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# Minnesota Nursing Home Wage Floors Rise to $19-$27
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-minnesota-2026-09-20-a/
- Published: 2026-09-20T14:21:34.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-20T14:21:34.000Z
- Description: Minnesota’s statewide nursing-home wage floors took effect Sept. 10, setting hourly minimums of $19 for general workers, $22.50 for CNAs, $23.50 for medication aides and $27 for licensed practical nurses.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: State News, Minnesota

Minnesota nursing homes must now pay covered workers under a new statewide wage schedule, with hourly minimums ranging from $19 for general nursing-home work to $27 for licensed practical nurses. The [Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry wage table](https://www.dli.mn.gov/nhwsb-wages?ref=theamericanquorum.com) says the standards took effect Sept. 10 and set separate floors of $22.50 for certified nursing assistants and $23.50 for trained medication aides.

The change is the first scheduled wage step adopted by the state’s Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board. According to the department’s [board overview](https://www.dli.mn.gov/nhwsb?ref=theamericanquorum.com), the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved Minnesota’s related state-plan amendment on Aug. 11, allowing the standards to take effect 30 days later. That approval connected the state’s wage policy to the system used to recognize eligible nursing-home costs for federal participation.

For employees, the practical point is that the occupation-specific floor controls when it is higher than another applicable minimum. A certified nursing assistant therefore cannot be paid below the CNA rate simply because the general nursing-home floor is lower. The Labor Department’s [worker and employer FAQ](https://www.dli.mn.gov/business/employment-practices/faqs-nursing-home-workers?ref=theamericanquorum.com) explains that the standards apply to workers covered by Minnesota’s Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board Act and that the board’s rules govern both minimum wages and holiday pay. The law is codified in Minnesota Statutes, sections 181.211 through 181.217.

Employers also face another increase in a little more than three months. Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, the [published schedule](https://www.dli.mn.gov/nhwsb-wages?ref=theamericanquorum.com) raises the general nursing-home minimum to $20.50 an hour, the CNA minimum to $24, the trained medication aide minimum to $25 and the licensed practical nurse minimum to $28.50\. Facilities therefore need to treat the September rates as an interim step, not the end of the board’s current wage schedule.

The standards emerged through an expedited state rulemaking process. The department’s [rulemaking record](https://www.dli.mn.gov/about-department/rulemaking/nursing-home-workforce-standards-board-rulemaking?ref=theamericanquorum.com) identifies the action as the board’s initial minimum-wage standards, while the wage page says the formal notice of adoption was published Oct. 28, 2024\. The long interval between adoption and implementation reflected the required federal review tied to the state-plan amendment rather than a new vote this month.

Workers and operators should verify which job classification applies before calculating back pay or adjusting payroll. The state’s FAQ is the clearest starting point for coverage questions, and the wage table provides the controlling dates and rates. The new floors are statewide standards for covered nursing-home employment; they do not by themselves describe wages in hospitals, assisted-living settings or unrelated health-care workplaces.