Pennsylvania Minimum Wage 2026
Last updated: September 2026
Pennsylvania's general minimum wage remains $7.25 an hour in 2026, according to PA Labor & Industry, matching the federal floor confirmed by the U.S. Department of Labor. PA L&I requires most employees to receive overtime at 1.5 times their regular rate after 40 hours worked in a week. A bill to raise the state minimum passed the House on March 24, 2026 and is still pending in the Senate.
In the Lehigh Valley, the median hourly wage for warehouse roles ranged from $18.25 to $23.63 in May 2025, about 2.5 to 3.3 times Pennsylvania's $7.25 minimum wage (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
A median is the midpoint: half of workers earn more and half earn less, so it is not a starting wage. At FIS Recruitment, we help employers recruit warehouse and production staff.
What is the Pennsylvania minimum wage in 2026?
Pennsylvania's general minimum wage is $7.25 per hour in 2026, according to the PA Department of Labor & Industry's wage FAQs. That is the legal floor for covered workers. For an employer preparing a warehouse labor budget, it answers the compliance question but does not establish a competitive recruiting rate.
The official Pennsylvania Code records the $7.25 rate taking effect on July 24, 2009, and PA L&I confirms that amount remains current. The U.S. Department of Labor gives the same effective date for the federal floor. A proposal to change the state rate does not change today's obligation.
Keep the legal minimum and the planned hiring wage separate in your budget. Check coverage and exemptions with the appropriate agency, then compare the job's duties with the regional occupational data below. A generic warehouse title can hide meaningful differences between packing, moving stock, filling orders and operating industrial trucks.
Is Pennsylvania raising its minimum wage?
Not yet. Pennsylvania has a proposed increase, but the legislature's current record shows no enacted change. The Pennsylvania General Assembly records House passage of H.B. 2189 on March 24, 2026. It remains pending in the Senate, so employers should distinguish the bill's proposed dates from changes that actually become law.
The General Assembly's bill history lists a Senate committee discharge resolution presented on June 10, 2026 as its latest action. That procedural step is not Senate passage or enactment.
Under the General Assembly's current H.B. 2189 text, the minimum would become $11 on January 1, 2027, $13 on January 1, 2028, and $15 on January 1, 2029 if the Senate passes it and it becomes law. The Governor's Office also confirms that the governor's proposed budget calls for a $15 minimum.
No wage adjustment is required solely because the House passed this proposal. Keep a legislative watch item alongside next year's budget, and recheck the official record before approving payroll changes based on a proposed effective date.
What warehouse jobs actually pay in the Lehigh Valley and Hazleton
The table identifies the selected occupations behind that range.
| Role | Lehigh Valley median | Scranton-Wilkes-Barre median | Multiple of $7.25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand laborers and material movers | $20.38 | $20.63 | 2.8 |
| Stockers and order fillers | $18.73 | $17.99 | 2.6 |
| Forklift operators* | $23.63 | $23.49 | 3.3 |
| Hand packers and packagers | $18.25 | $18.00 | 2.5 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Median hourly wage, all industries.
Multiples divide each Lehigh Valley BLS median by PA L&I's $7.25 floor and round to one decimal place. *The forklift row uses BLS's broader occupation, industrial truck and tractor operators. The hand-laborer row uses laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand.
The Lehigh Valley column uses the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro. The Scranton-Wilkes-Barre metro, as BLS defines it under OMB standards, includes Luzerne County, which is where Hazleton is located. These are regional comparisons, not separate estimates for individual cities.
As BLS explains, half of workers earn below the median and half above it. The table does not identify a new starter's wage or a rate paid by FIS. It covers these occupations across industries, rather than only employees at warehouses.
Why the legal minimum is not your labor cost
The legal floor cannot stand in for a complete labor budget because occupational pay and scheduled work matter too. BLS's regional medians describe wages across employers, while its wage definition excludes overtime pay and shift differentials. Use those benchmarks to frame a hiring discussion, then price the actual assignment separately.
Compare your opening with the work applicants could do elsewhere in the region. Specify equipment, lifting requirements, attendance expectations and the shift before deciding where your offer should sit. If a weekend or overnight assignment attracts too few suitable applicants, revisit the schedule and offer using your own recruiting results.
Do not assume the wage column is the amount on a staffing invoice. For the distinction, see what a staffing bill rate actually covers. Keep the role description beside the budget so a change in responsibilities triggers a fresh review of the proposed rate.
Pennsylvania overtime: the rule that moves your budget
PA Labor & Industry says most employees must receive overtime at 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. For warehouse budgeting, calculate that premium using the employee's applicable regular rate. The minimum wage is not the multiplier's starting point when the employee earns more.
Illustrative arithmetic: using the BLS Lehigh Valley hand-laborer median as an assumed regular rate and PA L&I's overtime multiplier, $20.38 × 1.5 = $30.57 per overtime hour. This is a calculation, not a reported overtime wage, a FIS pay commitment or an assumption about how much overtime your site uses.
The example assumes the stated hourly wage is the applicable regular rate. Have payroll confirm that assumption for the worker's actual compensation arrangement. PA L&I also cautions that salary alone does not remove overtime eligibility; job duties and the applicable exemption requirements matter.
Before extending a shift, compare the overtime cost with your other coverage options. Put expected coverage hours into your planning worksheet and replace estimates with actual hours as the week progresses.
Budgeting for Q4 peak and January hiring
Build the hiring budget around the occupation, the local wage benchmark and the hours you expect to need. Treat the BLS median as a comparison point, then check the specific assignment. Include overtime assumptions before peak work begins and track the proposed minimum-wage bill separately from today's payroll requirements.
- Match duties before comparing pay. Separate packing, order filling, material handling and forklift assignments. Do not use a blended warehouse rate without checking which jobs it represents.
- Document the schedule. Record shift times, weekend requirements and likely overtime coverage. Ask payroll to calculate the effect of each proposed schedule.
- Review the offer against actual responses. Track where suitable candidates decline or disengage. Revisit duties, scheduling and pay before assuming the advertised rate fits the assignment.
- Keep a legislative scenario. The General Assembly's bill proposes an initial increase in 2027; label that budget scenario conditional and review it when the official status changes.
Use the guides to warehouse and distribution staffing in the Lehigh Valley and warehouse staffing in Hazleton when outlining local assignments. If you are considering an evaluation period before permanent hiring, review how temp to hire works alongside the role requirements.
At FIS Recruitment, our industrial staffing services cover material handling, warehouse and production work, and forklift roles. Bring us the duties, location, shift and proposed pay range so we can discuss your hiring needs and the assignment you want to fill.
Frequently asked questions
The general minimum, proposed legislation and regional wage benchmarks answer different employer questions. Use the legal floor to check minimum-pay obligations, the bill record to monitor potential changes, and BLS medians to compare occupations. The answers below keep those distinctions clear when you review payroll or prepare a hiring request.
What is the minimum wage in Pennsylvania in 2026?
Pennsylvania's general minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in 2026, according to PA Labor & Industry. That is the floor for covered employees, subject to applicable exemptions. It does not establish the wage needed to recruit for a particular warehouse assignment. Use the regional occupational medians as a separate comparison, then review the duties and schedule before setting the hiring budget.
Is Pennsylvania's minimum wage going up?
Pennsylvania has a proposed increase, but the General Assembly's current bill record does not show an enacted change. Its records show H.B. 2189 passed the House on March 24, 2026 and remains pending in the Senate. The bill's staged increases would apply if the Senate passes it and it becomes law. Employers should monitor the official record and keep proposed changes separate from current payroll obligations.
When did Pennsylvania's minimum wage last change?
Pennsylvania's general minimum wage last changed on July 24, 2009, when it became $7.25, as recorded in the official Pennsylvania Code. PA Labor & Industry confirms the same rate remains current. The U.S. Department of Labor identifies that date as the effective date of the federal floor as well. For budgeting, distinguish this legal history from the more recent regional wage estimates used to compare warehouse occupations.
How does overtime work in Pennsylvania?
PA Labor & Industry requires most employees to receive 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Calculate overtime from the applicable regular rate, which is not automatically the minimum wage. The agency also explains that being paid a salary does not by itself remove eligibility. Review the employee's duties, compensation arrangement and exemption status before finalizing the payroll calculation.
What do warehouse workers make in the Lehigh Valley?
The four warehouse occupations compared in this article had median hourly wages from $18.25 to $23.63 in the Lehigh Valley in May 2025, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. Those are occupational medians across industries in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro. They are not starting wages or FIS pay rates. Compare the occupation with your assignment before using its median as a budgeting reference.
Is the Pennsylvania minimum wage the same as the federal minimum wage?
Yes: PA Labor & Industry and the U.S. Department of Labor both list a general minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. That matching floor does not mean every employment rule or exemption is identical. Keep minimum-pay compliance separate from recruiting decisions and overtime calculations. For a warehouse budget, compare the relevant regional occupation and confirm the obligations that apply to the employees and assignments involved.
Talk to us about warehouse staffing in Pennsylvania
We help employers recruit for warehouse and production assignments. Bring the location, duties, shift pattern and proposed pay range to the conversation so we can discuss your staffing needs. Whether you are planning peak coverage or a continuing role, start with a clear description of the work.
Call 800.248.8687, email info@fisrecruitment.com, or open a requisition.
This article is not legal advice; confirm your obligations with PA Labor & Industry or an employment attorney.
