Santa Fe County (unincorporated) minimum wage

Minimum wage in Santa Fe County (unincorporated), New Mexico, in effect since March 1, 2026

$15.40 an hour

Santa Fe County (unincorporated) sets its own minimum wage, $3.40 above the New Mexico rate of $12.00. Employers in Santa Fe County (unincorporated) pay the higher local rate.

Next increase: none announced as of October 9, 2026. Adjusted annually by the CPI (Western region, urban wage earners and clerical workers).

Standard rate

$15.40

since March 1, 2026

Tipped cash wage

$4.62

Max tip credit $10.78

Next change

None set

as of 2026

Federal minimum

$7.25

unchanged since 2009

Tipped employees

Employers in Santa Fe County (unincorporated) can pay tipped employees a cash wage of $4.62 an hour, taking a tip credit of up to $10.78, as long as tips bring the employee to at least $15.40 for every hour worked. If they don't, the employer makes up the difference.

How future increases are set

Adjusted annually by the CPI (Western region, urban wage earners and clerical workers).

Exceptions and details

Applies to businesses in Santa Fe County outside the City of Santa Fe, the City of Española and the Town of Edgewood, plus county contractors and economic development project participants.
Previous rates (2025): $15.00 standard, $4.50 tipped base.
Living Wage Ordinance 2014-1, as amended by Ordinance 2014-5.

Other local minimum wages in New Mexico

Albuquerque $12.00
Santa Fe $15.40

Running payroll in Santa Fe County (unincorporated)?

Recent changes

Last verified against the official source on October 9, 2026.

No changes recorded since we started tracking this page.

All recent changes · RSS

Sources

Santa Fe County · data as of March 1, 2026 · last checked October 9, 2026

We copy figures from official sources and re-check them against the source before every update. See our methodology. This is general information, not legal advice.