Missouri’s minimum wage is now $15 an hour. How does it compare to Kansas?
Now when you cross from Kansas to Missouri, the minimum wage more than doubles.
While Kansas still requires employers to pay at least $7.25 an hour — the federal minimum wage — Missouri’s minimum wage rose to $15 an hour Jan. 1, 2026. This is thanks to Proposition A, passed in November 2024 with almost 58% of votes.
This is the last part of Proposition A to go into effect, since a bill signed by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe repealed future minimum wage increases based on inflation and Missouri workers’ paid sick leave protections after voters overwhelmingly supported them last year.
Read on to compare minimum wage policies in Kansas and Missouri.
How many people make minimum wage in Kansas and Missouri?
A higher percentage of workers in Kansas earn minimum wage, but more people in Missouri do, according to an analysis of 2024 data by the University of Kansas. The analysis found 1.2% of Kansas hourly workers made at or below minimum wage, which adds up to 9,000 workers in 2024.
This is more than Missouri, where 0.7% of hourly workers, or 11,000 people, made at or below minimum wage. Overall, Missouri is estimated to have 6.25 million residents, more than double Kansas’ population of 2.97 million.
![Bianca Gomez, wife to Martin Lopez, makes fresh tortillas Tuesday morning, December 13, 2022. Martin Lopez and his family moved from Guatemala to the United States in 2001. He worked as a server for 12 years here in Florida at a Mexican restaurant. ÒI then worked as a chef for one year and decided to open my own Mexican restaurant,Ó Lopez said Tuesday at his newest restaurant location in Ocala called Brisas del Mar, which is English means Sea Breeze. He has a total of three locations, all named the same, in Ft. Pierce and Lady Lake. Ocala is his newest just opening last week. Brisas del Mar Mexican Restaurant and Grill is located at 1900 S. Pine Avenue in Ocala, FL. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner]2022 Oca Brisas Del Mar](https://www.kansascity.com/public/latest-news/ozkqkg/picture312132050/alternates/FREE_1140/USATSI_19621872.jpg "USATSI_19621872.jpg")
Missouri’s cashiers, restaurant hosts, dishwashers and fast food workers are some of the most likely to receive raises. At least three-fourths of these workers were paid less than $15 an hour in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Despite the minimum wage disparities across state lines, the wage distribution in Kansas and Missouri is mostly the same, in which 35% and 36% of households had incomes under $50,000.
What is a living wage in Missouri and Kansas?
MIT defines the living wage as “the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support themselves and/or their family, working full-time, or 2,080 hours per year.”
According to MIT’s living wage calculator, a living wage in Missouri for a single adult is $20.87 an hour, while a poverty wage is $7.52, as of February 2025.
For a Missouri family with two working adults and two kids, each must make $26.24 an hour to have a living wage.
Kansas’ living wage is $21.06 for one person living alone, according to MIT, while a poverty wage is just a quarter more than the minimum wage, at $7.52. For a two-income household with two kids, each must make $24.12 an hour to have a living wage.
How do Kansas and Missouri’s minimum wages compare to nearby states?
While Missouri’s minimum wage is on the rise, Kansas’ remains at the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour. That’s notable since three of the four states bordering Kansas increased their minimum wages on Jan. 1, 2026:
- Colorado: $14.81 to $15.16
- Missouri: $13.75 to $15
- Nebraska: $13.50 to $15
Oklahoma is the only state bordering Kansas that remains at the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour. Iowa, Pennsylvania and Texas also have their minimum wage set at the federal minimum.
Are there plans to increase Kansas’ minimum wage?
Kansas Democrats plan on introducing bills to raise the state minimum wage to $15, lawmakers told The Beacon. Both Kansas parties said they will work to make Kansas more affordable this legislative session, which began Monday. While the Democratic party agenda includes plans for paid maternal leave and free school lunches, Republican lawmakers touted a recently instituted law that reduces the state income tax.
