Workers in 22 states and 66 cities across the United States will get a boost in pay in 2026 as minimum wage hikes take effect.

The minimum wage is set to increase in 19 states and 49 cities and counties on Jan. 1, according to the National Employment Law Project (NELP), a workers’ advocacy group.

Of those, 14 states and 70 cities and counties will reach or exceed a $15-per-hour minimum wage for some or all employees in 2026, including four states and 57 cities where the minimum will reach or exceed $17 per hour, NELP reported.

In New Jersey, the minimum will reach $18.92 per hour for long-term care workers and $15.92 for most other workers on Jan. 1.

New York City; Long Island, New York; and Westchester County, New York, will increase the minimum wage to $17 per hour on New Year’s Day.

California cities will also increase wage rates on Jan. 1, including $17.79 per hour for large employers and $16.90 for small businesses in the city of Hayward. The city of Novato will raise rates to $17.73 per hour for very large employers, $17.46 for large employers, and $16.90 for small employers.

In 13 states and 44 cities and counties, the minimum wage will increase because of cost-of-living adjustments, according to NELP.

Flagstaff, Arizona, will ring in the new year with a wage increase to $18.35 per hour. The city has eliminated the subminimum “tipped wage,” meaning that employers will no longer be allowed to use a portion of tips as credit toward meeting the minimum wage.

Later in the year, three states, the District of Columbia, and 22 cities and counties will increase minimum wage rates.

In California, the wage floor will reach or exceed $17 per hour for some workers.

Eight states—Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, and West Virginia—are not expected to raise their minimum wages next year after failing to adopt provisions for the rates to increase with inflation.

Workers in Santa Fe, N.M., will see the minimum wage increase to $17.50 per hour by 2027 after the Santa Fe City Council raised its rates this year. (Courtesy of Tourism Santa Fe)

This year, a handful of states and jurisdictions passed major wage increases.

In Rhode Island, lawmakers raised the state’s minimum wage to $17 by 2027, affecting 50,000 workers.

In Los Angeles, the city council voted to gradually raise the minimum wage for certain tourism industry workers to $30 by 2028 and to require employers to provide a health care stipend. This is expected to be the highest wage floor in the country in 2028.

The San Diego City Council approved a measure to increase the wage floor for hospitality workers to $25 per hour by 2030.

Voters in Portland, Maine, approved a measure to raise the wage floor to $19 per hour by 2028.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the city passed an ordinance to raise its minimum wage to $17.50 per hour by 2027, with future adjustments tied to inflation and rental costs.

In Burien, Washington, workers will get a minimum wage raise of between $3.50 and $4.50 more per hour than the state’s minimum wage.

And California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a wage increase for the state’s incarcerated firefighters to $7.25 per hour.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the number of cities and counties with minimum wage increases to certain levels in 2026. The Epoch Times regrets the errors.