Hilliard restaurants, retailers and other employers will need to adjust pay rates by Jan. 1, when Ohio's minimum wage rises to $11.40 per hour.

The Ohio Department of Commerce announced Sept. 30 that the statewide minimum wage for non-tipped workers will climb from $11 to $11.40 per hour, a 3.5% increase. Tipped employees will see their base rate go from $5.50 to $5.70 per hour.

The bump is not a new law. A constitutional amendment Ohio voters approved in November 2006 ties the state minimum wage to inflation each year. The Department of Commerce said the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) rose 3.5% over the 12 months ending in August 2026, and that figure set the 2027 rate.

Who it covers

The $11.40 rate applies to businesses with annual gross receipts above $420,000, up from the current $405,000 threshold. Workers at businesses that gross $420,000 or less, along with employees ages 14 and 15, remain subject to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

What it means in dollars

A full-time worker earning the new minimum and logging 40 hours a week would earn $456 a week before taxes., according to Columbus Navigator.

What employers need to do

Businesses covered by the new rate must display the official 2027 minimum wage poster once the increase takes effect Jan. 1. The poster is available through the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Industrial Compliance website.