DC Minimum Wage vs. Maryland and Virginia: The 2026 Wage Line Across the Metro

WASHINGTON, DC — Cross the Potomac or Eastern Avenue and the legal minimum wage changes under your feet. The DC minimum wage is $18.40 an hour this fall. One Red Line stop past the District line, in Silver Spring, the floor can be $15.95. Take the Yellow Line to Crystal City and it's $12.77.

Seven wage floors across DC, Montgomery County, Prince George's County and Northern Virginia, and the one rule that decides which applies to you: the address of the job.

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💵 The Metro's Wage Floors, Side by Side

Washington, DC	$18.40 an hour since July 1, 2026; tipped base $10.30
Montgomery County, MD (51+ employees)	$18.00 an hour since July 1, 2026
Montgomery County, MD (11–50 employees)	$16.50 an hour
Montgomery County, MD (10 or fewer)	$15.95 an hour
Prince George's County, MD	$15.30 an hour since July 1, 2026
Rest of Maryland	$15.00 an hour
Virginia, including Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax	$12.77 an hour since January 1, 2026

The District's rate comes from the Department of Employment Services' 2026 notice, which raised the floor from $17.95 after a 2.4% rise in the regional Consumer Price Index. Montgomery County's tiers come from the county Office of Human Rights, the Prince George's and statewide figures from the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry, and Virginia's from the state Department of Labor and Industry poster.

📍 The Address of the Job Decides Your Floor

The minimum that applies is set by where the work is performed. Not where you live, and not where the company is headquartered.

A Hyattsville resident who pulls shifts at a coffee shop on 14th Street NW is covered by the District's $18.40. A Petworth resident who takes a cashier job at a big-box store in Pentagon City is covered by Virginia's $12.77.

The gap is real money. On a full-time schedule of 2,080 hours, the difference between the District floor and the Virginia floor is about $11,700 a year before taxes.

🍽️ Tipped Work Is Where the Line Gets Sharpest

Tipped workers see the widest spread. In the District, employers must pay a cash wage of at least $10.30 an hour, with tips making up the rest of the $18.40. In Montgomery County the employer-paid base is $4.00, and in the rest of Maryland it is $3.63. Virginia allows a cash wage as low as $2.13 for workers who regularly earn more than $30 a month in tips.

In every jurisdiction, cash wage plus tips must reach the local minimum, and the employer owes the difference if a shift comes up short. Weighing a serving job on U Street against one at National Landing? Ask each manager for the base rate before comparing tip estimates.

📈 What Changes Next

The District and Montgomery County both adjust their rates every July 1, tied to inflation in the Washington area. Virginia is on a fixed schedule: Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed legislation in April that raises the state minimum to $13.75 on January 1, 2027, and to $15.00 on January 1, 2028.

Remember that the legal floor is not the going rate. Plenty of employers across the region post starting pay above the minimum. Treat these numbers as the least you can be paid, not what you should expect.

🔎 Start Your DC Job Search

Want the District's floor working for you? Search jobs located inside DC, from Navy Yard restaurants to the hotels around Mount Vernon Square.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DC minimum wage in 2026?

$18.40 an hour since July 1, 2026. The tipped base wage is $10.30, and tips must bring the total to at least $18.40.

If I live in Maryland but work in DC, which minimum wage applies?

The District's. A job located in DC is covered by the $18.40 rate no matter where you live.

What is the minimum wage in Montgomery County?

It depends on the size of the employer: $18.00 for employers with 51 or more workers, $16.50 for 11 to 50, and $15.95 for 10 or fewer, all effective July 1, 2026.

Do Arlington and Alexandria have their own minimum wage?

No. Virginia's $12.77 rate applies across the state, including Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County.

When does the DC minimum wage go up again?

The District adjusts its rate for inflation each July 1, so the next change is due July 1, 2027.

Put the District's Wage Floor to Work

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