Miami Minimum Wage 2026: $14.00/hr (Rising to $15.00/hr)

Miami minimum wage is the same as Florida's statewide rate because Florida law prohibits cities and counties from setting their own minimum wages. This means Miami — despite being one of the most expensive cities in the United States — has the same legal minimum wage as the most affordable rural counties in Florida.

What Is the Minimum Wage in Miami in 2026?

$14.00 per hour through September 29, 2026, rising to $15.00 per hour on September 30, 2026. This is set by Florida's Amendment 2, the voter-approved constitutional amendment that established the phase-in schedule to $15.00/hr. Miami has no authority to set a higher rate.

Florida Statute 218.077 prohibits counties and municipalities from establishing mandatory minimum wages other than the state or federal rate. This preemption means Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and every other Florida city must follow the state rate.

Miami Paycheck Breakdown by Pay Period

Because Miami's minimum wage rises from $14.00 to $15.00 per hour on September 30, 2026, a full-time worker's paycheck changes mid-year. Here's how gross pay compares before and after the increase, based on a standard 40-hour work week:

• Weekly (40 hrs): $560.00 at $14.00/hr → $600.00 at $15.00/hr
• Bi-weekly (80 hrs): $1,120.00 at $14.00/hr → $1,200.00 at $15.00/hr
• Monthly (~173.3 hrs): $2,426.67 at $14.00/hr → $2,600.00 at $15.00/hr
• Annual (2,080 hrs): $29,120.00 at $14.00/hr → $31,200.00 at $15.00/hr

Overtime pay follows the same transition. Florida has no separate state overtime law, so Miami employers calculate overtime under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act — time-and-a-half for hours worked beyond 40 in a week. A minimum-wage worker who puts in a 45-hour week currently earns $560.00 in regular pay plus $105.00 in overtime (5 hours at the $21.00/hr overtime rate), for a total of $665.00. After September 30, 2026, that same 45-hour week pays $600.00 in regular wages plus $112.50 in overtime (5 hours at $22.50/hr), for a total of $712.50.

Miami Minimum Wage vs. Cost of Living

According to MIT's Living Wage Calculator, the living wage for a single adult with no children in Miami-Dade County is approximately $22.00 per hour — about $7.00 above the $15.00/hr rate that takes effect in September 2026. For a single parent with one child, the living wage estimate exceeds $40.00/hr.

Miami's cost of living is driven primarily by housing costs. According to Zillow data, the median rent in Miami is among the highest in the country relative to local incomes. A full-time minimum wage worker earning $15.00/hr ($2,600/month gross) would need to spend well over 50% of their income on rent for a median one-bedroom apartment. Even after the September 2026 raise, a full-time minimum-wage paycheck in Miami still lands roughly $7.00/hr short of the MIT living-wage estimate for a single adult — a gap that housing costs alone can't fully explain but do the most to drive.

Miami Tipped Minimum Wage

Tipped workers in Miami — including servers, bartenders, and hotel staff — earn the Florida tipped cash wage of $10.98/hr through September 29, 2026, rising to $11.98/hr on September 30. Miami's tourism and hospitality-driven economy means a large share of the workforce relies on tips, and tip income can be highly seasonal, peaking during the winter tourist season (December-April) and declining in the summer months.

Florida's tip credit is fixed by the state constitution at $3.02/hr and doesn't change as the base minimum wage rises — only the cash wage and the total required wage move. For a Miami server working a standard 40-hour week, the math looks like this:

• Direct cash wage from employer: $10.98/hr × 40 hrs = $439.20/week now, rising to $11.98/hr × 40 hrs = $479.20/week after September 30, 2026
• Minimum total pay required (cash wage + tips): $14.00/hr × 40 hrs = $560.00/week now, rising to $15.00/hr × 40 hrs = $600.00/week
• Maximum tip credit the employer can claim: $3.02/hr × 40 hrs = $120.80/week, but only up to what the worker actually earned in tips

If a server's tips don't cover that $120.80 weekly gap — common during Miami's slower summer months — the employer is legally required to make up the difference so total pay never falls below the full state minimum wage. This "tip credit true-up" obligation is why tracking tip income closely matters for both workers and employers across Miami's restaurant, bar, and hotel sectors.

Can Miami-Dade County or the City of Miami Set a Higher Minimum Wage?

No. Neither Miami-Dade County nor the City of Miami has legal authority to set a minimum wage above the state rate. Florida Statute 218.077 explicitly bars every county, city, and other political subdivision in the state from establishing a minimum wage that differs from the state or federal rate — a form of field preemption that removes the issue from local control entirely rather than simply capping how high a local rate could go. Even if Miami-Dade commissioners or the Miami City Commission voted unanimously to raise the local minimum wage, that ordinance would have no legal force against private employers.

This is why the Miami minimum wage tracks Amendment 2's statewide phase-in schedule dollar for dollar instead of reflecting the city's cost of living, which runs well above the state average. It also means Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah, and every other municipality within Miami-Dade County are bound by the same state floor — the county itself has no more authority to deviate from it than any individual city does.

How Miami Compares to Other Florida Cities

Because Florida Statute 218.077 preempts local wage-setting statewide, the Miami minimum wage is identical to the minimum wage in every other Florida city, no matter how their cost of living compares:

• Miami: $14.00/hr, rising to $15.00/hr on September 30, 2026
• Orlando: $14.00/hr, rising to $15.00/hr on September 30, 2026
• Tampa: $14.00/hr, rising to $15.00/hr on September 30, 2026
• Jacksonville: $14.00/hr, rising to $15.00/hr on September 30, 2026
• Fort Lauderdale: $14.00/hr, rising to $15.00/hr on September 30, 2026
• St. Petersburg: $14.00/hr, rising to $15.00/hr on September 30, 2026
• Tallahassee: $14.00/hr, rising to $15.00/hr on September 30, 2026

That uniformity sets Florida apart from states like California, Washington, and Colorado, where cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, and Denver set local minimum wages several dollars above the state floor to account for higher local costs. Florida workers don't have that option: a retail worker in high-cost Miami earns exactly the same legal minimum wage as a retail worker in a low-cost rural Florida county.

Miami Job Market and Actual Wages

Despite the legal minimum of $14.00-$15.00/hr, market wages in Miami are generally higher due to labor market competition, particularly in hospitality, construction, and healthcare. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median hourly wage in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro area is above $20/hr. However, workers in small, independent businesses — particularly in the restaurant and retail sectors — are the most likely to be paid at or near the legal minimum.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Miami's minimum wage right now?

$14.00 per hour, effective through September 29, 2026. It rises to $15.00 per hour on September 30, 2026, under Florida's Amendment 2 phase-in schedule.

Does Miami have a higher minimum wage than the rest of Florida?

No. Florida Statute 218.077 preempts cities and counties from setting their own minimum wage, so Miami's rate is identical to the rate in every other Florida city and county.

What is the tipped minimum wage for servers and bartenders in Miami?

$10.98 per hour in direct cash wages through September 29, 2026, rising to $11.98 per hour on September 30, 2026. Employers can count up to $3.02/hr in tips toward the rest of the state minimum wage, but must make up the difference if a worker's tips fall short in a given week.

Will Miami's minimum wage keep rising after it reaches $15.00/hr?

The $15.00/hr rate on September 30, 2026 is the final step of the phase-in schedule Florida voters approved under Amendment 2 in 2020. After that, the amendment calls for the state minimum wage to be recalculated each September based on inflation, the same method Florida used to set its minimum wage before the phase-in schedule began.

Can my employer pay me less than Miami's minimum wage?

Generally no. A handful of narrow exceptions exist under Florida and federal law — such as the tip credit for tipped employees and certain training wages for minors — but most employees covered by Florida's Minimum Wage Act must be paid at least the full state rate.

What can I do if my employer isn't paying Miami's minimum wage?

Florida's Minimum Wage Act (Fla. Stat. § 448.110) gives underpaid workers a private right of action to recover back wages, and in some cases liquidated damages, directly from their employer. Keeping pay stubs and a personal log of hours worked makes any claim easier to document.

Related: Florida Minimum Wage Guide · Minimum Salary in Florida · Miami Minimum Wage Data Page