NJ minimum wage rises to $15.92 on Jan. 1 as inflation adjustment kicks in
New Jersey’s minimum wage will rise by 43 cents on Jan. 1, with most employees entitled to $15.92. Employees in nursing homes and similar health-care settings will make $18.92.
Those doing seasonal jobs, or working for companies with fewer than six employees, will make $15.23. Farm workers’ wages will increase 6%, to $14.20. Restaurant servers and others who rely on tips for the bulk of their pay will make $6.05 per hour, almost 8% more than the 2025 rate.
The federal minimum, unchanged since 2009, is $7.25. New Jersey’s annual minimum wage, tied to the consumer price index via a statute signed by Governor Phil Murphy, was fifth-highest among states in 2025.
“Eight years ago, Governor Murphy pledged a stronger, fairer economy, and we’re delivering on this commitment by raising New Jersey’s minimum wage again,” Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said in a statement. “This increase will provide vital support to all Garden State workers by making the dream of a livable wage reality.”
Prior to the 2019 law signed by Murphy, New Jersey workers were falling behind because the state lacked automatic increases, according to Peter Chen, a senior policy analyst for New Jersey Policy Perspective, a progressive research group.
“Each year the minimum wage lost value, relative to the actual price of stuff,” Chen said in an interview. “When the minimum wage increase was passed in New Jersey earlier in Governor Murphy’s administration, they included that the minimum wage would receive an inflation adjustment to reflect the real price of goods and ensure the minimum wage did not fall behind the cost of living.”
Minimum-wage employees working 40 hours per week will have earnings of $33,114 annually under the new $15.92 rate. A single person needs at least $41,830 to meet annual expenses in New Jersey, according to Nasdaq.com.
“The idea behind raising the minimum wage is to say that if you’re working in the state, you should be paid enough money to live where you are,” Chen said.
Forbes.com ranked New Jersey’s 2024 cost of living as the fifth-highest in the U.S., behind Hawaii, Massachusetts, California, and New York.
This article is written by Adam Kimball, courtesy of the NJ State House News Service
