New York Minimum Wage
New York's minimum wage is $17.00 an hour in New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County and $16.00 in the rest of the state, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's State Minimum Wage Laws table, updated November 5, 2026.
On January 1, 2027, New York’s minimum wage rates stay the same.
Source: New York State Department of Labor, Minimum Wage page, read November 10, 2026.
- New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County
- $17.00
- Rest of the state
- $16.00
- Federal minimum
- $7.25
- Full-time year
- From $33,280 to $35,360
- State rank at $16.00
- Tied 5th of 51
Local ordinances and sector rates can be higher where state law allows them, and are not shown here. To confirm a local or sector rate, use the state agency listed on the Department of Labor's State Labor Offices page.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, State Minimum Wage Laws, updated 2026-11-05. Checked against NCSL state minimum wage table (as of 2026-07-01); EPI 2026 table where listed. A full-time year is 2,080 hours, the convention BLS uses. Confirm the rate in the Department of Labor table. Table read November 10, 2026; rechecked on the January 1 and July 1 statutory change dates, next on January 1, 2027. Scheduled rates are shown where the Department of Labor or the state's own agency publishes one we could read; a state showing none may still have one, so check its labor office.
How does New York's minimum wage compare with the federal rate?
$16.00 is $8.75 above the federal minimum of $7.25, and the highest rate, $17.00, is $9.75 above it. New York ranks tied 5th of 51 on the $16.00 rate in the rest of the state, the lowest of New York's rates.
What is the tipped minimum wage in New York?
The Department of Labor's tipped wage table lists no single cash wage for New York and says: "Tipped workers' minimum wage rates vary by region and type of employer."
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees, updated November 5, 2026.
How does the minimum compare with pay in New York?
The lowest-paid tenth of jobs in New York paid $17.19 an hour or less in May 2025. Against that line, $17.00 equals 99% and $16.00 equals 93%; against the state's median hourly pay of $28.69, $17.00 equals 59% and $16.00 equals 56%.
Source: BLS OEWS state file, May 2025, all occupations, hourly; minimum wage as listed on November 5, 2026. The wage figures are from May 2025, so a rate raised since then can sit above them. Confirm the wage figures in the OEWS tables at bls.gov.
Which occupations in New York pay closest to the minimum?
Food preparation workers have the 10th-percentile wage closest to $16.00 (the $16.00 rate in the rest of the state, the lowest of New York's rates), at $16.00 an hour, among occupations with at least 100 jobs.
| Occupation | 10th percentile | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Preparation Workers | $16.00 | $17.12 | 62,380 |
| Massage Therapists | $16.00 | $30.11 | 4,500 |
| Recreation Workers | $15.99 | $18.29 | 24,790 |
| Driver/Sales Workers | $15.97 | $20.54 | 18,990 |
| Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | $15.97 | $17.84 | 6,910 |
| Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | $16.03 | $16.85 | 13,020 |
| Bicycle Repairers | $16.05 | $22.96 | 970 |
| Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | $15.92 | $18.93 | 17,520 |
| Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants | $15.91 | $17.88 | 3,770 |
| Transportation Workers, All Other | $15.91 | $23.29 | 220 |
Source: BLS OEWS state file, May 2025, hourly wages. Confirm in the OEWS tables at bls.gov.