Six in 10 New York adults support raising the minimum wage to at least $30 an hour, according to a Cornell University survey released as the state prepares to hold its standard wage rates unchanged in January.
The findings highlight the gap between public support for a substantially higher wage and the smaller increase currently under consideration in Albany.
For workers in the Finger Lakes and most of upstate New York, the standard minimum wage remains $16 an hour. It is $17 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County.
The state Department of Labor says those rates will remain in place Jan. 1, 2027, because an economic condition written into state law has blocked the scheduled inflation adjustment.
Survey finds stronger support in New York City
The Cornell ILR School’s Empire State Poll findings show 60% support statewide for a minimum wage of at least $30, rising to 75% in New York City.
Support outside the city was 49%, according to the report.
The online survey was conducted June 24 through July 8. Cornell reported a statewide margin of error of approximately 2.6 percentage points.
Researchers connected the $30 figure to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s estimate that a single adult without children needs about $29.89 an hour to cover basic expenses in New York. That living-wage estimate measures household costs; it is separate from the legally required minimum wage.
The survey also found substantial differences among demographic groups, with stronger support among younger adults, renters and lower-income households.
The results measure public opinion. They do not establish how a $30 wage would affect employment, business costs or consumer prices.
Hochul proposes a smaller increase in March
New York’s 2023 minimum wage law scheduled inflation-based adjustments beginning in 2027, while allowing increases to pause under certain economic conditions.
The governor’s proposed amendment says the employment test proved too sensitive to relatively small job declines. The administration wants to revise how changes in employment are measured before an increase is suspended.
The proposal would compare monthly rates of employment change calculated over three-, six- and 12-month periods, using their median to assess whether the decline exceeds 0.25%.
Under the governor’s published plan, the standard minimum wage would rise March 1 to $16.55 in most of the state and $17.60 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County.
Those rates require legislative approval. They would raise the upstate minimum by 55 cents an hour, well below the $30 level addressed in Cornell’s survey.
Home care aides follow a different schedule
The January freeze does not apply to every worker.
The Department of Labor says the minimum wage for home care aides will increase Jan. 1 to $19 an hour in most of the state and $20 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County.
Home care wages operate under separate inflation provisions and are capped at $3 above the standard minimum.
Hochul’s proposal would make another adjustment March 1, bringing those rates to $19.30 and $20.30, respectively, if lawmakers approve it.
Workers can check which requirements apply to their jobs through the state’s minimum wage lookup tool.
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