SANTA FE, N.M. — Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber is proposing to boost the city’s minimum wage from $15 to $17.50 an hour by 2027.
Santa Fe’s minimum wage most recently increased in 2025, when it rose from $14.60 to $15. By comparison, Albuquerque’s minimum wage sits at $12 an hour, the same as New Mexico’s statewide minimum.
“There’s a lot of data, a lot of experience around what happens when wages go up with workers,” Webber said. “The answer is less turnover, less training costs, a reduction in the time it takes to fill positions, workers tend to be more motivated and more connected to their employer.”
New Mexico’s Minimum Wage Picture
Currently, 39.3% of New Mexico’s workforce earns $12 an hour or less. And more than half of our state’s workers earn $15 per hour.
According to Oxfam, New Mexico ranks as the third-highest state in the country for workers earning under $12. That’s about 8% more residents than the national average in the $10 to $15 range…