2025 New Jersey Minimum Wage
The 2025 New Jersey Minimum Wage is $15.49.
Effective 2025-01-01Source: New Jersey’s Minimum Wage to Increase to $15.49/Hour for Most Employees on Jan. 1 (New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development)Verified 2026-08-31
Compared with 2024
| Item | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $15.13 | $15.49 | +$0.36 (+2.4%) |
Who it applies to
Most employees working in New Jersey. Seasonal employers, small employers, agricultural workers, and long-term care facility direct care staff follow separate minimum wage schedules.
What changed this year, and why
New Jersey's statewide minimum wage increased to $15.49 per hour for most employees, effective January 1, 2025. The increase was set by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development based on changes in the Consumer Price Index.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in New Jersey for 2025?
- The minimum wage in New Jersey is $15.49 per hour for most employees, effective January 1, 2025.
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
Under New Jersey law, employers may count tips toward a worker's minimum wage through a tip credit, but the employee must still receive at least the full state minimum hourly rate. The law sets a separate minimum cash wage that employers must pay tipped workers in direct wages. For 2025, the minimum cash wage rate for tipped workers will rise to $5.62/hour from $5.26, with the maximum tip credit employers are able to claim remaining at $9.87. Together, the cash wage and the maximum tip credit add up to $15.49, the statewide minimum wage for most employees. The safeguard is straightforward: If the minimum cash wage plus an employee’s tips do not equal at least the state minimum wage, then the employer must pay the employee the difference. This means the employer, not the worker, absorbs any shortfall when tips are light in a given pay period.
The minimum cash wage rate for tipped workers will rise to $5.62/hour from $5.26, with the maximum tip credit employers are able to claim remaining at $9.87. If the minimum cash wage plus an employee’s tips do not equal at least the state minimum wage, then the employer must pay the employee the difference.
New Jersey’s Minimum Wage to Increase to $15.49/Hour for Most Employees on Jan. 1 (New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development)
How the rate is adjusted each year, and who announces it
Each year the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development sets the minimum wage for the coming year based on any increase in Consumer Price Index (CPI) data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This annual adjustment is required by the New Jersey Constitution. The department reviews the most recent CPI figures and, if the cost of living has risen, calculates a corresponding increase to the state's minimum hourly wage. The new rate takes effect on January 1 of the following year. The commissioner of labor announces the updated rate, typically in the fall, so employers have time to prepare payroll changes. This process applies to most employees, though seasonal employers, small employers, and agricultural workers follow separate phase-in schedules that reach their target rates later. Regardless of the schedule, all categories continue to be adjusted annually using the same CPI-based formula once their phased-in period is complete.
Pursuant to Article 1, Paragraph 23, of the New Jersey Constitution, and N.J.A.C. 12: 56-3.1(c), the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) sets the minimum wage for the coming year based on any increase in Consumer Price Index (CPI) data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
New Jersey’s Minimum Wage to Increase to $15.49/Hour for Most Employees on Jan. 1 (New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development)
How each figure was verified
Each number below was read from a stored copy of the document named beside it, and checked to occur word for word in the quoted sentence. The digest is of that stored text.
New Jersey’s Minimum Wage to Increase to $15.49/Hour for Most Employees on Jan. 1 (New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development)
- Hourly
TRENTON - New Jersey’s statewide minimum wage will increase by $0.36 to $15.49 per hour for most employees, effective January 1, 2025.
Other years
Every New Jersey Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state