Kentucky minimum wage
The current DOL summary, effective-floor context, and a direct path to the state labor office.
The U.S. Department of Labor summary for Kentucky states: Kentucky Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $7.25 Premium Pay After Designated Hours 1 : Weekly - 40, 7th day The 7th day overtime law, which is separate from the minimum wage law, requires employers who permit covered employees to work seven days in any one workweek to pay the employee at a rate of time and one-half for hours worked on the seventh day when employees work all seven days of the workweek. The 7th day overtime law does not apply when the employee is not permitted to work over 40 hours total in the workweek. The state adopts the federal minimum wage rate by reference if the federal rate is greater than the State rate. Compensating time in lieu of overtime is allowed upon written request by an employee of any county, charter county, consolidated local government, or urban-county government, including an employee of a county-elected official. This text is retained because the listed state rate alone can be misleading when a state has no wage law, has a rate below the federal floor, or limits coverage. The applicable figure shown above uses the federal $7.25 floor where the DOL summary says covered employers must use it.
The statewide number is not the end of the analysis. Employer coverage, worker age, occupation, industry, tipped status, training arrangements, disability certificates, local ordinances, and other exceptions can affect the rate. The work location usually matters more than the employer’s headquarters. Confirm the date and coverage before using a number in a payroll calculation or claim.
The DOL table records this update as July 1, 2026. The state entry’s scheduled-increase note is: not available. When that field is “not available,” LaborBrief does not infer a future adjustment. A formula, ballot measure, or pending bill is not converted into a rate until an agency publication supplies the fact and effective date.
Overtime is a separate question. The DOL state summary says: Kentucky Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $7.25 Premium Pay After Designated Hours 1 : Weekly - 40, 7th day The 7th day overtime law, which is separate from the minimum wage law, requires employers who permit covered employees to work seven days in any one workweek to pay the employee at a rate of time and one-half for hours worked on the seventh day when employees work all seven days of the workweek. The 7th day overtime law does not apply when the employee is not permitted to work over 40 hours total in the workweek. Compensating time in lieu of overtime is allowed upon written request by an employee of any county, charter county, consolidated local government, or urban-county government, including an employee of a county-elected official. Federal overtime may still apply even when no state premium-pay line is listed. Review overtime pay, hours worked, and regular rate rather than multiplying the wage floor without checking coverage.
The state’s broad labor-market estimate—2,000,360 jobs and a $58,990 mean annual wage—comes from BLS OEWS May 2025 and is not used to derive the wage floor. Keeping statistical and legal sources separate prevents a market average from being mistaken for a statutory minimum.
For current enforcement and state-specific details, use Education and Labor Cabinet. The Kentucky overview connects this rule with employment data, while state worker-rights sources and the verification guide provide a broader research path.
Primary sources
- DOL State Minimum Wage Laws — updated July 1, 2026
- Education and Labor Cabinet — state source
- DOL federal minimum wage guidance — federal baseline