New Jersey increases statewide minimum wage to more than $16 starting Jan. 1

Most minimum-wage workers in the Garden State will get a pay increase at the start of 2027.

New Jersey announced Tuesday that the statewide minimum wage will increase to $16.48 an hour starting Jan. 1. That's a 56-cent increase from the current $15.92 minimum wage.

Agricultural workers will see their wages jump from $14.20 to $15 an hour. The minimum cash wage for tipped workers will rise to $6.61 an hour from $6.05.

Since 2018, when the state's minimum wage was $8.60 an hour, it has steadily increased. The state reached $15 an hour in 2024 as a result of former Gov. Phil Murphy's 2019 legislation that made increasing the minimum wage a priority.

According to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the minimum wage for seasonal employees and workers at small businesses will continue to gradually increase through 2028.

The minimum wage in Delaware is $15 an hour. Pennsylvania's remains at $7.25 an hour.