Methodology & validation

How this is built.

Any table of wage rates is easy to publish. The hard part is whether you can trace each number back to a source — and show your work. You can here.

The cross-validation

I checked the base matrix dimension by dimension against independent authorities — not a single vendor feed. Four primary dimensions across 52 jurisdictions: 260 individual cell-checks.

260
Cell-level checks
253
Verified
5
Nuance / footnote
2
Discrepancy resolved

Scorecard by dimension

DimensionVerdictDetail
Minimum wageVerifiedAll 52 base rates match the DOL Consolidated Minimum Wage Table (rev. 1/1/2026) and EPI. Three mid-year increases tracked: DC → $18.40 and Oregon → $15.55 (Jul 1), Florida → $15.00 (Sep 30).
Meal & rest breaksVerifiedZero false positives against the DOL Wage & Hour Division state tables. Several meal mandates are conditional on 2–3+ employees on duty — surfaced in the per-state detail.
Fair workweek2 itemsChecked against the Littler Fair Workweek tracker (Feb 2026), Greenberg Traurig, Jackson Lewis, and Ogletree. Evanston, IL added; San Jose reclassified as access-to-hours, not predictive scheduling.
Paid sick leaveSubstantially OKChecked against A Better Balance and NCSL. True paid-sick-time laws (18 states + DC) distinguished from any-reason paid-leave laws (IL, ME, NV). Missouri correctly excluded (repealed 8/28/2025).

Sources

Each dimension traces to a primary or leading-tracker source:

DimensionSource
Minimum & tipped wageU.S. DOL Consolidated Minimum Wage Table; Economic Policy Institute Minimum Wage Tracker
Meal & rest breaksDOL Wage & Hour Division state meal-period and rest-period tables
OvertimeDOL state pages and the FLSA
Fair workweekLittler Fair Workweek tracker; Greenberg Traurig; Jackson Lewis; Ogletree
Paid sick leaveA Better Balance paid-sick-time database; NCSL
Child laborDOL YouthRules and state DOL hour-limit rules

How it's kept current

Minimum wages reset annually — most on January 1 or July 1 — and new ordinances pass constantly. A static reference is wrong within months. An automated check runs on the 1st and 15th of every month, comparing stored values against ~25 source pages and flagging rate changes, newly effective laws, repeals, and new ordinances. Every change is logged with its source URL, and each run writes a dated change report. A quarterly human review backs up the automation.

Recent verification notes

JurisdictionItemType
Evanston, ILAdded — genuine predictive-scheduling ordinance (effective Jan 1, 2024) previously omitted.Fix
San Jose, CAReclassified — 'Opportunity to Work' is access-to-hours only, not predictive scheduling.Nuance
VirginiaNarrow home-health paid-sick law now; broad statewide law effective 7/1/2027 (50+ emp) / 1/1/2029 (all). Flagged as scheduled.Watch
Illinois / Maine / NevadaAny-reason paid-leave laws footnoted as distinct from sick-specific statutes.Nuance
MissouriVoter-approved sick-leave law repealed effective 8/28/2025 — correctly excluded.Confirmed
Disclaimer. This index is for informational and benchmarking use only and is not legal advice. Local ordinances, industry carve-outs, collective-bargaining terms, and effective-date changes apply. Re-verify against primary sources (state DOL or statute) before any client commitment or publication.