Good News For Most Hourly Wage Workers Coming in 2025 for New Jersey

Thanks to the National Rate of Inflation increasing by 31 percent over the last ten years, there is a necessity for higher employee wages to keep pace with the increases to the Cost of Living.

In New Jersey, residents pay the third-highest Household Expenses in the United States and the cost of driving continues to increase in The Garden State.

As a result, many NJ citizens like others around the United States are having trouble keeping up financially. But there is some good news for New Jersey Hourly Wage Workers coming in 2025.

What Is Changing in New Jersey on January 1, 2025?

The New Jersey statewide Minimum Wage will be increasing from $14.53 to $15.49 per hour for most employees on January 1st.

When Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation to amend Article 1, Paragraph 23, of the New Jersey Constitution in 2019, it tied New Jersey's minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This means any time the CPI will go up, it will automatically trigger an increase to the minimum wage.

When Phil Murphy became Governor in 2018, New Jersey's minimum wage was $8.60 per hour and the Consumer Price Index was 251.1 - In 2024, the CPI is now 314.4, a 79.9% increase over six years.

So in six years, New Jersey's statewide minimum wage will have increased by 55.5 percent.  While this increase doesn't "solve" any national concerns with Inflation and the Economy, it is The Garden State's answer to the rising cost of living.

Industry-specific minimum wage increases coming January 1, 2025 include:

*The minimum wage rate for employees of seasonal and small employers will increase from $13.73 to $14.53
*Agricultural workers' minimum wage will increase from $12.81 to $13.40
*Tipped Workers' minimum cash wage rate will increase from $5.26 to $5.62/hour while the maximum tip credit employers can claim remains at $9.87

For anyone looking to get out of an industry that pays minimum hourly wages, these are New Jersey's Highest Paying Jobs. Any interest in pursuing a career change to these Professions?