Minimum wage in New Mexico, 2000–2026

Minimum wage in 2026

$12 an hour1

On January 1, 2027

No 2027 rate listed1

The U.S. DOL's table of state minimum wages lists $12 an hour (checked Oct 26, 2026).

Tipped employees

$3 an hour in cash2

Employers may count up to $9 an hour of tips toward the minimum wage. Tipped: more than $30 a month in tips.

Overtime

Premium pay after 40 hours a week1

The New Mexico state-law minimum wage rose from $4.25 in 2000 to $12 in 2023, still the rate in 2026; the federal rate applied where higher

$0$5$10$15200020052010201520202026$7.25$12

Line chart of the New Mexico minimum wage against the federal minimum: $4.25 in 2000, $7.50 in 2010, $9 in 2020, and $12 in 2026. The federal minimum was $5.15 in 2000 and $7.25 in 2026.

Data: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division and U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (official federal table of state minimum wages), as of Nov 2, 2026. CC BY 4.0 · LeadChange Group Hiring Cost Atlas. 2000–2024: each year's rate as the U.S. DOL table prints it (2025 is not in its table, so the lines break there). 2026: the rate in force when checked.
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The New Mexico state-law minimum wage rose from $4.25 in 2000 to $12 in 2023, still the rate in 2026; the federal rate applied where higher. LeadChange Group Hiring Cost Atlas; Data: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division and U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (official federal table of state minimum wages), as of Nov 2, 2026. CC BY 4.0. https://leadchangegroup.com/guides/minimum-wage-by-state/new-mexico/#minimum-wage-history

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Every year in the DOL table
The New Mexico state-law minimum wage rose from $4.25 in 2000 to $12 in 2023, still the rate in 2026; the federal rate applied where higher: every year of the U.S. Department of Labor table
YearState rateFederal rate
19681.15 - 1.40$1.15 & $1.60
19701.30 - 1.60$1.30 & $1.60
19721.30 - 1.60$1.60
19762.00$2.20 & $2.30
19792.30$2.90
19802.65$3.10
19812.90$3.35
19883.35$3.35
19913.35$3.80
19923.35$4.25
19944.25$4.25
19964.25$4.25
19974.25$4.75
19984.25$5.15
20004.25$5.15
20014.25$5.15
20024.25$5.15
20034.25$5.15
20045.15$5.15
20055.15$5.15
20065.155.15
20075.155.15
20086.505.85
20097.506.55
20107.507.25
20117.507.25
20127.507.25
20137.507.25
20147.507.25
20157.507.25
20167.507.25
20177.507.25
20187.507.25
20199.007.25
20209.007.25
202110.507.25
202211.507.25
202312.007.25
202412.007.25

As printed by the U.S. Department of Labor (“...” means no state rate applied).3

What a full-time minimum-wage employee costs in New Mexico

At $12 an hour for 40 hours a week, a new employer with 10 staff pays $24,960 in wages and $2,463 on top (9.9%) in payroll taxes and workers' comp. New Mexico publishes a new-employer unemployment rate per industry; this uses its rate for wholesale trade (NAICS 42) (choose yours in the calculator).

Wages (2,080 paid hours a year)
$24,960
Social Security (employer share)6.2%4 of $24,960
$1,548
Medicare (employer share)1.45%5 of $24,960
$362
FUTA (federal unemployment tax)0.6% (after the full 5.4% state credit)6 of $7,0006
$42
State unemployment insurance (new employer)1% (new-employer rate for wholesale trade (NAICS 42))7 of $24,9608
$250
Workers' compensation (benchmark index rate)$1.05 per $100 of payroll9
$262
Total a year
$27,423

If you also offer single health coverage, the average employer here pays about $7,680 more a year: a $9,447 average premium10 less $1,767 paid by the employee10.

Change the inputs in the New Mexico employer cost calculator

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in New Mexico in 2026?

$12 an hour: $24,960 a year at full time.

What will the minimum wage be in New Mexico in 2027?

The U.S. DOL's table of state minimum wages lists $12 an hour for New Mexico and no 2027 rate (checked Oct 26, 2026).

What is the minimum wage for tipped employees in New Mexico?

$3 an hour in cash, with up to $9 of tips counted toward New Mexico's $12.

How much does a minimum-wage employee cost an employer in New Mexico?

About $27,423 a year full time at $12: $24,960 of pay plus $2,463 on top, $2,201 in payroll taxes and $262 in workers' comp, before any health coverage.

How has the New Mexico minimum wage changed since 2000?

The New Mexico state-law minimum wage rose from $4.25 in 2000 to $12 in 2023, still the rate in 2026; the federal rate applied where higher. On the way: $7.50 in 2010 and $9 in 2020, per the U.S. DOL.

Sources

The 10 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.

Quotes from the sources
  1. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state“New Mexico Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $12.00” “New Mexico … Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $12.00 … Premium Pay After Designated Hours 1 : Weekly - 40 … The overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate, unless otherwise specified.”
  2. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped“Definition of Tipped Employee by Minimum Tips received (monthly unless otherwise specified) … State requires employers to pay tipped employees a minimum cash wage above the minimum cash wage required under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act ($2.13/hour) … New Mexico $12.00 $9.00 $3.00 More than $30”
  3. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Changes in Basic Minimum Wages in Non-Farm Employment Under State Law: Selected Years 1968 to 2024“New Mexico 1.15 - 1.40 1.30 - 1.60 1.30 - 1.60 2.00 2.30 2.65 2.90 … New Mexico 3.35 3.35 3.35 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.25 … New Mexico 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.25 5.15 5.15 5.15 … New Mexico 5.15 6.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 … New Mexico 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 9.00 … New Mexico 9.00 10.50 11.50 12.00 12.00” “Federal (FLSA) $1.15 & $1.60 $1.30 & $1.60 $1.60 $2.20 & $2.30 $2.90 $3.10 $3.35 … Federal (FLSA) $3.35 $3.80 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.75 $5.15 … Federal (FLSA) $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 5.15 … Federal (FLSA) 5.15 5.85 6.55 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Federal (FLSA) 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Federal (FLSA) 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25”
  4. Internal Revenue Service IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide“For 2026, the social security tax rate is 6.2% (amount withheld) each for the employer and employee (12.4% total).”
  5. Social Security Administration ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html“Tax rates under the HI program are 1.45 percent for employees and employers, each, and 2.90 percent for self-employed persons.”
  6. Internal Revenue Service Topic no. 759, Form 940 – FUTA tax (IRS)“If you're entitled to the maximum 5.4% credit, the FUTA tax rate after credit is 0.6%.” “FUTA tax rate: The FUTA tax rate is 6.0%. The tax applies to the first $7,000 you paid to each employee as wages during the year.”
  7. New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions dws.state.nm.us/Unemployment/Unemployment-for-a-Business/Unemployment-Insurance-Tax-Information/How-UI-Tax-Rates-Are-Calculated“42 Wholesale Trade 1.00”
  8. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/sigpros/2020-2029/January2026.pdf“NM … $34,800”
  9. Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/cost/Pages/premium-index-rates.aspx“Premium index rate: $1.00-$1.25 … State Index rate Percent of study median … 27 27 New Mexico 1.05 96%”
  10. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (MEPS-IC) meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/summ_tables/insr/state/series_2/2025/ic25_iia_f.pdf“Table II.C.1 Average total single premium (in dollars) per enrolled employee … Division and State Total … New Mexico 9,447 -- 14,092 8,048 9,478 9,737 9,459 9,445” “Table II.C.2 Average total employee contribution (in dollars) per enrolled employee for single coverage … Division and State Total … New Mexico 1,767 -- -- 1,898 1,832 1,564 2,171 * 1,682”