Overview
- Beginning January 1, New York’s minimum wage rises to $17 in New York City, Westchester and Long Island, and to $16 across the rest of the state, completing a $1 increase over two years.
- California’s statewide floor is set at $16.90 in 2026, and most new minimums land between $15 and $17 per hour, according to NELP.
- NELP reports that 19 states will raise pay on January 1 and that 88 jurisdictions overall will implement increases during 2026.
- Many of the updates are driven by automatic inflation adjustments or previously approved multi-year schedules, and New York will shift to CPI indexing starting in 2027.
- At least eight states are not expected to raise minimum wages in 2026: Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico and West Virginia.