New Yorkers will see minimum wage hikes on New Year’s Day, with the rate rising to $17 per hour in the Big Apple, Westchester and Long Island while reaching $16 in the rest of the state.
The $0.50-an-hour hikes will mark the third minimum-wage increase in three years and come as nearly two dozen states are increasing their own minimum wages in 2026.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers agreed to a series of hikes starting in 2024, when NYC, Westchester and Long Island’s minimum wage went from $15 to $16. That was followed by a $0.50 increase this year. Starting in 2027, future hikes will be tied to the Consumer Price Index — that is, the percentage change in prices that consumers pay for goods and services — according to Hochul’s office.
The rest of the state also saw $0.50 minimum-wage increases in 2024 and 2025, though the baseline was $1 less than in the Big Apple. Future hikes there will be tied to the CPI, which is considered a strong gauge of inflation, too…