Arkansas minimum wage 2027: stays $11.00 an hour

Arkansas minimum wage 2027: no increase scheduled in 2027: $11.00 per hour since January 1, 2021 (Arkansas Division of Labor minimum wage; U.S. DOL state table). Verified Nov 12, 2026 on two official pages.

“Effective January 1, 2021, the minimum wage in Arkansas is $11.00 per hour.”

Second official source: “Arkansas Applicable to employers with 4 or more employees Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $11.00” (U.S. DOL state table).

Hourly to salary calculator

What changes for Arkansas employers in 2027

Minimum wage today: $11.00 per hour (Arkansas Minimum Wage Act (U.S. DOL WHD State Minimum Wage Laws table); verified Sep 27, 2026).

Who the Arkansas minimum wage covers, in the verified rules in force now:

• Arkansas minimum wage is $11.00 per hour for employers with 4 or more employees. (Arkansas Minimum Wage Act (U.S. DOL WHD State Minimum Wage Laws table); Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, Minimum Wage; verified Sep 27, 2026)

Other Arkansas minimum rates

• Tipped employees: “Tipped employees must be paid at least $2.63 per hour.” (Arkansas Division of Labor minimum wage)
• Who is covered: “The Arkansas Minimum Wage Act covers employers with 4 or more employees.” (Arkansas Division of Labor minimum wage)

How we checked that nothing changes in 2027

• The 2018 Initiated Act, the text of A.C.A. § 11-4-210(a) the Division of Labor publishes, ends its schedule at $11.00 from January 1, 2021, with no later step and no indexing (2018 Initiated Act (Issue 5)).
• No citizen initiative reached the November 3, 2026 ballot; the four statewide issues were referred by the General Assembly: citizens-only voting (Issue 1), right to keep and bear arms (Issue 2), economic development districts (Issue 3) and water/waste facilities bonds (Issue 4), none about the minimum wage (Arkansas Secretary of State).

Paying the minimum wage in Arkansas: paydays, final pay and breaks

• Final pay after a firing: An employer that discharges an employee must pay all wages due by the next regular payday; an employer that fails to pay within seven days of the next regular payday owes the employee double the wages due. (Ark. Code Ann. § 11-4-405 (Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, FAQs); Act 853 of 2019 (HB 1751), Section 7, amending Ark. Code § 11-4-405; verified Sep 24, 2026)

Every verified rule for the state, with the law cited: Arkansas employer rulebook.

Exempt salary threshold in 2027: Federal $684 a week ($35,568 a year); no higher state threshold found (U.S. DOL thresholds page; eCFR 29 CFR 541.600) Verified Oct 21, 2026

Each change with its official text: Arkansas rules.

Arkansas minimum wage rates: now, 2027 and next

Earlier rates (2018 Initiated Act), as the official page lists them: “the Act would raise the current State minimum wage from eight dollars and fifty cents ($8.50) per hour to nine dollars and twenty-five cents ($9.25) per hour on January 1, 2019, to ten dollars ($10.00) per hour on January 1, 2020, and to eleven dollars ($11.00) per hour on January 1, 2021” (2018 Initiated Act (Issue 5)).

2027 minimum wage: Arkansas and neighboring states

Each state links to its rulebook, and to its own 2027 minimum wage page where we have one. The same rows, for every state, are in the 2027 table by state.

How to act on it

Full-time pay at the rate in 2027 (computed: hourly rate × 40 hours a week and × 2,080 hours a year, before taxes): $11.00 = $440.00 a week, $22,880 a year.

Questions about the Arkansas minimum wage in 2027

Sources (13)

• Arkansas Division of Labor minimum wage
• U.S. DOL state table
• U.S. DOL thresholds page
• eCFR 29 CFR 541.600
• 2018 Initiated Act (Issue 5)
• Arkansas Secretary of State
• Ark. Code Ann. § 11-4-405 (Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, FAQs)
• Act 853 of 2019 (HB 1751), Section 7, amending Ark. Code § 11-4-405
• U.S. DOL minimum wage page
• 29 U.S.C. §206 (govinfo)
• RSMo 290.502 (MO Revisor)
• TWC, FLSA: what it does and does not do
• Oklahoma DOL Wage and Hour FAQs

Checked Nov 12, 2026 · How we verify every rule · Report an error

Where this goes next

StateArkansas employer rulebookAll 51 statesMinimum wage by state 20272027Every Arkansas change in 2027ToolHourly to salary calculator