New Mexico State Minimum Wage

Author: Jason Coles

Updated On:

Updated On:

In 2024, the minimum wage in New Mexico has remained the same – $12.00 per hour.

Business owners and employees need to familiarize themselves with the minimum wage in the United States. Unlike many other countries, there are different minimum wage laws and rates across the 50 states of the U.S. in different areas of the country.

Each state has its own unique minimum wage rate, whether it is an independently calculated wage due to the Consumer Price Index and what each state legislature feels is reasonable for their state and its employees, or a state defaults to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

The New Mexico state minimum wage has been above the federal minimum wage since 2009 when the wage rate increased from $6.50 per hour to $7.50 per hour. The Federal minimum wage, on the other hand, has not increased from $7.25 per hour since July 2009!

Did the New Mexico Minimum Wage Go Up?

As you can see from the graphic below, the state minimum wage has not increased in 2024 but has been slowly rising since 2019:

New Mexico minimum wage

If you are a full-time worker on minimum wage in New Mexico, your earnings could be as follows:

  • Weekly Minimum Wage: $480.00 (based on a 40-hour week).
  • Yearly Minimum Wage: $24,960 (based on being paid 52 weeks per year).

The minimum wage rates noted here are the lowest hourly, daily, or monthly wage that businesses may legally pay to employees or workers.

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions enforces the state and federal minimum wage in New Mexico while certain cities and counties enforce their own New Mexico minimum wage.

The Labor Relations office is designed to support employees and employers, so feel free to contact them should you have any questions or concerns about pay in New Mexico.

You can view and download the New Mexico minimum wage labor law poster for 2024 here at no charge. Employers must display an official poster outlining the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), ensuring that accurate employee time and pay records are kept.

New Mexico Minimum Wage Exemptions 2024

In addition to the regular minimum wage rate, there are a few New Mexico state minimum wage exemptions that typically depend on your age or employment situation.

Although the New Mexico minimum wage for 2024 is $12.00 per hour, some cities and counties may have a local or regional minimum wage ordinance that requires companies to pay their employees a minimum wage that is higher due to the location of the business.

Here are some examples of counties with a different New Mexico minimum wage to that of the state:

  • Albuquerque minimum wage – $12.00 per hour.
  • Bernalillo County- $11.50 per hour.
  • Las Cruces – $12.00 per hour.
  • Santa Fe – $12.95 per hour.

Not only are there differences in the minimum wage for New Mexico due to location, but there are also different variations of the minimum wage depending on age or employment situation.

New Mexico Student Minimum Wage

The minimum wage for student employees in New Mexico is 85% of the New Mexico minimum wage, making their hourly pay $10.20 per hour in 2024.

This hourly rate is for any hours worked up to 20 hours per week. As a student employee, once you surpass 20 hours per week, you will be eligible for the New Mexico minimum wage rate of $12.00 per hour.

Being a student can be financially challenging, leading many students to pick up part-time jobs to make extra money while studying. Despite a student minimum wage rate, many New Mexico employers will not necessarily follow it and pay you equal to or more than the statewide minimum wage.

Many work-study programs are available at universities, which is a route many students go down. Still, coffee shop, cafe, bar, and restaurant jobs are commonly taken by students as they can work them into their class schedule.

New Mexico Under 20 Minimum Wage

If you are under 20 years old in New Mexico, federal law allows your employer to pay you as little as $4.25 per hour for your first 90 days of employment.

Once the 90-day period is over, you will be eligible to be paid the 2024 New Mexico minimum wage of $12.00 per hour or potentially even more.

Fortunately for young workers, this is 90 calendar days and not 90 working days; therefore, it can be completed relatively quickly and within about three months.

New Mexico Tipped Minimum Wage

If you are a tipped employee in New Mexico (someone who receives regular tips as a part of their job) then you are eligible to be paid a minimum wage of $3.00 per hour, with a tip credit of $9.00 per hour, ensuring that you reach the statewide minimum wage regardless if you make enough hourly tips.

New Mexico Overtime Minimum Wage

Once you work over 40 hours a week, you are eligible to be paid an overtime rate of 1.5 times your hourly wage for every hour you work past 40.

So, the overtime minimum wage in New Mexico is $18.00 per hour, 1.5 times the minimum wage of $12.00 per hour.

New Mexico Min Wage History

The table below shows the current rate and history of New Mexico’s minimum wage over the past 40+ years since 1983.

You can see when there were increases in the minimum wage, how much they were, and what percentage increase it represents each year.

YearMinimum WageIncrease ($)Increase (%)
2024$12.00$00%
2023$12.00$0.504.3%
2022$11.50$1.009.5%
2021$10.50$1.5016.6%
2020$9.00$1.5020%
2019$7.50$00%
2018$7.50$00%
2017$7.50$00%
2016$7.50$00%
2015$7.50$00%
2014$7.50$00%
2013$7.50$00%
2012$7.50$00%
2011$7.50$00%
2010$7.50$00%
2009$7.50$1.0015.4%
2008$6.50$1.3526.21%
2007$5.15$00%
2006$5.15$00%
2005$5.15$00%
2004$5.15$00%
2003$5.15$0.9021.17%
2002$4.25$00%
2001$4.25$00%
2000$4.25$00%
1999$4.25$00%
1998$4.25$00%
1997$4.25$00%
1996$4.25$00%
1995$4.25$00%
1994$4.25$00%
1993$4.25$0.9026.86%
1992$3.35$00%
1991$3.35$00%
1990$3.35$00%
1989$3.35$00%
1988$3.35$00%
1987$3.35$00%
1986$3.35$00%
1985$3.35$00%
1984$3.35$00%
1983$3.35$00%

Minimum Wage Rates for each State

New Mexico

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Jason Coles

Jason Coles is the Founder of Foreign USA and its Chief Content Writer and Editor. Recognized as a prolific business plan writer by many prominent immigration attorneys in the U.S. who refer his services to their clients regularly, Jason has written over 1,390 business plans across the past 18+ years for start-up companies and franchises looking to expand their footprint in the United States. Jason is considered a seasoned expert in his field. He creates detailed business plans for his clients that include five-year financial projections, market and industry analysis reports, demographic studies, organizational charts, job descriptions, employee hiring plans, and more.