What changed on January 1, 2026
New York's minimum wage rose again at the start of the year, continuing a schedule Governor Hochul and the state legislature set in 2023. The increase applies in two tiers, based on where the work is performed, not where the employer is based or where the worker lives.
New York minimum wage by region, 2026
Why a two-tier minimum wage?
New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County share a higher rate because the state legislature recognized that housing and living costs in the downstate region run well above the rest of the state. The two-tier structure has been in place since New York began phasing in $15 minimum wages in the mid-2010s, and the 2023 law that set the current increases preserved that same regional split rather than moving to one statewide number.
2026 is the last increase lawmakers set directly
Under the 2023 law, every increase through January 2026 was a specific, pre-set dollar amount written into the statute. That ends this year. Starting January 1, 2027, New York's minimum wage will adjust automatically and annually based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Northeast region—the same type of inflation measure used to index Social Security benefits. In practice, that means future increases will track inflation directly rather than requiring new legislation each time, though the law includes guardrails so the wage cannot be indexed downward if inflation is negative.
What a full-time minimum-wage paycheck looks like after tax
A full-time, 40-hour-a-week New York City minimum-wage job pays $35,360 a year before tax. Running that through the paycheck calculator as a single filer paid bi-weekly gives an estimated $1,089.65 net per check, or about $28,331 a year—an effective tax rate near 19.9%. That estimate is conservative at this income level: it doesn’t account for the Earned Income Tax Credit or New York's own EITC, which typically raise a low-wage worker's effective take-home pay and refund well above what a simple withholding estimate shows. See the full breakdown, region by region, in the New York minimum wage guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current minimum wage in New York?+−
Since January 1, 2026, it's $17 an hour in New York City, Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties), and Westchester County, and $16 an hour in the rest of New York State.
What's the New York minimum wage in annual salary terms?+−
A full-time schedule of 2,080 hours a year (40 hours a week, 52 weeks) at $17/hour comes to $35,360 before tax in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester. At $16/hour elsewhere in the state, full-time comes to $33,280 before tax.
Does the minimum wage go up every year now?+−
It has gone up on a fixed legislative schedule since 2016, with 2026 as the final scheduled step. Starting in 2027, increases become automatic, tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Northeast region, rather than a rate set directly by lawmakers.
Is there a different minimum wage for tipped workers in New York?+−
Yes, for certain tipped occupations in the hospitality industry New York permits a lower cash wage as long as tips bring total pay up to at least the standard minimum wage—if they don't, the employer must make up the difference. Most other industries must pay the full minimum wage in cash regardless of tips.