2026 New York Minimum Wage
The 2026 New York Minimum Wage is $17.
Effective 2026-01-01Source: State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)Verified 2026-09-01
Compared with 2025
| Item | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $16.50 | $17 | +$0.50 (+3.0%) |
Who it applies to
Employers and employees in New York covered by the state minimum wage law, with an important limit: the $17.00 per hour rate is the one the entry gives for New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County. The entry gives a separate, lower basic rate for the remainder of the state, and that figure is not published here. The New York entry is one of the longest in the table, adding a weekly premium pay threshold, a federal linkage clause, a separate overtime threshold for residential workers, weekly rest requirements for named industries and for domestic workers, and an extra hour of pay for long spreads of hours and split shifts.
What changed this year, and why
The U.S. Department of Labor's table of state minimum wage laws, updated July 1, 2026, lists New York's basic minimum rate as $17.00 per hour for New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County, and a lower rate for the remainder of the state. This page carries the downstate figure only. The entry states no dated step inside the year and no annual adjustment, and no earlier year of this record is published here, so this page states no year-over-year change.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in New York in 2026?
- The U.S. Department of Labor's State Minimum Wage Laws table, updated July 1, 2026, lists $17.00 per hour for New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County. The same entry gives a lower basic rate for the remainder of the state, which this page does not publish. The figure shown here is the downstate rate as the department recorded it on that date.
- Is the minimum wage the same everywhere in New York State?
- No. The table's New York entry splits the basic minimum rate geographically. It names New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County for the higher rate, and states a lower rate for the remainder of the state. Very few entries in this table are written that way; most give a single rate covering the whole jurisdiction, with no regional split at all.
- Which counties in New York get the $17.00 rate?
- The entry names them: New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County. Employers elsewhere in the state fall under the lower basic rate the same entry states, which this page does not carry. The table gives no further geographic detail, so any question about which municipality sits inside those named areas is outside what this source records.
- Do live-in workers in New York get overtime at a different point?
- Yes, as the entry records it. Alongside the general weekly threshold for premium pay, the New York entry states that residential workers, which it calls live-in workers, receive premium pay for hours worked over a higher weekly count in a payroll week. Both hour counts are figures in the source that this page does not republish.
- What is the New York spread of hours rule?
- The entry states that employees receive an additional hour of pay at the minimum wage rate, on top of wages owed, when the spread of hours exceeds a stated number of hours, when there is a split shift, or both. The table names the rule and its trigger without this page republishing the hour count that triggers it.
- Does New York require a day of rest each week?
- The entry states a weekly rest requirement for named employers: those operating a factory, mercantile establishment, hotel, restaurant, freight or passenger elevator, or theater, and buildings employing security guards, janitors, superintendents, managers, engineers or firemen. It states that domestic workers are entitled to the same consecutive rest period each week and receive premium pay if they work during it.
- Is there a separate tipped minimum wage for New York?
- The Department of Labor's state table lists basic minimum rates per hour for New York and no separate cash wage for tipped employees, so this page does not publish one. The same table says plainly that differential provisions are not displayed in it, naming subminimum rates for minors and students and training wages for new hires as its examples.
- Where does the $17.00 figure on this page come from?
- From the Wage and Hour Division's State Minimum Wage Laws table at dol.gov, in the snapshot captured for this record, where the New York entry gives $17.00 per hour as the basic minimum rate for the four named downstate areas. The division notes on the same page that it tries to ensure the information is accurate and that individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information.
Every amount on this page is a published figure rather than yours. The Minimum wage pay calculator takes the number you enter and works it out against them, showing which published figure it used.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
The federal minimum wage applies broadly, but certain categories of workers may be paid less than the standard rate under specific conditions. Some states authorize subminimum wages for minors and students, recognizing that younger or less experienced workers may receive reduced compensation. Additionally, some states provide exemptions from minimum wage coverage entirely for particular worker classifications, or establish a separate training wage for newly hired employees during an initial period. These provisions vary significantly by jurisdiction. Employers must determine whether any applicable state subminimum rate, exemption, or training wage applies to their workers before paying below the standard rate. The general minimum wage of $17 per hour does not automatically apply to every worker in every situation where state law permits a lower rate for defined categories.
Some states set subminimum rates for minors and/or students or exempt them from coverage or have a training wage for new hires.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
When a city or county sets a higher minimum wage
While the state minimum wage establishes a baseline, cities and counties retain authority to set their own minimum wage rates that exceed the state level. When a local government enacts a higher rate, employers within that jurisdiction must pay the local rate rather than the lower state or federal rate. These local ordinances vary widely in their amounts, effective dates, employer size thresholds, and phase-in schedules. The variations among local jurisdictions are not reflected in statewide rate tables, so employers and workers in areas with local minimum wage laws must look beyond the state figure. An employee working in a city with a local ordinance may be entitled to a higher hourly rate than the general state minimum of $17. Employers operating in multiple localities must track and apply the correct rate for each work location.
Some local governments set minimum wage rates higher than their respective state minimum wage.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
When an employee works more than the designated weekly hours, the employer must pay an overtime premium. That premium is calculated as one and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay. This means each overtime hour is compensated at a rate higher than the normal hourly earnings. The overtime requirement applies under the Fair Labor Standards Act to covered nonexempt employees. Not all workers qualify for overtime; certain executive, administrative, professional, and other categories of employees may be exempt. Employers must correctly classify workers and track hours worked to determine when the premium rate is triggered. The regular rate used for the overtime calculation includes all remuneration for employment, not just the base hourly amount. Workers earning the $17 hourly minimum wage would have their overtime calculated based on that regular rate multiplied by one and one-half for each overtime hour worked.
The overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate, unless otherwise specified.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
When a worker believes they have not been paid the correct minimum wage or overtime, or when an employer needs to confirm which rate applies, the appropriate step is to contact the relevant state labor office. State labor agencies maintain the official records of current minimum wage rates, overtime rules, exemptions, and any local ordinances that may apply. The Wage and Hour Division at the federal level also enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act, but state offices are the authoritative source for state-specific minimum wage amounts and any special provisions such as subminimum rates for minors or students. Workers should direct their questions and any complaints about unpaid wages to the state labor office in the state where the work is performed. Employers similarly should verify current rates and requirements with that office to ensure compliance with all applicable wage laws.
individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
New York pays $17.00 an hour, above the federal minimum, and state law also provides that the federal figure takes over should the federal one ever be the greater. Both halves matter. Today the state figure is the higher, so $17.00 is what an employer in New York owes and the federal rate has no practical effect. The other clause is insurance: if Congress raised the federal minimum past $17.00, New York would follow it up without needing to legislate. Nothing in either rule lets an employer pay the lower of the two. Where federal and state minimum wage law both apply to a job, the employee is owed the higher rate, and that is the whole of the interaction.
The New York minimum wage equals the federal minimum wage when set below the federal rate.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
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.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
- Hourly
New York Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $17.00 (New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County, & Westchester County); $16.00 (remainder of the state)
Other years
Every New York Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state