St. Paul minimum wage: $16.37 standard, $14.25 micro.
St. Paul runs a tiered minimum wage system based on employer size: macro (10,001+ employees), large (101-10,000), and small (6-100) all sit at $16.37/hr in 2026. Micro employers (5 or fewer employees) pay $14.25/hr through July 2026, with a phased path to $15.00 by July 2027 and then CPI indexing thereafter. Unlike Minneapolis (single unified rate), St. Paul preserved the size-based tier structure, requiring employers to track headcount-based categorization. Coverage applies to workers performing 2+ hours of work in St. Paul in any 2-week period.
St. Paul Tiered Minimum Wage
Routes St. Paul shifts to one of four tiers (macro, large, small, micro) based on employer headcount. Validates micro classification against 5-employee threshold. Auto-uplifts each tier per phase schedule.
What those rules do at hire, at shift save, and at headcount transitions.
The hero card configuration: Block below tier, Flag on classification, Critical on phase-up timing.
When a St. Paul-covered shift is saved below the applicable tier rate (macro/large/small $16.37 or micro $14.25), the save fails. Tier is determined by employer headcount.
St. Paul tier is determined by employer headcount: macro 10,001+; large 101-10,000; small 6-100; micro 1-5 employees. Crossing thresholds triggers reclassification. Coverage applies when a worker performs 2+ hours in St. Paul per 2-week period.
Micro tier reaches $15.00 on July 1, 2027 and then indexes annually with the standard tiers. Operators on the micro tier need budget visibility on the upcoming step-up.
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Four tiers by headcount, on different schedules, then converging.
St. Paul's tiered structure preserves cost flexibility for the smallest employers but adds operational complexity. Headcount tracking is the audit-tested boundary.
Four-tier structure
St. Paul Legislative Code Chapter 224 establishes four employer tiers based on headcount: macro (10,001+ employees), large (101-10,000), small (6-100), and micro (1-5 employees). The 2026 rates: macro/large/small all at $16.37/hr (matching Minneapolis); micro at $14.25/hr. Micro is on a phase-up schedule to reach $15.00 by July 2027, then indexes annually with the other tiers.
Headcount calculation
Employer headcount counts all employees worldwide, not just St. Paul-based. A 4-employee St. Paul branch of a 50-employee parent company classifies as small (because parent total exceeds 5). Headcount is calculated as the average number of employees per pay period over the prior calendar year. Crossing tier boundaries (e.g., growing from 5 to 6 employees) triggers immediate transition to the next tier with a 30-day implementation window.
Teambridge tracks employer tier, applies the right rate, and surfaces phase-up timing.
The split adjustment timing (Jan 1 vs Jul 1) and the micro-to-standard phase-up create a 4-year calendar of upcoming changes through 2027.
Average per pay period over prior year.
Employer headcount is calculated as the average employees per pay period over the prior calendar year — counting all employees worldwide, not just St. Paul-based. The threshold checks happen at year start.
Headcount crossing surfaces classification update.
When average headcount crosses a tier boundary (5→6 small/micro; 100→101 small/large; 10,000→10,001 large/macro), Teambridge surfaces the classification update with a 30-day implementation window.
St. Paul boundaries + 2-hour rule.
Each shift's work address is checked against St. Paul boundaries. Workers crossing the 2-hour rolling threshold are covered for all subsequent St. Paul hours at the applicable tier rate.
$15 by July 2027 surfaced.
Micro-tier operators see the upcoming $15.00 step on July 1, 2027 in budget previews. Once micro reaches parity, the calendar consolidates to a single annual adjustment.
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