Indexing the minimum wage to labor productivity will improve workers' standard of living as the economy grows: Real and nominal values of New York's minimum wage, and its real value if it had risen with total economy productivity, 1948–2021, and projected values under S3062C and A7503B, 2022–2026
| Year | New York state nominal min. wage | Upstate New York nominal min. wage | Projected min. wage for upstate New York | Nassau, Westchester, and Suffolk counties nominal min. wage | Projected min. wage for Nassau, Westchester, and Suffolk counties | New York City min. wage | Projected min. wage for NYC | Real New York state min. wage (2021$) | Projected if the min. wage rose with productivity (2021$) | Projected if the min. wage rose with productivity (2021$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | $0.40 | $3.94 | $6.07 | |||||||
| 1949 | $0.40 | $3.99 | $6.23 | |||||||
| 1950 | $0.75 | $7.39 | $6.68 | |||||||
| 1951 | $0.75 | $6.85 | $6.77 | |||||||
| 1952 | $0.75 | $6.72 | $6.98 | |||||||
| 1953 | $0.75 | $6.67 | $7.26 | |||||||
| 1954 | $0.75 | $6.62 | $7.40 | |||||||
| 1955 | $0.75 | $6.64 | $7.84 | |||||||
| 1956 | $1.00 | $8.73 | $7.98 | |||||||
| 1957 | $1.00 | $8.45 | $8.20 | |||||||
| 1958 | $1.00 | $8.21 | $8.34 | |||||||
| 1959 | $1.00 | $8.16 | $8.70 | |||||||
| 1960 | $1.00 | $8.02 | $8.84 | |||||||
| 1961 | $1.15 | $9.13 | $9.13 | |||||||
| 1962 | $1.15 | $9.04 | $9.50 | |||||||
| 1963 | $1.25 | $9.70 | $9.82 | |||||||
| 1964 | $1.25 | $9.57 | $10.16 | |||||||
| 1965 | $1.25 | $9.42 | $10.51 | |||||||
| 1966 | $1.25 | $9.16 | $10.83 | |||||||
| 1967 | $1.50 | $10.66 | $10.95 | |||||||
| 1968 | $1.60 | $10.95 | $11.33 | |||||||
| 1969 | $1.60 | $10.48 | $11.42 | |||||||
| 1970 | $1.85 | $11.56 | $11.63 | |||||||
| 1971 | $1.85 | $11.07 | $12.15 | |||||||
| 1972 | $1.85 | $10.75 | $12.64 | |||||||
| 1973 | $1.85 | $10.11 | $12.85 | |||||||
| 1974 | $2.00 | $9.94 | $12.50 | |||||||
| 1975 | $2.10 | $9.64 | $12.84 | |||||||
| 1976 | $2.30 | $9.99 | $13.17 | |||||||
| 1977 | $2.30 | $9.39 | $13.28 | |||||||
| 1978 | $2.65 | $10.13 | $13.43 | |||||||
| 1979 | $2.90 | $10.12 | $13.26 | |||||||
| 1980 | $3.10 | $9.73 | $12.91 | |||||||
| 1981 | $3.35 | $9.61 | $13.14 | |||||||
| 1982 | $3.35 | $9.06 | $13.03 | |||||||
| 1983 | $3.35 | $8.69 | $13.43 | |||||||
| 1984 | $3.35 | $8.34 | $13.75 | |||||||
| 1985 | $3.35 | $8.07 | $13.97 | |||||||
| 1986 | $3.35 | $7.93 | $14.30 | |||||||
| 1987 | $3.35 | $7.66 | $14.21 | |||||||
| 1988 | $3.35 | $7.40 | $14.42 | |||||||
| 1989 | $3.35 | $7.09 | $14.52 | |||||||
| 1990 | $3.80 | $7.66 | $14.57 | |||||||
| 1991 | $4.25 | $8.27 | $14.66 | |||||||
| 1992 | $4.25 | $8.07 | $15.23 | |||||||
| 1993 | $4.25 | $7.87 | $15.30 | |||||||
| 1994 | $4.25 | $7.71 | $15.44 | |||||||
| 1995 | $4.25 | $7.53 | $15.45 | |||||||
| 1996 | $4.75 | $8.19 | $15.64 | |||||||
| 1997 | $5.15 | $8.70 | $15.89 | |||||||
| 1998 | $5.15 | $8.58 | $16.22 | |||||||
| 1999 | $5.15 | $8.40 | $16.56 | |||||||
| 2000 | $5.15 | $8.13 | $16.76 | |||||||
| 2001 | $5.15 | $7.90 | $16.97 | |||||||
| 2002 | $5.15 | $7.78 | $17.46 | |||||||
| 2003 | $5.15 | $7.60 | $18.04 | |||||||
| 2004 | $5.15 | $7.40 | $18.53 | |||||||
| 2005 | $6.00 | $8.34 | $18.81 | |||||||
| 2006 | $6.75 | $9.09 | $18.91 | |||||||
| 2007 | $7.15 | $9.37 | $19.05 | |||||||
| 2008 | $7.15 | $9.02 | $18.81 | |||||||
| 2009 | $7.25 | $9.18 | $19.49 | |||||||
| 2010 | $7.25 | $9.03 | $20.04 | |||||||
| 2011 | $7.25 | $8.75 | $19.84 | |||||||
| 2012 | $7.25 | $8.57 | $19.89 | |||||||
| 2013 | $8.00 | $9.32 | $20.05 | |||||||
| 2014 | $8.75 | $10.02 | $20.18 | |||||||
| 2015 | $9.00 | $9.00 | $9.00 | $9.00 | $10.29 | $20.55 | ||||
| 2016 | $9.70 | $10.00 | $11.00 | $10.95 | $20.57 | |||||
| 2017 | $10.40 | $11.00 | $13.00 | $11.49 | $20.73 | |||||
| 2018 | $11.10 | $12.00 | $15.00 | $11.98 | $20.95 | |||||
| 2019 | $11.80 | $13.00 | $15.00 | $12.51 | $21.19 | |||||
| 2020 | $12.50 | $14.00 | $15.00 | $13.08 | $21.46 | |||||
| 2021 | $13.20 | $13.20 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $13.20 | $21.50 | $21.50 | |
| 2022 | $13.20 | $15.00 | $15.00 | $21.86 | ||||||
| 2023 | $14.20 | $16.00 | $17.00 | $22.26 | ||||||
| 2024 | $15.10 | $17.20 | $18.80 | $22.61 | ||||||
| 2025 | $15.75 | $17.95 | $20.45 | $22.95 | ||||||
| 2026 | $16.35 | $18.65 | $21.25 | $23.27 |
Notes: Inflation measured using the CPI-U-RS. Productivity is measured as total economy productivity net depreciation. In 2016, New York created three separate minimum wages for New York City, Nassau, Westchester, and Suffolk counties, and the remainder of the state.
Sources: EPI analysis of the Fair Labor Standards Act and amendments and history of New York minimum wage. Total economy productivity data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Labor Productivity and Costs program. Average hourly wages of production nonsupervisory workers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics.
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