public-service · federal minimum wage
The Federal Minimum Wage: What the Law and DOL Page Say
The cited U.S. Code provision lists $7.25 as its final wage step, and the cited DOL page displays $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009.
In this article
Updated: Sources: 2
Start here
What matters now
- 29 U.S.C. §206(a)(1) sets the federal minimum wage, ending at $7.25 an hour.
- The statute phases in three dollar amounts, each tied to a specific date.
- $7.25 is the law's final step; the U.S. Code text shows no higher amount superseding it.
- DOL's Wage and Hour Division page states the same $7.25 figure, effective July 24, 2009.
- This entry covers what the law and DOL page state, not what any worker must actually be paid.
The cited 29 U.S.C. §206(a)(1) text lists three stepped dollar amounts tied to specified dates, ending at $7.25 an hour. The cited Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division page states: “The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009.”
This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.
Key points
- The controlling text lives in “Sec. 206 - Minimum wage,” inside “CHAPTER 8 - FAIR LABOR STANDARDS” of “Title 29 - LABOR,” as published in the “United States Code, 2024 Edition.”
- The statute phases in three dollar amounts, each keyed to a date rather than a calendar year.
- $7.25 an hour is the final amount listed in the cited stepped-rate text.
- DOL’s Wage and Hour Division “Minimum Wage” page states the $7.25 figure and July 24, 2009 effective date.
- This entry answers only what these two records say — not what any individual worker must actually be paid.
What the statute itself contains
The provision sits in a specific, citable location in federal law. It appears under “Sec. 206 - Minimum wage,” within “CHAPTER 8 - FAIR LABOR STANDARDS,” within “Title 29 - LABOR,” of the “United States Code, 2024 Edition” (govinfo.gov).
Three dates, three dollar amounts
Section 206(a)(1) does not set one flat number for all time — its text lists three stepped rates, each triggered by a date rather than a year:
- “$5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after May 25, 2007” (govinfo.gov)
- “$6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day” (govinfo.gov)
- “$7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day” (govinfo.gov)
The cited statute provides the three amounts and their trigger dates. The DOL page separately displays July 24, 2009 for the $7.25 figure.
Current DOL statement
The Wage and Hour Division’s “Minimum Wage” topic page states: “The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009.” (dol.gov)
What this article does not answer
This entry reports only the cited statutory text and DOL page. It does not determine the wage for an individual worker or whether another law, exemption, or employer-specific fact changes the result.
Source links
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title29/html/USCODE-2024-title29-chap8-sec206.htm https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage