(Jefferson City, MO) The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations announces the state minimum wage rate for 2024 has been established, according to state law, at $12.30 per hour, effective January 1st, 2024. Pursuant to Proposition B, which was approved by Missouri voters in the November 6th, 2018 elections, the minimum wage increased 85 cents per hour each year through 2023. Starting January 1st, 2024, the minimum wage may increase or decrease each year depending on cost of living changes reflected in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. At a minimum, all private businesses are required to pay the $12.30 hourly rate, except retail and service businesses whose gross annual sales are less than $500,000. Missouri's minimum wage law does not apply to public employers, nor does it allow the state's minimum wage rate to be lower than the federal minimum wage rate. Compensation for tipped employees must also total at least $12.30 per hour. Employers are required to pay tipped employees at least 50 percent of the minimum wage, plus any amount necessary to bring the employee's total compensation to a minimum of $12.30 per hour.