Current Minimum Wage
New Mexico minimum wage$12.00since January 1, 2023

State minimum wage

New Mexico minimum wage

$12.00 an hour as of October 18, 2026. Tipped cash wage $3.00. 5 local rates are higher.

  • The New Mexico minimum wage is $12.00 an hour, set by state law effective .
  • No increase is currently scheduled in New Mexico.
  • Tipped employees must be paid at least $3.00 in cash, with a tip credit of up to $9.00.
  • A youth or training wage of $8.50 applies: Students regularly enrolled in secondary school working after school hours or when school is not in session: at least $8.50/hour (50-4-22(B), effective 2020-01-01), unless tipped (then subsection D....
  • At $12.00 an hour, full-time work (2,080 hours) pays $24,960 a year before taxes.
  • 5 local rates in New Mexico are higher than the state rate; the highest is $15.40 for Santa Fe living wage.

Tipped cash wage

$3.00
Tip credit up to $9.00

Youth / training

$8.50
Students regularly enrolled in secondary school working after school hours or when school is not in session: at least $8.50/hour (50-4-22(B), effective 2020-01-01), unless tipped (then subsection D...

Next change

None scheduled
Set by statute; no indexing

Local rates

5 in effect
No state preemption; multiple local minimum/living wage ordinances are in force (see tiers).

Local minimum wages in New Mexico

Where a city or county rate is higher, it governs inside that jurisdiction.

Santa Fe living wage$15.40since March 1, 2026Santa Fe County (unincorporated areas) living wage$15.40since March 1, 2026Las Cruces$13.01since January 1, 2026Albuquerque$12.00since January 1, 2026Bernalillo County (unincorporated areas)$12.00since January 1, 2026

Compare every local rate in New Mexico

Scheduled increases in New Mexico

January 1, 20273 jurisdictions
CityTBA
Albuquerque, NMall tiers · indexed-unannounced · City rate adjusts by CPI-W each Jan 1; state $12.00 continues to prevail until the city rate exceeds it.
TBAindexed, amount to be announced
CountyTBA
Bernalillo County (unincorporated areas), NMall employers · indexed-unannounced · County ordinance rate adjusts annually but remains below the state $12.00.
TBAindexed, amount to be announced
CityTBA
Las Cruces, NMall tiers · indexed-unannounced · CPI-indexed; city adopts the higher of its CPI figure or the state minimum each September.
TBAindexed, amount to be announced
March 1, 20272 jurisdictions
CityTBA
Santa Fe (city) living wage, NMall employers · indexed-unannounced · CPI adjustment each March 1.
TBAindexed, amount to be announced
CountyTBA
Santa Fe County (unincorporated areas) living wage, NMall employers · indexed-unannounced · Annual CPI-W West adjustment.
TBAindexed, amount to be announced
March 1, 20281 jurisdiction
CityTBA
Santa Fe (city) living wage, NMall employers · ordinance · 50% Western CPI + 50% HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent change, capped at 5%, never decreases (2025 Living Wage update bill per city page).
TBAindexed, amount to be announced

Rate tiers

TierRateRule
Local ordinances: Santa Fe (city), Santa Fe County, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, Las...n/aUC Berkeley inventory (updated 2026-07-24) lists these five local ordinances; Albuquerque's and Bernalillo County's base rates have been surpassed by the...

Coverage, exemptions, and history

Who is covered. Employees under the Minimum Wage Act, NMSA 50-4-22(A): 'on and after January 1, 2023, at least twelve dollars ($12.00) an hour.' Note 50-4-21(C)(7) excludes....

Tipped employees. Employees customarily receiving more than $30/month in tips: cash wage of at least $3.00 (on and after 2023-01-01); tips plus cash wage must equal at least the full minimum wage; tips retained by...

Recent history. SB 437 (2019): $7.50 before 2020; $9.00 (2020); $10.50 (2021); $11.50 (2022); $12.00 (2023+). Tipped: $2.13 to $2.35, $2.55, $2.80, $3.00 (2023+).

The NM DWS website rejected all automated requests ('Request Rejected'); agency URL above was not read. Statute text was verified via FindLaw's code mirror and the enrolled SB 437 PDF on nmlegis.gov.

Statute. NMSA 1978, Section 50-4-22 (Minimum Wage Act), as amended by 2019 SB 437 (effective 2020-01-01).

Common questions

What is the minimum wage in New Mexico?

$12.00 an hour as of October 18, 2026, under state law effective January 1, 2023.

When does the New Mexico minimum wage go up next?

No increase is scheduled.

What is the tipped minimum wage in New Mexico?

$3.00 in cash plus tips; the employer must make up any shortfall to $12.00.

Do any cities in New Mexico have a higher minimum wage?

Yes: Santa Fe living wage $15.40, Santa Fe County (unincorporated areas) living wage $15.40, Las Cruces $13.01, Albuquerque $12.00, Bernalillo County (unincorporated areas) $12.00.

Sources

  1. https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/19%20Regular/final/SB0437.pdf official
  2. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state official
  3. https://www.dws.state.nm.us/en-us/Labor-Relations/Labor-Information/Minimum-Wage-Information official
  4. https://codes.findlaw.com/nm/chapter-50-employment-law/nm-st-sect-50-4-22/
  5. https://www.ncsl.org/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wages
  6. https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/inventory-of-us-city-and-county-minimum-wage-ordinances/

Checked 2026-09-02 against New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, Labor Relations Division; researcher confidence 0.85.