NYC minimum wage 2026, $17.00 an hour.

The rate, and who sets it

The New York State Department of Labor lists $17.00 an hour for New York City, Long Island and Westchester County, and $16.00 for the rest of the state. The Department publishes one New York City rate, so a job in any of the five boroughs follows it. A 40-hour week at $17.00 is $680.00 before tax, or $35,360.00 over 52 weeks.

2027: no inflation increase

The Department says that on January 1, 2027 the minimum wage "will stay the same", at the same $17.00 and $16.00. New York's law can raise the wage each year with inflation, but it includes conditions the Department calls "off-ramps". For 2027, the conditions for one of them have been met, so the automatic increase does not happen. The Department adds that the Governor is proposing to change the off-ramp rules so workers would receive the inflation-based increase. That is a proposal, not law, so do not plan around a higher 2027 number.

Tipped workers

Only hospitality employers may take a tip credit against the minimum wage. For New York City the Department's table shows a cash wage of $14.15 for tipped service employees (a $2.85 credit) and $11.35 for tipped food service workers (a $5.65 credit). Those are the cash wages the Department lists for 2027, and it says the general rates do not change that year. If wages plus tips fall short of the full $17.00, the employer owes the difference. The calculator below is for the standard rate; use the tip credit calculator for tipped pay.

Home care aides are different

The Department lists a separate home care aide minimum that rises on January 1, 2027, to $20.00 an hour in New York City, Long Island and Westchester, and $19.00 elsewhere. It is capped at $3.00 above the standard minimum wage. If you are a home care aide, the $17.00 rate on this page is not your floor.

Worked example

A part-time cashier in Brooklyn works 25 hours a week for 52 weeks at $17.00. Weekly pay is $425.00 and gross yearly pay is $22,100.00. The same hours in Albany at $16.00 would be $400.00 a week and $20,800.00 a year: the regional split is worth about $1,300 a year at that schedule.

What this page does not cover

• It does not cover fast food, nail salon or other industry wage orders. The Department's page links to separate fact sheets for them.
• It does not check which region your workplace is in. The Department offers a Minimum Wage Lookup Tool for that.
• It does not include city paid-leave or fair-workweek rules.

FAQ

What is the minimum wage in New York City in 2026?

$17.00 an hour, according to the New York State Department of Labor. The same rate applies on Long Island and in Westchester County. The rest of New York State is $16.00.

Does New York City have its own minimum wage?

The state Department of Labor publishes the New York City rate. This page relies on that state listing and does not describe any separate city wage ordinance; the New York City rate is the state's regional rate.

Will the NYC minimum wage go up in 2027?

The Department says it stays the same on January 1, 2027, because an off-ramp condition in the law was met. A proposal to change that rule is pending but is not law.

What is the NYC minimum wage for tipped workers?

Hospitality employers may use a tip credit. The Department lists a $14.15 cash wage for tipped service employees and $11.35 for tipped food service workers in New York City, and employers must top up to $17.00 if tips fall short.

How much is $17.00 an hour per year?

$35,360.00 before tax at 40 hours a week for 52 weeks. The calculator on this page changes the hours and weeks.

Are home care aides paid the same minimum wage?

No. The Department lists a separate home care aide minimum of $20.00 an hour in New York City from January 1, 2027.

Sources

Retrieved 2026-11-01. Each link was opened and checked against the claim next to it.

• New York State Department of Labor: Minimum Wage: The $17.00 and $16.00 regional rates, the tipped cash wages and tip credits, the 2027 off-ramp and the home care aide rate.