2027 Minimum Wage Increases and Cleaning Costs
14 states raise their minimum wage in 2027. Labor is most of a commercial cleaning bill, so here's what each raise could add to it.
By Eddie Okudoh
Updated October 7, 2026
Key findings
- 14 states raise their minimum wage in 2027, 13 of them on January 1.
- The biggest raise is in Michigan: $13.73 to $15.00 an hour, up $1.27.
- Each $1 an hour added to cleaners' pay adds about $80 a month to a 10,000 sq ft office cleaned three times a week, and about $128 cleaned five times a week.
- The new minimum comes closest to what cleaners already earn in Connecticut, where $17.48 is 96% of the median janitor wage. The closer the two, the more of the cleaning workforce a raise reaches.
- Still to be announced: District of Columbia, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota and Vermont.
- 20 states stay at the federal minimum of $7.25.
States raising the minimum wage in 2027
The last column is the most a raise adds to a 10,000 sq ft office cleaned three times a week: what happens if every cleaner's pay rises by the full amount.
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| State | Now | 2027 | Raise | Median janitor wage | Added a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MichiganJanuary 1, 2027 | $13.73 | $15.00 | +$1.27 | $17.33 | +$102 |
| AlaskaJuly 1, 2027 | $14.00 | $15.00 | +$1.00 | $19.48 | +$80 |
| Rhode IslandJanuary 1, 2027 | $16.00 | $17.00 | +$1.00 | $17.94 | +$80 |
| VirginiaJanuary 1, 2027 | $12.77 | $13.75 | +$0.98 | $16.91 | +$79 |
| WashingtonJanuary 1, 2027 | $17.13 | $17.73 | +$0.60 | $21.89 | +$48 |
| MaineJanuary 1, 2027 | $15.10 | $15.70 | +$0.60 | $18.72 | +$48 |
| New JerseyJanuary 1, 2027 | $15.92 | $16.48 | +$0.56 | $18.09 | +$45 |
| ColoradoJanuary 1, 2027 | $15.16 | $15.71 | +$0.55 | $18.56 | +$44 |
| ConnecticutJanuary 1, 2027 | $16.94 | $17.48 | +$0.54 | $18.25 | +$43 |
| ArizonaJanuary 1, 2027 | $15.15 | $15.65 | +$0.50 | $17.42 | +$40 |
| CaliforniaJanuary 1, 2027 | $16.90 | $17.40 | +$0.50 | $19.75 | +$40 |
| MinnesotaJanuary 1, 2027 | $11.41 | $11.87 | +$0.46 | $19.04 | +$37 |
| OhioJanuary 1, 2027 | $11.00 | $11.40 | +$0.40 | $17.26 | +$32 |
| NebraskaJanuary 1, 2027 | $15.00 | $15.26 | +$0.26 | $17.26 | +$21 |
Every other state
States with no 2027 raise, or one still to be announced
| State | Minimum wage |
|---|---|
| Arkansas | Arkansas's minimum wage is $11.00 an hour, and no increase is scheduled. |
| Delaware | Delaware's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, and no increase is scheduled. |
| District of Columbia | District of Columbia's minimum wage is $18.40 an hour. It's adjusted for inflation every year, and the rate from July 1, 2027 hasn't been announced yet. |
| Florida | Florida's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour and stays there through 2027. |
| Hawaii | Hawaii's minimum wage is $16.00 an hour and rises to $18.00 on January 1, 2028. |
| Illinois | Illinois's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, and no increase is scheduled. |
| Maryland | Maryland's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, and no increase is scheduled. |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, and no increase is scheduled. |
| Missouri | Missouri's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, and no increase is scheduled. |
| Montana | Montana's minimum wage is $10.85 an hour. It's adjusted for inflation every year, and the rate from January 1, 2027 hasn't been announced yet. |
| Nevada | Nevada's minimum wage is $12.00 an hour, and no increase is scheduled. |
| New Mexico | New Mexico's minimum wage is $12.00 an hour, and no increase is scheduled. |
| New York | New York's minimum wage is $16.00 an hour, and no increase is scheduled. It's $17.00 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester. |
| Oregon | Oregon's minimum wage is $15.55 an hour. It's adjusted for inflation every year, and the rate from July 1, 2027 hasn't been announced yet. It's $16.80 in the Portland metro area and $14.55 in nonurban counties. |
| South Dakota | South Dakota's minimum wage is $11.85 an hour. It's adjusted for inflation every year, and the rate from January 1, 2027 hasn't been announced yet. |
| Vermont | Vermont's minimum wage is $14.42 an hour. It's adjusted for inflation every year, and the rate from January 1, 2027 hasn't been announced yet. |
| West Virginia | West Virginia's minimum wage is $8.75 an hour, and no increase is scheduled. |
Also at the federal $7.25: Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
What it means for your cleaning bill
Most of what you pay a cleaning company is the crew's time, so a higher wage floor shows up in proposals. Where cleaners already earn well above the new minimum, the effect is smaller. Check your contract for how price changes work and how much notice you get. Our hiring guide lists the contract terms worth asking for, and the 2026 cleaning cost index shows today's prices in every metro.
How it's calculated
Minimum wages are from each state's labor department, checked October 7, 2026. The cost effect comes from our pricing model: across the 1,606 U.S. cities we price, each $1 an hour of janitor wage moves the price of a 10,000 sq ft office by about $80 a month at three visits a week. Median janitor wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). How we estimate prices.
Sources for each state's 2027 rate
- Alaska: Alaska DOLWD Wage & Hour - minimum wage (July 1, 2026 increase); schedule per Ballot Measure 1 / AS 23.10.065
- Arizona: Industrial Commission of Arizona - Labor Department (2027 minimum wage $15.65)
- California: CA DIR - California's minimum wage set to increase to $17.40 per hour on January 1, 2027
- Colorado: CDLE press release - Colorado Minimum Wage will Increase to $15.71/hour in 2027
- Connecticut: Governor Lamont Announces Connecticut's Minimum Wage Will Increase to $17.48 on January 1, 2027
- Maine: Maine DOL - Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $15.70 Per Hour in 2027
- Michigan: Michigan LEO - Minimum Wage & Overtime
- Minnesota: Minnesota DLI - Minimum-wage rate adjusted for inflation as of Jan. 1, 2027
- Nebraska: Nebraska DOL - State of Nebraska Minimum Wage schedule (updated 2026)
- New Jersey: NJDOL press release (Sept 29, 2026) - minimum wage increase Jan 1, 2027
- Ohio: Ohio Department of Commerce - Department of Commerce Announces 2027 Ohio Minimum Wage
- Rhode Island: R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-3 (Minimum wages)
- Virginia: Governor Spanberger Signs Bills to Raise State Minimum Wage (April 2026)
- Washington: WA L&I - Washington's minimum wage rises to $17.73 an hour in 2027
Using this data
You're welcome to quote or chart these figures with a link to this page. Suggested citation: Cleaning RFPs, 2027 Minimum Wage Increases and Cleaning Costs, cleaningrfps.com, October 7, 2026.
Eddie Okudoh compiles the Cleaning RFPs cost index. For figures on a state, or press questions, email press@cleaningrfps.com.
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