New York Minimum Wage 2026: $17.00 in NYC and Downstate, $16.00 Upstate
New York minimum wage is $17.00 per hour in New York City, Long Island and Westchester and $16.00 in the rest of the state from January 1, 2026, with inflation indexing starting in 2027 and region-specific tipped cash wages.
The New York minimum wage is $17.00 per hour in New York City, Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties) and Westchester County, and $16.00 per hour in the rest of the state, effective January 1, 2026. Both figures rose 50 cents from 2025 and are the last fixed steps in the schedule enacted in the 2023 state budget. From 2027 the rate is indexed to inflation using the Northeast consumer price index. Tipped food service workers have a cash wage of $11.35 downstate and $10.70 upstate. New York has no city-level minimum wage ordinances; the regional split is set by the state. See how New York compares in our minimum wage by state guide.
Current New York Minimum Wage
The New York State Department of Labor publishes two general rates for 2026:
| Region | 2026 minimum wage |
|---|---|
| New York City (all five boroughs) | $17.00 |
| Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk) and Westchester County | $17.00 |
| Remainder of New York State | $16.00 |
The region is determined by where the employee works, not where the employer is headquartered. A company based in Manhattan with a call center in Albany pays $16.00 in Albany, and a remote employee working from Buffalo for a New York City firm is owed the upstate rate. Employees who work in more than one region in a week must be paid the applicable rate for the hours worked in each.
Home care aides have a higher minimum wage set by the Department of Health that runs several dollars above the general rate; employers in that sector should check the current home care aide fact sheet rather than the general figures here.
New York Minimum Wage vs Federal Minimum Wage
| Rate | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Federal minimum wage | $7.25 | Since 2009 |
| New York City, Long Island, Westchester | $17.00 | From January 1, 2026 |
| Rest of New York State | $16.00 | From January 1, 2026 |
| Local city ordinances | None | Regions are set by state law |
New York City's $17.00 is the second-highest general rate in the country, behind Washington DC at $18.40. Upstate's $16.00 still sits above the statewide rates in neighboring Pennsylvania ($7.25), Vermont ($14.42), Massachusetts ($15.00), Connecticut ($16.94) and New Jersey ($15.92).
Tipped Minimum Wage in New York
New York allows a tip credit, but the amount depends on the employee's occupation and region. The Department of Labor's 2026 figures for the hospitality industry are:
| Category | Region | Cash wage | Tip credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food service workers (servers, bartenders, bussers) | NYC, Long Island, Westchester | $11.35 | $5.65 |
| Food service workers | Rest of state | $10.70 | $5.30 |
| Service employees (other tipped hospitality roles) | NYC, Long Island, Westchester | $14.15 | $2.85 |
| Service employees | Rest of state | $13.30 | $2.70 |
The tip credit can only be taken if the employee's tips actually reach the credit amount every week. Service employees also face a weekly tip threshold that must be met before the lower cash wage applies. Outside hospitality, New York eliminated the tip credit entirely for miscellaneous industries (nail salons, car washes, hair salons and similar) at the end of 2020, so those workers receive the full minimum wage plus tips. Employers must keep records showing tips received and must give written notice of the tip credit at hire.
New York Minimum Wage Increase Schedule
The 2023 state budget set fixed increases for 2024, 2025 and 2026, then moved the state to annual indexing.
| Effective date | NYC, Long Island, Westchester | Rest of state |
|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2019 | $15.00 | $11.80 |
| December 31, 2020 | $15.00 | $12.50 |
| December 31, 2021 | $15.00 | $13.20 |
| December 31, 2022 | $15.00 | $14.20 |
| January 1, 2024 | $16.00 | $15.00 |
| January 1, 2025 | $16.50 | $15.50 |
| January 1, 2026 | $17.00 | $16.00 |
| January 1, 2027 | Indexed to CPI-W Northeast | Indexed to CPI-W Northeast |
The Department of Labor states that "starting in 2027, the minimum wage will be tied to inflation, and increase based on a three-year average of the Consumer Price Index for the Northeast." The law includes an off-ramp: no increase is made in a year when the CPI is negative, when unemployment rises by half a point or more, or when total employment falls. The 2027 figures are expected to be announced in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Local Minimum Wages in New York
New York does not allow cities or counties to set their own minimum wage, so there is no separate New York City ordinance. The higher downstate rate is written into state law and applies to the five boroughs, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester as a group. Employers do not need to track municipal rates, but they do need to assign every employee to the correct region and apply industry wage orders (hospitality, building service, farm workers) that adjust the rate for specific jobs.
Who Is Covered and Who Is Exempt
The New York minimum wage covers almost all employees in the state, including part-time, seasonal, temporary and undocumented workers. Exemptions are narrow:
- Exempt executive and administrative employees must earn a salary of at least $1,275.00 per week in New York City, Long Island and Westchester and $1,199.10 per week in the rest of the state in 2026, far above the federal $684. Confirm current thresholds with the Department of Labor; they rise each year. Professional employees have no state salary floor and follow the federal test. See exempt vs non-exempt employees.
- Outside salespeople, taxi drivers, and members of religious orders.
- Farm workers, who are covered by a separate wage order with the same minimum rate but different overtime rules.
- Certain students and learners under limited provisions.
New York has no youth minimum wage; a 16-year-old at a summer job is owed the full regional rate.
Overtime and the Minimum Wage
Non-exempt employees in New York earn 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. There is no daily overtime, but residential employees (live-in) have a 44-hour threshold and farm workers have a threshold that is stepping down toward 40 hours by 2032. Spread-of-hours pay adds one extra hour at minimum wage on any day when the workday spans more than 10 hours. See overtime pay laws in the US for the details.
A minimum wage employee working 45 hours in New York City earns:
| Hours | Rate | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| 40 regular hours | $17.00 | $680.00 |
| 5 overtime hours | $25.50 | $127.50 |
| Weekly gross pay | $807.50 |
The same week upstate is $640.00 plus $120.00, or $760.00. The overtime calculator handles either rate.
What a Minimum Wage Worker Earns in New York
| Period | Hours | NYC, Long Island, Westchester ($17.00) | Rest of state ($16.00) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week | 40 | $680.00 | $640.00 |
| Month (average) | 173.33 | $2,946.61 | $2,773.28 |
| Year | 2,080 | $35,360.00 | $33,280.00 |
These are gross figures before federal, state and New York City income taxes. See gross pay vs net pay for how deductions work, and the salary to hourly calculator to compare a salaried offer against the hourly floor.
Employer Compliance Checklist
- Post the current minimum wage poster for your region and industry wage order (hospitality, building service, miscellaneous) where employees can see it.
- Assign every employee, including remote staff, to the correct region and pay the matching rate.
- Give written pay rate notices at hire and on any rate change, as the Wage Theft Prevention Act requires, and keep signed copies for six years.
- For tipped staff, apply the correct cash wage for the occupation and region, and verify weekly that tips cover the credit.
- Pay spread-of-hours and call-in pay where the hospitality wage order requires it.
- Track hours to the minute; New York's six-year statute of limitations makes small daily errors expensive. A time card calculator is a fast check before payroll.
- Review the New York labor law guide for pay frequency, paid sick leave and other requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum wage in New York in 2026?
$17.00 per hour in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County, and $16.00 per hour everywhere else in the state, effective January 1, 2026.
What is the minimum wage in NYC?
$17.00 per hour in 2026, the same rate that applies to Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties.
Is New York minimum wage going up in 2027?
Yes, unless an economic off-ramp is triggered. From January 1, 2027 the rate is adjusted annually by a three-year average of the Northeast consumer price index, and the figure will be announced in late 2026.
What is the tipped minimum wage in New York?
For food service workers, $11.35 per hour downstate and $10.70 upstate in 2026, with the balance made up in tips. Service employees in hospitality have a higher cash wage, and tipped workers outside hospitality receive the full minimum wage.
Is upstate New York minimum wage $16?
Yes. From January 1, 2026 the rate for the rest of the state outside New York City, Long Island and Westchester is $16.00 per hour.
Does New York have a youth or training wage?
No. Every employee is owed the full regional minimum wage regardless of age or length of service.
What is the minimum salary for exempt employees in New York?
$1,275.00 per week downstate and $1,199.10 per week upstate in 2026 for executive and administrative exemptions, based on the Department of Labor's published thresholds. Confirm the current year's figure before classifying a role.
Do New York City employers have to pay a higher rate than the state?
Not a separate city rate. The $17.00 figure is the state-set rate for the downstate region, and there is no additional city ordinance on top of it.
Sources
- New York State Department of Labor: Minimum Wage
- New York State Department of Labor: History of the Minimum Wage in New York State
- US Department of Labor: State Minimum Wage Laws
- US Department of Labor: Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees
Reviewed September 2026
New York adjusts its rates every January 1 and begins inflation indexing in 2027. Exempt salary thresholds and industry wage orders change on the same date. Confirm current figures with the New York State Department of Labor before setting pay rates.
Two Regions, One Timesheet
HiveDesk records hours by employee and location, so downstate and upstate rates, overtime and spread-of-hours pay are calculated from accurate data. $5/user/month, 14-day free trial.