• On Thursday, the NH House voted to table a bill that would eventually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2028.
• Democratic lawmakers in New Hampshire have tried to raise the minimum wage for the past 12 years, but they’ve continued to face steep opposition from Republicans.
• New Hampshire’s current minimum wage is $7.25, which is the federal minimum, and is the lowest of all New England states.

New Hampshire’s minimum wage is about half the amount workers are paid in all other New England states, and that seems unlikely to change this year.

On Thursday, the New Hampshire House set aside the issue for now by voting to table a bill that would eventually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2028. It was a largely party line vote of 197 to 159, with all Democrats and two Republicans in opposition to tabling the bill.

New Hampshire’s current minimum wage is $7.25, which is the federal minimum. It has not increased since 2009. 

Lawmakers can vote later to take the bill off the table and decide whether to pass it. But if the bill is not taken off the table by the end of this year’s session, it will die. The bill had come to the floor with a report of inexpedient to legislate, meaning it was unlikely to pass before the tabling motion was made.

Why doesn’t NH increase the minimum wage?

Rep. Kathy Staub, D-Manchester, who sponsored the bill, said that the low minimum wage is “out of step” with surrounding states. All other states in New England have raised their minimum wage to at least $14 as of 2025.

“The 61,000 workers who make less than $15 an hour in the state do important work and deserve fair compensation,” she said. 

However, Rep. James Creighton, R-Antrim, who asked to table the bill, said that the bill will “harm New Hampshire businesses” and that “the market should drive wages.”

Another bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026 was already killed by the Senate in early March.

Democratic lawmakers in New Hampshire have tried to raise the minimum wage for the past 12 years, but they’ve continued to face steep opposition from Republicans.

These bills also face an uphill battle with new Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who opposed raising the federal minimum wage as a U.S. Senator and has stuck to that position, saying during her campaign for governor that the minimum wage should be up to the market and private businesses.

What’s the minimum wage in other New England states?

Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut and Maine increased their minimum wage in 2025, largely due to cost-of-living increases.

Here is the minimum wage in each New England state, from lowest to highest:

• New Hampshire: $7.25
• Vermont: $14.01
• Maine: $14.65
• Massachusetts: $15
• Rhode Island: $15
• Connecticut: $16.35

What state has the highest minimum wage?

While technically not a state, Washington D.C. has the highest minimum wage in the country at $17.50.

Washington state has the next highest at $16.28, and it increased in 2025 to $16.66 per hour.

The third highest is California, which increased its minimum wage to $16.50 in 2025. Fast food restaurant employers and healthcare facility employers have a higher minimum wage. The minimum wage for fast food workers starts at $20 and for healthcare workers it’s a scale that starts at $18 depending on the type of work.

New York and then Connecticut are the next two highest.

Contributing: Katie Landeck