The New York state minimum wage is $16.00/hr statewide as of January 1, 2026. But New York doesn't pay one flat rate everywhere: New York City, Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk Counties), and Westchester County all pay a higher $17.00/hr, while the rest of the state — Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and everywhere else upstate — follows the $16.00/hr statewide rate.
New York Minimum Wage by Region
| Region | Minimum Wage | Tipped Cash Wage |
|---|---|---|
| NYC, Long Island, Westchester County | $17.00/hr | $11.35/hr |
| Rest of New York State | $16.00/hr | $10.65/hr |
New York allows a tip credit for tipped employees: employers can pay the lower cash wage shown above as long as tips bring the worker's total pay up to at least the full minimum wage for their region. If tips don't cover the gap, the employer has to make up the difference. For the state's official current rates and full wage order details, see the New York State Department of Labor's minimum wage page.
Tipped Wages in New York, With a Worked Example
The gap between the cash wage and the full minimum wage is the tip credit — the amount of tip income an employer is allowed to count toward the minimum wage. Outside the NYC-area, the tip credit is $5.35/hr ($16.00 − $10.65); inside NYC, Long Island, and Westchester, it's $5.65/hr ($17.00 − $11.35).
For a 40-hour week: a tipped worker upstate earning the $10.65/hr cash wage takes home $426.00 in wages from the employer. Tips need to add up to at least $214.00 that week ($5.35 × 40) for total pay to reach the full $640.00 minimum. In the NYC-area, a tipped worker earning $11.35/hr cash wage gets $454.00 in wages, and tips need to add at least $226.00 ($5.65 × 40) to reach the full $680.00 minimum. Either way, if tips fall short in a given week, New York state minimum wage law requires the employer to pay the difference — the worker can never end up below the full regional minimum.
How New York's Minimum Wage Has Grown
New York's minimum wage has climbed steadily from $12.50/hr in 2021 to today's $16.00–$17.00/hr range, part of a multi-year plan to raise wages faster in the higher-cost downstate region before bringing the rest of the state up to match over time.
Why Does New York Have Two Different Rates?
New York State sets a separate, higher minimum wage tier for NYC and its immediate high-cost-of-living neighbors, distinct from the rate that applies upstate. This downstate tier has consistently led the rest of the state through each round of increases, reflecting the far higher cost of housing and living expenses in and around New York City compared to cities like Buffalo or Rochester.
Do Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, or Albany Have Their Own Minimum Wage?
No. Unlike states such as California or Washington, where individual cities like Los Angeles or Seattle set their own local minimum wage on top of the state rate, New York's local-rate system only splits by the three downstate regions listed above. Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and every other upstate city or county simply follow the $16.00/hr statewide rate — there's no separate city-level minimum wage to check for those areas.
How New York Compares to Its Neighbors
The New York state minimum wage sits in the middle of the pack among its immediate neighbors. Connecticut's minimum wage is $16.94/hr and New Jersey's is $15.49/hr, both in the same range as New York. Massachusetts pays $15.00/hr. Pennsylvania, by contrast, has never raised its minimum wage above the federal floor of $7.25/hr, creating a sharp contrast for workers just across the state line.
| State | Minimum Wage | Tipped Cash Wage |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $16.94/hr | $10.71/hr |
| New York (statewide) | $16.00/hr | $10.65/hr |
| New York (NYC/LI/Westchester) | $17.00/hr | $11.35/hr |
| New Jersey | $15.49/hr | $5.62/hr |
| Massachusetts | $15.00/hr | $6.75/hr |
| Pennsylvania | $7.25/hr | $2.83/hr |
Every one of New York's neighbors except Pennsylvania pays a minimum wage within about two dollars of New York's own rate, so the regional labor market downstate is fairly consistent across state lines. Pennsylvania is the outlier: it still defaults to the federal minimum, since the state legislature has not passed an increase since the federal rate last changed in 2009.
Exempt Salary Threshold in New York
Separately from the hourly minimum wage, New York sets its own minimum salary threshold for employees classified as exempt from overtime: $1,200/week ($62,400/year). Salaried employees paid below this threshold generally must still receive overtime pay, regardless of their job title. That's well above the federal threshold set by the U.S. Department of Labor, which is $684/week ($35,568/year) — New York's own threshold requires nearly double the salary before an employee can be classified as exempt.
What's the Salary at New York's Minimum Wage?
Based on a standard 40-hour week (2,080 hours/year):
| Statewide ($16.00/hr) | NYC/LI/Westchester ($17.00/hr) | |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | $640 | $680 |
| Monthly | $2,773 | $2,947 |
| Annually | $33,280 | $35,360 |
These are gross full-time estimates before taxes. Actual take-home pay depends on withholding, benefits, and hours actually worked. Use our minimum wage calculator for a more detailed breakdown.
Broken down further: an 8-hour shift at the statewide New York minimum wage comes to $128.00 before taxes, or $1,280.00 over a standard two-week pay period. In NYC, Long Island, or Westchester County, that same 8-hour shift comes to $136.00, or $1,360.00 over two weeks. Anyone working overtime — more than 40 hours in a week — is generally owed 1.5 times their regular hourly rate: $24.00/hr statewide or $25.50/hr in the NYC-area, on top of straight-time pay for the first 40 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum wage in New York State?
$16.00/hr statewide as of January 1, 2026, or $17.00/hr in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County.
Is New York's minimum wage the same everywhere in the state?
No. NYC, Long Island, and Westchester County pay a higher rate ($17.00/hr) than the rest of the state ($16.00/hr).
What is the tipped minimum wage in New York?
$10.65/hr statewide, or $11.35/hr in the NYC/Long Island/Westchester region, as long as tips bring total pay up to the full minimum wage.
Is New York's minimum wage the highest in the US?
No. Washington State's $17.13/hr is currently the highest statewide minimum wage in the country, just ahead of the NYC-area rate ($17.00/hr).
How does New York's minimum wage compare to neighboring states?
It's similar to Connecticut ($16.94/hr) and New Jersey ($15.49/hr), close to Massachusetts ($15.00/hr), but far above Pennsylvania, which remains at the federal floor of $7.25/hr.
Do Buffalo or Rochester have a higher local minimum wage like NYC does?
No. Only New York City, Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk Counties), and Westchester County have the higher $17.00/hr rate. Buffalo, Rochester, and every other upstate city follow the $16.00/hr statewide rate.
What is New York's exempt salary threshold for overtime?
$1,200/week, or $62,400/year. Salaried employees paid less than that generally must still receive overtime pay under New York law, regardless of job title.
Is New York's minimum wage scheduled to increase again?
No future increase date beyond the current January 1, 2026 rate is set in publicly available state guidance at this time. Check the New York State Department of Labor for the latest updates before making payroll decisions.
See our dedicated New York minimum wage page for the live, always-current rate, or check New York's tipped wage rules in detail. For how this compares nationally, see our tipped minimum wage guide.
