KEY TAKEAWAYS: Louisiana is one of five states, along with Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, that has no state minimum wage. That means the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour applies. The federal minimum wage hasn’t risen since July 2009, the longest stretch without an increa se since the federal minimum wage was created. A bill that would have set a $12 state minimum wage failed in the Louisiana House Labor Committee in April 2026. Opponents say a state minimum wage would hurt businesses, cut jobs and raise prices. They also say most employers already pay more than $7.25.   Currently, 34 states have set minimum wages above the federal floor of $7.25 an hour. Five states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, have not adopted a state minimum wage, which means the federal minimum wage applies. This means that Louisiana adopts the mandatory minimum wage set by the Fair Labor Standards Act, which has not been raised since July 24, 2009. Why hasn’t the federal minimum wage risen since 2009? The last time the federal minimum wage increased was in 2009, when it went from $6.55 to $7.25. The last 15 years have marked the longest stretch that the federal minimum wage has gone without increase, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There have been proposed bills to raise the federal minimum wage, but these efforts have either failed or stalled in Congress, with those opposed arguing that raising the federal minimum wage would increase labor costs, raise consumer prices and cause business to potentially close or cut jobs, according to Ballotpedia. A bill, known as the Living Wage Act, would have increased the federal minimum wage to $25, but this legislation has been stalled in the House Committee on Education and Workforce since January 2025. Why hasn’t Louisiana established its own minimum wage? Louisiana has no statute that outlines a state minimum wage and legislation that would have established one has failed. In fact, a bill in April 2026 that would have set a $12 state minimum wage was rejected by the House Labor Committee, according to HiveDesk, a workforce management platform. Opponents of this legislation said that establishing a state minimum wage would create hardship on businesses, reduce jobs and raise consumer prices. Opponents also said that most employers pay above the federal minimum wage anyway, The Shreveport Times previously reported. ...read more read less