What is the minimum wage in America?
Readers often ask how US pay stacks up against Australian earnings. This site is built around Australian data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Fair Work, and the ATO. The US federal minimum wage is not published by these sources, so we cannot provide a precise figure here. However, we can explain how Australian minimum wages and average earnings compare, and why a direct number for the US is not available.
Australian minimum wage context
Australia's national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for a 38-hour week (Fair Work). That works out to about $52,255 per year before tax. Award minimums rose by 4.75% in the same review. The national full-time adult ordinary-time average, from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026, is $2,083.70 per week – about $108,352 per year. That is the line on this site.
Why we don't have a US figure
The ABS measures Australian earnings only. The US federal minimum wage is set by the US Department of Labor and is not part of any Australian statistical release. To get the current US federal minimum wage, you would need to consult the US Department of Labor directly. This site's data sources – ABS, Fair Work, ATO – do not cover US pay.
How to think about cross-country comparisons
Even if we had the US federal minimum wage (which has been $7.25 per hour since 2009, but we cannot confirm that from our sources), comparing it to Australian pay requires adjusting for currency exchange rates, purchasing power, and different labour market structures. Australia's minimum wage is among the highest in the world, but living costs also vary. For a meaningful comparison, you would look at median earnings in each country. In Australia, the full-time median is about $90,532 per year (ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025), and the all-employees median is about $74,100.
Australian full-time average by state
If you are wondering how a US salary might compare to Australian state averages, here are the full-time adult ordinary-time averages from the ABS (May 2026):
- New South Wales: about $109,658 per year
- Victoria: about $106,137
- Queensland: about $106,064
- South Australia: about $102,450
- Western Australia: about $115,825
- Tasmania: about $96,008
- Northern Territory: about $103,173
- Australian Capital Territory: about $119,090
These are annualised from weekly figures (×52). They are averages, not medians, so they can be pulled higher by top earners.
Using this site for your own pay
If you have a US salary and want to see where it sits against the Australian full-time average, you can Place a salary on the line after converting to Australian dollars. The tool will show the weekly and hourly equivalent on a 38-hour week, plus the distance from the national average. Remember that the site uses Australian tax brackets (2026–27: nil to $18,200; 15% to $45,000; 30% to $135,000; 37% to $190,000; 45% above that, plus 2% Medicare levy) and Australian minimum wage rules.
Industry and occupation medians
For a more detailed view of Australian pay, see Industry medians or Job medians. These are based on ABS Employee Earnings data (August 2025) and show the middle point of earnings in each category. They are more representative than averages for most workers.
The bottom line
The US federal minimum wage is not available from the sources used on this site. If you need that figure, please refer to the US Department of Labor. For Australian pay comparisons, this site provides the national full-time average, medians, and minimum wage, all from official Australian sources. Use the Guides for more on how earnings are measured.
Frequently asked questions
We have answered common questions above in the FAQ section. For more, see How the figures are set and About this site.