St. Paul’s small-business minimum wage rises to $16.37 an hour
Saint Paul’s minimum-wage rates changed July 1, 2026. Small businesses with six to 100 employees must pay at least $16.37 an hour for covered work performed in the city, while micro businesses with five or fewer employees must pay at least $14.25 an hour.
The city’s minimum-wage guidance was updated June 30, 2026, and its Labor Standards page was updated July 8. The rules apply to hours worked within Saint Paul, not simply to employees of a company headquartered in the city.
2026 Saint Paul minimum-wage rates
| Business or worker category | Minimum wage |
|---|---|
| Small business: 6–100 employees | $16.37 an hour |
| Micro business: 5 or fewer employees | $14.25 an hour |
| Qualifying youth workers ages 14–17, first 90 days | $13.95 an hour |
For comparison, Minnesota’s statewide minimum wage is $11.41 an hour in 2026. Saint Paul’s ordinance sets higher local rates for covered work performed within the city.
Who is covered
The ordinance covers full-time, part-time and temporary employees for hours worked within Saint Paul. Immigration status does not affect coverage. Independent contractors are not covered by the city’s minimum-wage ordinance.
Employers must track where employees perform work. The city says records may include delivery addresses, estimated travel times, dispatch logs, scheduling records and appointment details.
How Saint Paul counts employees
Business size generally is based on the average number of employees per week during the previous calendar year. Employers count full-time, part-time, jointly employed and temporary employees, including employees outside Saint Paul in most cases. Owners and board members are not counted as employees, and employers may not use job titles to disguise the size of the workforce.
A business operating for less than one year generally calculates its size using the average number of employees during its first 13 weeks. Integrated enterprises and joint ventures generally count as one employer, with employees from the participating businesses added together and joint employees counted once.
For franchises, the calculation generally includes employees at all locations owned and operated by a single franchisee. Saint Paul has a separate rule for full-service restaurants with fewer than 10 locations nationwide: each location may generally be calculated separately, except where franchise or integrated-enterprise rules apply.
Youth-worker rules
Workers ages 14 to 17 may be paid $13.95 an hour for the first 90 consecutive days after hire under the city’s rule requiring at least 85% of the small-business minimum wage, rounded up to the nearest nickel. The 90-day period is consecutive calendar time, not 90 days actually worked.
After the first 90 days, the worker must receive the applicable rate for the employer’s business size. The full city minimum wage applies beginning on the worker’s 18th birthday, even if that birthday falls within the first 90 days.
Saint Paul also has a separate classification for workers under 20 in a city-approved youth-focused training or apprenticeship program. Those programs must meet the city’s requirements for mentoring, training and career development; employers should not treat the training rate as automatic for every young worker.
What employers need to do
Employers should review their business-size calculation, payroll rates and work-location records. They must display the required labor-standards poster in a visible and accessible workplace location. If employees are primarily remote, the city says the notice must be provided digitally.
Employers that provide employee handbooks must include information about employee rights and remedies where required by the ordinance.
Wage records must be created and retained for at least three years. Required information includes employee names, positions, ages for workers under 18, starting and stopping times, hours worked, pay rates, additions and deductions, total wages and payment dates.
What workers should check
Workers should first confirm where the work was performed, then identify the employer’s business-size classification. Pay stubs, schedules, time records, delivery assignments and other work documentation can help establish which hours were covered by the Saint Paul ordinance.
The ordinance prohibits retaliation against workers or third parties who ask about their rights, report an alleged violation, cooperate with an investigation or testify. Filing a complaint begins an available review process; it does not by itself establish that a violation occurred.
How to file a complaint
Employees who work in Saint Paul and concerned third parties can use the city’s electronic complaint form. The Labor Standards Division also provides assistance by phone, email and appointment at City Hall. The division oversees the city’s minimum-wage, Earned Sick and Safe Time and Wage Theft ordinances and investigates complaints.
Labor Standards can be reached at 651-266-8966 or laborstandards@ci.stpaul.mn.us. The city’s ordinance provides for a written determination of violation or no violation after investigation, subject to the procedures in Chapter 224. Potential remedies when a violation is established can include back pay, reinstatement, liquidated damages and administrative penalties.
For employers, the immediate compliance checklist is straightforward: confirm the employee-count calculation, apply the correct rate to Saint Paul work, update payroll, post or digitally provide the required notice, and preserve wage records. Workers should keep pay and scheduling documentation and contact the city if the rate or coverage appears incorrect.
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