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- Category: Wage and Hour
Four separate youth and training wage rules apply across Minnesota, Minneapolis and Saint Paul during 2026. They differ on age, on duration, on the rate and on whether a formal program is required.
One of the four is ending. Beginning January 1, 2027, Saint Paul’s general 90-day youth wage for workers aged 14 to 17 is eliminated, which leaves three. This page sets out all four, and flags which one goes.
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The Four Rules, and the One That Ends in 2027
| Rule | Who it covers | Rate | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota 90-day training wage | Employees under 20. General Chapter 177 rule, subject to any higher applicable wage standard | $9.31 in 2026, $9.68 from January 1, 2027 | First 90 consecutive days of employment |
| Minneapolis training wage | Employees under 20 in a city-approved training or apprenticeship program | 85 percent of the Minneapolis rate, rounded up to the nearest nickel | First 90 days of employment |
| Saint Paul general youth wage, § 224.05(c) | Employees aged 14 to 17 not in an approved program | 85 percent of the small-employer City Minimum Wage, rounded up to the nearest nickel, or the state minimum wage, whichever is highest. $13.95 from July 1, 2026 | 90 consecutive days from the date of hire. Eliminated January 1, 2027 |
| Saint Paul youth training wage, § 224.05(b) | Employees under 20 in a city-approved youth-focused training or apprenticeship program | At least 85 percent of the city minimum wage for small employers, rounded up to the nearest nickel, or the state minimum wage, whichever is highest | No separate 90-day cap. Applies while the worker is under 20 and employed in a qualifying program |
Source: Minn. Stat. § 177.24, subd. 1(b), Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry minimum wage, City of Minneapolis employer resources, City of Saint Paul minimum wage and finalized rules for the Minimum Wage Ordinance, and Ordinance 26-31. Verified September 5, 2026.
Minnesota’s 90-Day Training Wage
Minn. Stat. § 177.24, subd. 1(b) permits an employer to pay an employee under the age of 20 a lower rate during the first 90 consecutive days of employment. That rate is $9.31 in 2026 and $9.68 from January 1, 2027, and it moves with the same annual inflation adjustment as the full rate.
Three limits are built into it. The employee must be under 20, so the day someone turns 20 the training wage stops being available for them. The period is 90 consecutive days of employment rather than 90 days of work, so it runs on the calendar. And it applies only at the start of employment.
The paragraph also carries a protection that is rarely mentioned. No employer may take any action to displace an employee, including a partial displacement through a reduction in hours, wages or employment benefits, in order to hire an employee at the training wage. An employer cutting an existing worker’s hours to bring in a teenager at the lower rate is acting against the statute.
Minnesota No Longer Publishes a Separate Youth Wage
Minnesota used to have two subminimum rates. Alongside the 90-day training wage for workers under 20, there was a separate youth wage for workers under 18, and DLI published both. In 2024 they were both $8.85.
The current position is different. DLI’s rate table lists two provisions only, the state minimum wage and the 90-day training wage for workers under 20. The current text of § 177.24, subd. 1 contains three paragraphs, being the general rate, the under-20 training wage and the annual indexation mechanism. There is no separate youth wage paragraph.
This matters because some widely used national employment law references still describe a Minnesota youth minimum wage and cite a subdivision that is not in the current section. If you have been told there is a lower Minnesota rate simply because you are under 18, check it against DLI’s published table.
Anyone relying on this for a pay decision should confirm the current statutory text directly, since the point turns on a recent amendment.
Minneapolis Has No General Youth Wage
This is the most useful fact on this page for anyone working in the city.
Minneapolis states that its minimum wage applies regardless of employer size or the employee’s age. A 16-year-old working an ordinary job in Minneapolis is owed the full city rate, the same as a 40-year-old doing the same work.
The only exception is narrow and formal. For city-approved training and apprenticeship programs, employers must pay employees under the age of 20 not less than 85 percent of the minimum wage rate, rounded up to the nearest nickel, for the first 90 days of employment. After the first 90 days the employer must pay no less than the applicable minimum wage rate.
The approval requirement does real work. An employer applies to the city, applications are evaluated by the Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic Development against criteria developed with the city’s Workforce Investment Board, and the city maintains a list of approved programs. An employer cannot create the discount by describing ordinary onboarding as training.
The city rate applies to any employee who performs at least two hours of work in a calendar week within Minneapolis, regardless of where the employer is located.
Saint Paul Runs Two Separate Youth Provisions
Saint Paul is the only one of the three with a general youth wage, it has two provisions rather than one, and the general one is being eliminated.
Section 224.05(c) covers workers aged 14 to 17 who are not in an approved program, and it is being repealed. Ordinance 26-31 amends § 224.05(c) to eliminate the city’s provisional 90-day rate for workers aged 14 to 17, effective January 1, 2027. The provision applies through December 31, 2026 only, after which a 14 to 17 year old outside a city-approved program is owed the applicable City Minimum Wage for their employer’s size band.
While it remains in effect, workers in that group must be paid at least 85 percent of the City Minimum Wage for small employers for 90 days following their hiring date, rounded up to the nearest nickel, or the state minimum wage, whichever is highest. Against the $16.37 small-employer rate that produces $13.9145, which rounds up to $13.95 effective July 1, 2026.
The rounding rule is worth stating because it is commonly got wrong. Saint Paul rounds up to the nearest nickel, so the answer is $13.95. Some third-party sources publish $13.91 by applying ordinary rounding to the cent. That is the wrong method and it shortchanges the worker by four cents an hour.
Two further details. The 90-day period runs on consecutive calendar days from the date of hire rather than days worked, and the city states this expressly. And an employee must be paid the full City Minimum Wage starting on their 18th birthday, even if that falls within the first 90 days.
Section 224.05(b) covers workers under 20 in a city-approved youth-focused training or apprenticeship program. The finalized rules provide that the rate cannot be less than 85 percent of the city minimum wage for small employers, rounded up to the nearest nickel, or the state minimum wage, whichever is highest. The state minimum floor is part of the rule and is often left out of summaries.
This provision carries no separate 90-day wage cap. It applies while the worker is under 20 and employed in a qualifying city-approved program, subject to the program criteria. The 90-day references that appear in the program criteria concern when professional development or job shadowing opportunities must occur, and they are a different thing from the 90-day limit that applies to the § 224.05(c) youth wage.
Both provisions use the small-employer rate as the base, which means a teenager working for a large Saint Paul employer is measured against the small-employer figure rather than the City Rate.
Because they are tied to the small-employer rate, and that rate moves each July 1 during the phase-in, the youth figures have moved on July 1 as well. From January 1, 2027 only the § 224.05(b) program rate remains to move.
What Counts as an Approved Program in Saint Paul
The city publishes its criteria. They are specific, and an ordinary job does not qualify merely because the employer calls it training.
A program automatically qualifies if it receives local, state or federal grant funding for youth workforce development. Without that funding, the employer must demonstrate that the program includes all of the following: participants working a minimum of 15 hours a week for at least six weeks if not attending school, or at least 10 hours a week if attending school; a minimum of six hours of training in communication skills, teamwork and collaboration, and time management, plus two of either job basics, work ethic or problem solving; at least one professional development opportunity, job shadowing opportunity or the chance to earn academic credit in the first 90 days; and supervisors completing at least two hours of training in cultural competency, youth mentorship and project-based learning, with weekly check-ins and a collaborative project-based learning plan.
If your employer is paying a youth training rate and none of that describes your job, the program is worth asking about.
If You Are Being Paid a Youth Rate You Should Not Be
Four questions usually settle it. How old are you, and have you had a birthday since you were hired. When were you hired, counting consecutive calendar days rather than shifts. Which city are the hours actually worked in. And is there a genuine approved program, or just a label.
A youth or training rate that has expired, that is being applied in the wrong city, or that lacks the program required to justify it, creates an hourly shortfall for every hour it touched. Minn. Stat. § 177.27, subd. 8 treats that as an ordinary wage claim: the full shortfall, matched by liquidated damages, with the employee’s costs and attorney fees required under subdivision 10 rather than left to discretion.
Our page on unpaid wages in Minneapolis explains what a claim involves, and the firm’s Minnesota employment law section covers the other areas we handle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a lower minimum wage for teenagers in Minnesota?
There is a 90-day training wage for employees under 20 during their first 90 consecutive days of employment, at $9.31 in 2026 and $9.68 from January 1, 2027. DLI’s current rate table lists no separate youth wage for workers under 18. City rules differ. Minneapolis applies its ordinance regardless of age, and Saint Paul’s general youth wage for 14 to 17 year olds is eliminated on January 1, 2027.
I am 16 and work in Minneapolis. What am I owed?
The full Minneapolis minimum wage, unless you are under 20 and employed in a city-approved training or apprenticeship program, in which case the city requires at least 85 percent of the rate, rounded up to the nearest nickel, for the first 90 days. Minneapolis has no general youth rate.
Why is the Saint Paul youth wage $13.95 rather than $13.91?
Because Saint Paul rounds up to the nearest nickel. Eighty-five percent of the $16.37 small-employer rate is $13.9145, which rounds up to $13.95. Sources publishing $13.91 have applied ordinary rounding to the cent instead of the rule the city actually uses. Note that the general 14 to 17 youth wage this figure applies to is eliminated on January 1, 2027.
Do the 90 days mean 90 days of work?
No. Both the state training wage and the Saint Paul youth wage run on consecutive calendar days from the date of hire. Saint Paul states this expressly. Working three shifts a week does not stretch the period out.
What happens on my 18th birthday?
While the Saint Paul general youth wage is still in effect through the end of 2026, you must be paid the City Minimum Wage from your 18th birthday even if it falls inside your first 90 days. The state training wage runs to age 20 rather than 18, so turning 18 does not by itself end it, though the 90 consecutive days will.
This article provides general information about Minnesota, Minneapolis and Saint Paul wage rules and is not legal advice. Rates change annually, and Saint Paul’s general youth wage for workers aged 14 to 17 is eliminated on January 1, 2027 under Ordinance 26-31. This page is reviewed each January, July and September. Confirm current figures with the relevant agency before relying on them.
