The minimum wage in North Carolina is $7.25 per hour as of January 01, 2023. This is the same as the federal minimum wage rate for non-tipped employees. However, there are exceptions to this minimum wage rate, including tipped employees who have a state minimum wage of $2.13 per hour as long as the hourly wage and tips together meet the minimum wage, and full-time students, learners, and apprentices who may be paid a subminimum wage rate that is no less than 90 percent of the state’s standard minimum wage. It is important to note that counties, cities, and towns may have their own minimum wage laws, so it is necessary to check what local wage laws may apply.

There have been efforts to increase the minimum wage in North Carolina. In spring 2017, two separate pieces of legislation were introduced to North Carolina’s House and Senate, each proposing the gradual increase of North Carolina’s state minimum wage from $7.25 to $15.00 per hour in 2022 and beyond. However, neither bill has advanced in the legislative process since being introduced.