases $0.60/hour every January 1 until 2026. On July 1, 2026, the rate increases to $15/hour. This rate is for employers with 14 or fewer workers.

Howard County

$12.50/hour – Effective April 1, 2022. Increases to $13.25/hour on January 1, 2023. The rate will gradually rise to $16/hour by July 1, 2026. This is rate is for employers with under 15 workers.

Montgomery County

$14/hour – Effective July 1, 2022. Increases to $14.50/hour on July 1, 2023. This rate is for employers with 10 or fewer workers.

Massachusetts

$14.25/hour – Effective January 1, 2022. Increases to $15/hour in 2023.

Michigan

$9.87/hour – Effective January 1, 2022. Gradual annual minimum wage increases until the rate reaches $12.05.

Minnesota

$8.42/hour – Effective January 1, 2022. This rate is for small employers.

Minneapolis

$13.50/hour – Effective July 1, 2022. For employers with 100 or fewer employees. Increases to $14.50 in 2023 and then to $15/hour in 2024.

St. Paul

$10.75/hour – Effective July 1, 2022. This rate is for employers with five or fewer workers.

Mississippi

$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.

Missouri

$11.15/hour – Effective January 1, 2022. Increases to $12/hour in 2023.

Montana

$9.20/hour –Effective January 1, 2022.

Nebraska

$9/hour

Nevada

$10.50 (without employee health benefits); $9.50/hour (with qualified employee health benefits) – Effective July 1, 2022. Increases to $11.25/hour and $10.25/hour in 2023, and then to $12/hour and $11/hour in 2024.

New Hampshire

$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.

New Jersey

$11.90/hour – Effective January 1, 2022. Applies to employers with less than six employees.

New Mexico

$11.50/hour – Effective January 1, 2022

Santa Fe (City and County)

$12.95/hour – Annual living wage increases occur on March 1.

New York

$13.20/hour – Effective December 31, 2021. Annual increases will continue until the rate reaches $15/hour. These increases will be published before October 1 and will be based on economic indices, including the Consumer Price Index.

New York City

$15/hour – For employers with 10 or fewer employees.

Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties

$15/hour – Effective December 31, 2021.

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 $342,000 per year ($9.30/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

$14.75/hour – Effective July 1, 2022.

Standard

$13.50/hour – Effective July 1, 2022.

Non-urban counties

$12.50/hour – Effective July 1, 2022.

Pennsylvania

$7.25/hour

Rhode Island

$12.25/hour – Effective January 1, 2022. Increases to $13 per hour in 2023; $14/hour in 2024; and then to $15/hour in 2025.

South Carolina

$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.

South Dakota

$9.95/hour – Effective January 1, 2022.

Tennessee

$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.

Texas

$7.25/hour

Utah

$7.25/hour

Vermont

$12.55/hour – Effective January 1, 2022.

Virginia

$11/hour –Effective January 1, 2022. Increases to $12/hour in 2023. The rate increases to $13.50/hour in 2025 and $15/hour in 2026 will be contingent on the General Assembly’s enactment by July 1, 2024. The state’s new minimum wage law removes exempt status from several categories of employees including home care providers and domestic service workers.

Washington

$14.49/hour – Effective January 1, 2022.

Seattle

$17.27/hour – Effective January 1, 2022. If you pay $1.52/hour toward medical benefits, the minimum wage will be $15.75/hour.

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

$15.75/hour

Belmont

$16.20/hour

Berkeley

$16.99/hour – Rate increases based on the Consumer Price Index

Burlingame

$15.60/hour

Cupertino

$16.40/hour

Daly City

$15.53/hour

East Palo Alto

$15.60/hour

El Cerrito

$16.37/hour

Emeryville

$17.68/hour

Foster City

$15.75/hour

Fremont

$16/hour

Half Moon Bay

$15.56/hour

Hayward

$14.52/hour

Los Altos

$16.40/hour

Los Angeles (city)

$16.04/hour for small employers

Los Angeles (county)

$15.96/hour

Malibu

$15.96/hour

Menlo Park

$15.75/hour

Milpitas

$16.40/hour – Indexed to inflation

Mountain View

$17.10/hour

Novato

$15/hour for small employers

Oakland

$15.06/hour

Palo Alto

$16.45/hour

Pasadena

$16.11/hour

Redwood City

$16.20/hour

Richmond

$15.21/hour

San Carlos

$15.77/hour

San Diego

$15/hour

San Francisco (city and county)

$16.99/hour

San Jose

$16.20/hour

San Leandro

$15/hour

San Mateo

$15.62/hour

Santa Clara

$16.40/hour

Santa Monica

$15.96/hour for small employers

Santa Rosa

$15.85/hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees.

South San Francisco

$15.80/hour

Sunnyvale

$17.10/hour

West Hollywood

$16/hour for employers with less than 50 workers