What is 'Minimum Wage'. A minimum wage is a legally mandated price floor on hourly wages, below which non-exempt workers may not be offered or accept a job. As of June 2016, the minimum hourly wage rate in the United States is $7.25. This means it is illegal for an American worker to sell their labor for less than $7.25 per hour unless the worker falls into a category specifically exempted from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Next Up.