December 30, 2025
C. A. Bridges/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
New Jersey will raise its minimum wage to $15.92 in 2026. It's the latest in a series of gradual increases since 2018.
Minimum wage workers in New Jersey will see a slight bump in their paychecks in the new year.
The state is set to increase the minimum wage for most qualifying employees to $15.92 on Jan. 1. It's the latest in a series of gradual raises implemented since 2018, when New Jersey's minimum wage was $8.60 per hour. The rate has increased every year since.
There will be some exceptions to the new standard. The minimum wage will increase more modestly for seasonal workers and employees of small businesses. Their pay will rise from $14.53 to $15.23 in 2026 and continue to increase gradually until 2028.
Agricultural workers are also subject to a different timetable. Their hourly rate will rise from $13.40 to $14.20. It will continue to climb incrementally until 2030.
The state constitution stipulates additional annual increases to the minimum wage after the 2028 and 2030 timetables, based on any bump in the Consumer Price Index.
Pennsylvania, by contrast, has not changed its minimum wage since 2009. It is $7.25, the same as the federal rate. While most U.S. states now exceed this base pay, Pennsylvania is one of 20 at or below the federal minimum. It is the only state in the Mid-Atlantic region to offer wages this low.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has attempted to raise the standard multiple times. State legislators passed a bill in 2023 that would have increased the minimum wage to $15 by 2026. More recently, the House passed a bill in June that would have raised the minimum wage according to county size. Philadelphia would have reached $15 per hour in 2026 under this legislation, while smaller, rural counties would have seen a $12 hourly rate by 2028. Both efforts stalled in the Republican-controlled state Senate.
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