what is the minimum wage in new jersey

The statewide minimum wage in New Jersey in 2026 is 15.92 dollars per hour for most employees , effective January 1, 2026.

Quick Scoop: New Jersey Minimum Wage (2026)

• Standard minimum wage (most workers): 15.92 dollars/hour.

• Seasonal & small employers (fewer than 6 employees): 15.23 dollars/hour.

• Farm (agricultural) workers: 14.20 dollars/hour.

• Tipped workers (restaurants, hospitality, etc.):
  • Employer must pay at least 6.05 dollars/hour in cash wages.
  • Employer can take a tip credit of up to 9.87 dollars/hour, but total (cash + tips) must reach at least 15.92 dollars/hour , or the employer has to make up the difference.

• Long‑term care facility direct care staff: 18.92 dollars/hour.

In practice: if a server earns low tips one week, the employer must boost their pay so their average hourly rate still hits the state minimum for that category.

Why it’s at this level now

• New Jersey passed a law in 2019 to raise minimum wage to 15 dollars/hour by 2024 for most workers and then tie future increases to inflation , so it now adjusts each year.

• The 15.92 dollars rate for 2026 reflects that automatic inflation-based bump from the prior 15.49 dollars/hour in 2025.

Simple example for a tipped worker

• Suppose a server works 40 hours and gets 200 dollars in tips (5 dollars/hour).
• State minimum is 15.92 dollars/hour, so they must end up with at least 636.80 dollars total for the week (15.92 × 40).

• If their tips plus the 6.05 dollars/hour cash wage don’t reach that amount, the employer has to pay extra until it does.

HTML table of New Jersey minimum wage (2026)

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Employee Category</th>
      <th>Minimum Hourly Wage (2026)</th>
      <th>Notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Most employees</td>
      <td>$15.92</td>
      <td>Statewide base minimum wage as of Jan 1, 2026 [web:1][web:3][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Seasonal workers & employees of small employers (fewer than 6 employees)</td>
      <td>$15.23</td>
      <td>Phased schedule to ease in higher wages for small/seasonal employers [web:1][web:3][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Agricultural (farm) workers</td>
      <td>$14.20</td>
      <td>On a separate timetable, moving toward $15 and beyond by 2030 [web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Tipped workers</td>
      <td>$6.05 cash wage + up to $9.87 tip credit</td>
      <td>Total (cash + tips) must reach at least $15.92/hour; employer pays difference if not [web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Long-term care facility direct care staff</td>
      <td>$18.92</td>
      <td>Higher mandated minimum reflecting staffing and care priorities [web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.