King County minimum wage

$20.82 an hour since January 1, 2026, rising to $21.57 on January 1, 2027. That's $3.69 above the Washington rate of $17.13.

Who it covers: Work done in unincorporated King County, all employers, with temporary reductions by employer size and revenue. General periods are the rate for employers with 500 or more employees (the full rate, which all but the smallest low-revenue employers pay from 2027).

From	Hourly rate	Tipped cash wage	Official source
January 1, 2026	$20.82	$20.82 (no tip credit)	kingcounty.gov checked 2026-10-26
January 1, 2027 scheduled	$21.57	$21.57 (no tip credit)	kingcounty.gov checked 2026-10-26

Other rates in King County

Who	Now	Next change	Source
Small, lower-revenue employers 15 or fewer employees and annual gross revenue of less than $2 million	$18.32	$19.57 from January 1, 2027	kingcounty.gov checked 2026-10-26
Mid-size employers, and small employers with $2 million or more in revenue More than 15 but fewer than 500 employees (any revenue), or 15 or fewer employees with annual gross revenue of $2 million or more	$19.82	$21.57 from January 1, 2027	kingcounty.gov checked 2026-10-26

Changes not announced yet

January 1, 2028: Annual adjustment every January 1, usually announced in the fall. (kingcounty.gov)

We add the amount as soon as it's published. The API returns these under pending_changes.

Good to know

Washington allows no tip credit, so tipped workers get the full rate.
Employee counts use the average number employed over the past 12 months, wherever they worked; revenue is total worldwide revenue.
Cities inside King County (Seattle, Tukwila, Renton, Burien, SeaTac and others) are not covered; they have their own rate or follow the state rate.

Get an email when the King County minimum wage changes

One email when a new rate is announced, and a reminder a week before it takes effect. Free, and you can stop it in one click.

Does the King County rate apply at an address?

Live API, free for 50 lookups a day without an account. US street addresses.

Get the King County rate by API

One call returns the federal, state, county and city rates that apply at an address, the one that governs, the tipped cash wage and the next change, each with its official source.

curl "https://bankday.dev/v1/minimum-wage?state=WA&city=King%20County" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BANKDAY_KEY"

API docs · Pricing · State rates are free. City and county rates by name start on the Developer plan, address lookups on the Business plan.

Questions

What is the minimum wage in King County in 2027?

$21.57 an hour from January 1, 2027.

Who does the King County minimum wage cover?

Work done in unincorporated King County, all employers, with temporary reductions by employer size and revenue. General periods are the rate for employers with 500 or more employees (the full rate, which all but the smallest low-revenue employers pay from 2027).

When does the King County minimum wage go up next?

On January 1, 2027, to $21.57 an hour.

Rates come from the official sources linked on this page, checked on the dates shown. This is data, not legal advice: confirm with the official source before relying on it. Found a mistake? Email hello@bankday.dev.