In accordance with the Raise the Wage ballot initiative passed by voters in 2022, Nebraska’s minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour effective January 1, 2026.
This is the final year of increases to the state minimum wage through Initiative 433. When the measure passed in over 58% voter approval, the lowest legal wage in the state was $9.00 per hour. This was notched up by $1.50 each year through 2026 to arrive at $15.00.
Beginning in 2027, the minimum wage will increase each year based on the cost-of-living, measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Midwest Region.
“When we were knocking doors in 2022, we knew about 150,000 working Nebraskans were going to be benefited directly by this,” Ken Smith, Economic Justice Program Director for Nebraska Appleseed, told KLIN News. Nebraska Appleseed was one of several groups that helped organize the 2022 ballot campaign.
The minimum hourly wage for tipped employees remains $2.13 per hour. But employers are responsible for ensuring that wages and tips combined equal at least the minimum wage.
Information about the state minimum wage, including current workplace posters, is available at dol.nebraska.gov/LaborStandards.