Do you know the 2025 New York minimum wage? Actually, there are different minimum wages for different parts of the state and different industries. Employers must be ready by the end of the year to meet the new requirements that apply to their employees.
The 2025 New York minimum wage rates are shaded in blue in the tables below. The changes take effect on January 1st.
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Standard New York Minimum Wage
The 2025 New York minimum wage varies by geographic location and sometimes by industry.
For most private employers, the 2025 New York minimum wage in the following chart applies. This chart also applies for non-teaching employees of public school districts or a BOCES. However, there is no New York minimum wage for other employees of public (governmental) employers (but the federal minimum wage of $7.25 does apply).
The chart also shows scheduled minimum wage increases for 2026.
General Minimum Wage Rate Schedule| Location | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|
| NYC, Long Island, & Westchester | $16.00 | $16.50 | $17.00 |
| Remainder of New York State | $15.00 | $15.50 | $16.00 |
* After 2026, future New York minimum wage increases will occur based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Northeast Region. In other words, the minimum wage will be indexed to inflation.
Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees in the Hospitality Industry
New York State has separate minimum wage rules for employees in the hospitality industry. These rules apply to businesses running a restaurant or hotel.
The minimum wage rates for most non-tipped employees in the hospitality industry are set as per the schedule above. However, employers may count a portion of certain tipped employees’ gratuities toward the minimum wage requirements. This is known as a “tip credit.”
New York State has two separate cash wage and tip credit schedules for tipped hospitality employees who qualify as “food service workers” and “service employees.”
Food Service Workers
A food service worker is any employee who is primarily engaged in serving food or beverages to guests, patrons, or customers in the hospitality industry who regularly receive tips. This includes wait staff, bartenders, captains, and busing personnel. It does not include delivery workers.
Hospitality Industry Tipped Minimum Wage Rate Schedule (Food Service Workers)| Location | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|
| NYC, Long Island, & Westchester | $10.65 Cash
$5.35 Tip | $11.00 Cash
$5.50 Tip | $11.35 Cash
$5.65 Tip |
| Remainder of New York State | $10.00 Cash
$5.00 Tip | $10.35 Cash
$5.15 Tip | $10.70 Cash
$5.30 Tip |
Service Employees
The next schedule applies to other service employees. A service employee is one who is not a food service worker or fast food employee who customarily receives tips above an applicable tip threshold (which also follows schedules, not shown here).
Hospitality Industry Tipped Minimum Wage Rate Schedule (Service Employees)| Location | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|
| NYC, Long Island, & Westchester | $13.35 Cash
$2.65 Tip | $13.75 Cash
$2.75 Tip | $14.15 Cash
$2.85 Tip |
| Remainder of New York State | $12.50 Cash
$2.50 Tip | $12.90 Cash
$2.60 Tip | $13.30 Cash
$2.70 Tip |
Overtime Threshold
Along with increases to the 2024 New York minimum wage, the salary requirement to maintain some overtime exemptions will also increase.
The salary threshold for New York’s executive and administrative exemptions go up on January 1st. These amounts are all higher than the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) threshold, which is back down to $684/week after a federal judge enjoined the U.S. DOL’s rule that had initially increased it in July 2024. Most New York employers (other than governmental entities) must satisfy the higher New York threshold to ensure full overtime exemption.
There is no salary requirement for New York’s professional exemption. However, employers must also satisfy the FLSA threshold for most professional employees. Doctors, lawyers, and teachers do not have a salary requirement for exemption.
Executive & Administrative Exemption Weekly Salary Threshold Schedule| Location | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|
| NYC, Long Island, & Westchester | $1,200.00 | $1,237.50 | $1,275.00 |
| Remainder of New York State | $1,124.20 | $1,161.65 | $1,199.10 |
Prepare Now for the 2025 New York Minimum Wage
New York employers should review their compensation levels and make necessary changes by January 1, 2025. Updates might result in increasing an employee’s hourly wage or salary or reclassifying exempt employees to non-exempt if they will no longer meet the exemption salary requirement.
And, remember, the 2025 New York minimum wage rates only last one year in some cases. Companies will have to review this again next year (or sooner).
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