New York Minimum Wage 2026
The minimum wage in New York is $16.00 per hour in 2026, effective January 1, 2026. Tipped employees can be paid a cash wage of $10.65 per hour, as long as tips bring them to the full minimum.
What is the minimum wage in New York in 2026?
New York runs two minimum wages. As of January 1, 2026, the rate is $17.00 per hour in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, and $16.00 per hour everywhere else in the state, up from $16.50 and $15.50 respectively.
These $0.50 increases were the last scheduled steps under the 2023 budget agreement. Starting in 2027, both regional rates switch to annual inflation indexing, so the two-tier structure continues but future increases will track CPI rather than a fixed schedule.
Tipped minimum wage in New York
New York's tipped wages depend on both region and role. For food service workers (servers, bartenders), the cash wage is two-thirds of the applicable minimum: $11.35 per hour in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, and $10.65 in the rest of the state. Tips must cover the remaining third.
Service employees outside food service (for example, hotel housekeepers who receive tips) have their own, higher cash wage schedule. Because the tipped rate is a fraction of the regional minimum rather than a fixed dollar amount, every January increase moves the tipped cash wages too. The figures on this page use the rest-of-state food service rate.
New York minimum wage history: 2020 to 2026
| Year | Minimum wage | Tipped wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $11.80 | $7.85 |
| 2021 | $12.50 | $8.35 |
| 2022 | $13.20 | $8.80 |
| 2023 | $14.20 | $9.45 |
| 2024 | $15.00 | $10.00 |
| 2025 | $15.50 | $10.35 |
| 2026 | $16.00 | $10.65 |
The table shows the rest-of-state rate with the food service tipped wage. The downstate region (New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County) runs $1.00 higher.
Upcoming minimum wage increases in New York
The January 1, 2026 increases were the final fixed steps. From 2027 onward, both the downstate $17.00 rate and the rest-of-state $16.00 rate adjust annually for inflation, announced by the New York State Department of Labor each fall.
Employers should plan for increases in both regions every January indefinitely. Because tipped cash wages are set as two-thirds of the minimum, they move automatically with each adjustment as well.
Minimum wage by city in New York
New York's wage geography is set by state law rather than city ordinances. The Department of Labor defines two regions: New York City plus Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties) plus Westchester County at $17.00, and the remainder of the state at $16.00.
The practical trap is commuter workforces. An employee working shifts both in Yonkers (Westchester, $17.00) and in a Rockland County location ($16.00) is owed the applicable regional rate for each hour, so location tracking in payroll matters here the way it does in states with city ordinances.
Downstate rate; all five boroughs
Nassau and Suffolk counties
Downstate rate applies countywide
Rest-of-state rate
What New York employers need to know
Regional rates
Pay $17.00 in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, and $16.00 elsewhere, based on where the work is performed. Employees working across the regional line are owed each region's rate for those hours.
Tipped occupations differ
Food service workers and other service employees have different cash wage schedules, both varying by region. Confirm the correct category for each tipped role before setting pay.
Wage notices
New York's Wage Theft Prevention Act requires written pay notices at hire and within seven days of any rate change, which now means every January for minimum wage workers.
Fast food and other industry rates
Certain industries carry their own wage orders and rules, including hospitality and building service. Check the applicable wage order rather than assuming the general minimum covers everything.
How other states compare
See how New York's $16.00 rate stacks up against other state minimum wages in 2026, or browse the full minimum wage index for all 50 states.
Last verified:
Sources: the US Department of Labor's state minimum wage table and official announcements from the New York labor department. Minimum wage laws change frequently; confirm current rates with those sources or legal counsel before setting pay.
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