ST. LOUIS – The minimum wage in Missouri and Illinois is set to increase at the start of the 2024 calendar year.
Missouri
Starting Jan. 1, Missouri’s new minimum wage will be $12.30 per hour for employees who work in private businesses. The 2023 minimum wage for such employees in Missouri was $12.
Missouri has raised its minimum wage gradually each of the last eight years, according to the Missouri Department of Labor. Increases between 2018 and 2023 took effect behind a plan approved by voters.
The Missouri DOL says, starting in 2024, “the minimum wage may increase or decrease each year depending on cost-of-living changes reflected in the Consumer Price Index” for urban wage earners and clerical workers.
Missouri’s minimum wage law does not apply to public employers, nor does it allow the state’s minimum wage rate to be lower than the federal minimum wage rate. This means that the minimum wage increase may not apply to workers in some retail and service businesses.
Illinois
Across state lines, also effective on Jan. 1, Illinois’ new minimum wage will be $14 per hour for those over 18 years old.
The Illinois Department of Labor says the state’s current minimum wage law took effect in 2023 and calls for increases each year through 2025.
The current law states that some employees could potentially have a wage less than $14 per hour. Minimum hourly rates are $8.40 for those who work in an industry with tips or $12 for anyone under 18 who also works less than 650 hours per year.
Illinois DOR says that those who work for tips must be paid the minimum wage rate, but an employer can apply tip credit of 40%. Anyone who works overtime in Illinois is also entitled to pay at time and one-half for anything worked beyond 40 hours.
