<P> The federal minimum wage in the United States was reset to its current rate of $7.25 per hour in July 2009 . Some U.S. territories ( such as American Samoa ) are exempt . Some types of labor are also exempt : employers may pay tipped labor a minimum of $2.13 per hour , as long as the hour wage plus tip income equals at least the minimum wage . Persons under the age of 20 may be paid $4.25 an hour for the first 90 calendar days of employment ( sometimes known as a youth , teen , or training wage ) unless a higher state minimum exists . The 2009 increase was the last of three steps of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 , which was signed into law as a rider to the U.S. Troop Readiness , Veterans ' Care , Katrina Recovery , and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act , 2007 , a bill that also contained almost $5 billion in tax cuts for small businesses . </P>
<P> The federal minimum wage in the United States was reset to its current rate of $7.25 per hour in July 2009 . Some U.S. territories ( such as American Samoa ) are exempt . Some types of labor are also exempt : employers may pay tipped labor a minimum of $2.13 per hour , as long as the hour wage plus tip income equals at least the minimum wage . Persons under the age of 20 may be paid $4.25 an hour for the first 90 calendar days of employment ( sometimes known as a youth , teen , or training wage ) unless a higher state minimum exists . The 2009 increase was the last of three steps of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 , which was signed into law as a rider to the U.S. Troop Readiness , Veterans ' Care , Katrina Recovery , and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act , 2007 , a bill that also contained almost $5 billion in tax cuts for small businesses . </P>
when was the national minimum wage last raised
when was the national minimum wage last raised
July 2009
July 2009