Raises the state minimum hourly wage in steps from $10.00 to $15.00 between September 2025 and January 2028 and increases the base rate employers must pay tipped employees to 50 percent of the applicable minimum.
relative to the state minimum hourly rate.
HB726 would raise New Hampshire's state minimum hourly wage in steps, moving it well above the current $7.25 federal floor toward roughly $15 an hour over the next few years, with related changes for tipped workers. Supporters, who dominate the submissions, argue the current wage is not a living wage and that NH lags behind every neighboring New England state; opponents argue the free market is already raising wages without mandates and that a state-imposed increase risks job losses, particularly for younger or less-skilled workers.
The dominant argument is that $7.25 an hour no longer covers basic costs of living such as rent, food, and healthcare, and that a raise is overdue given inflation.
“Even if most workers are receiving more than the minimum, even if there are only 10 working people who aren't, then lets support these folks and ensure that they may have a little more money to pay their rent, their food bills, and their healthcare.”
— William Thomas, Manchester · #394576 — read full submission →
“N!H minimum wage needs to be increased. The current wage of $7.25 is too low!!!”
— Kathy Wright, Plainfield · #401849 — read full submission →
Many submitters compare New Hampshire's minimum wage unfavorably to bordering New England states and argue the gap drives workers, especially younger residents, elsewhere.
“The minimum wage in neighboring states ranges from $14.01 to $16.35 an hour. Clearly we are not keeping up.”
— Jane Haigh, Manchester · #402255 — read full submission →
“There is absolutely no reason for our state minimum wage to be as stagnant as it has been. If we want to attract the best talent to NH we need to support a strong minimum wage!”
— Margit Turcotte, Lee · #400853 — read full submission →
Some submitters argue that raising wages increases spending power, reduces reliance on public assistance amid record corporate profits, and that evidence shows minimal harm to small businesses.
“Business owners and corporations are raking in record profits while their workers are scrambling to work 40 hours/a week and still qualifying for government assistance due to corporate greed.”
— Kristen Goodrich, Brentwood · #400297 — read full submission →
“There is good evidence that raising the minimum wage does not harm small businesses. Many folks earning minimum wage are essential, working in grocery stores, hospitals, and nursing homes.”
— Jeanie Holt, CONCORD · #400549 — read full submission →
A few submitters highlight particular categories of workers, such as direct care staff, tipped and service-industry employees, and those paid subminimum wages, as most in need of the raise.
“The New Hampshire State Commission on Aging supports raising New Hampshire's minimum wage out of respect for the direct care workforce and ancillary support workers who support long term services and supports in our communities”
— Rebecca Sky, Concord · #397185 — read full submission →
“This bill prohibiting subminimum wages is long overdue, It's the right way to help many workers.”
— Thomas Dorward, Keene · #401551 — read full submission →
An opponent argues that market wages for unskilled labor have already risen above the legal minimum without government mandates, and that a mandated increase would cause employers to eliminate jobs, especially during economic downturns.
An opponent argues the state should keep the federal minimum wage, contending a low state minimum wage benefits employers in their county.
Generated by claude-sonnet-5 (claude code agent) on Jul 22, 2026. Quotes are verbatim excerpts, verified against the cited submission before publication. Summaries are AI interpretation of the record, not part of it.
Good afternoon it’s been way too long since minimum wage has been raised. If you can’t pay a living wage, then you don’t deserve to be a business. Stop being a snowflake and pay workers what they’re worth and with they deserve. It’s the least you can do if you’re going to keep them part time so they can never get health benefits.
Workers NEED a living wage. They cannot afford to live her otherwise.
My name is Peter de Bruyn Kops and I am a resident of Amherst, NH. I own and operate two businesses in New Hampshire and I am a board member of Granite State Taxpayers. Thank you for reading my testimony. New Hampshire House Bill 726 proposes a substantial increase in the minimum wage over the next few years. Over the past few years, we have seen that the free market for unskilled workers in NH has been effective and hourly wages have risen substantial above the legal minimum wage requirement. Everybody has been a winner in that situation. When the next recession arrives, market labor rates may decline so that the number of available jobs matches the number of willing workers. The problem with minimum wage laws such as the proposed HB726 is that they gum up the process so that we end up with higher unemployment. If economic conditions do not support a high wage rate, businesses will eliminate those jobs. Generally, the jobs lost from minimum wage laws are for the young, the low skilled and the disadvantaged. These are the classes of people a civilized society should be helping, not harming. A business will adapt to changes such this bill, sometimes in predictable ways and sometimes in surprising ways. From the perspective of a business, this bill is a tax on lower-skilled employees and provides an incentive to reduce the number of lower-skilled employees or reduce the hours worked by each lower-skilled employee. To the extent this bill increases wage rates higher up the pay scale, it is inflationary and will tend to reduce business growth. In today's labor market, anybody with decent skills and work habits can earn these rates. So this is really a tax and discouragement to hiring the unskilled, youth, and other disadvantaged groups such as the developmentally disabled. As a society, we should be encouraging the hiring and on-the-job training of the disadvantaged. A 14-year-old starting work at the local grocery store is getting valuable training in work habits: showing up on time, dressing properly, treating customers respectfully, and trying to do quality work. Why would you want to set the wage rate so high that the grocery store is discouraged from hiring that 14-year-old and making the investment in training? Businesses that depend on large numbers of lower-skilled workers may become non-viable. Agriculture may be particularly stressed by this bill, and the most vulnerable type of agricultural business could be a vegetable producing CSA. Within a CSA, the washing of produce could be the most labor-intensive activity. Vegetable production, especially in New Hampshire with its rocky soils, is a tough business and many CSAs are hanging on by their fingernails even without the wage increases proposed in this bill. This bill will cause CSAs to go out of business or raise their prices substantially. Either way, local fresh vegetables will become more a luxury and we will become more dependent on food from elsewhere such as Mexico. In general, minimum wage laws promote automation, robotics and outsourcing to other jurisdictions. And they reduce employment opportunities for youth and the disadvantaged. Please vote ITL on HB726. Peter de Bruyn Kops Amherst, NH 603-673-3551 nhbills@acugen.com
The state of NH needs to increase the minimum wage so our constituents are not living in poverty.
The minimum wage in NH is out of step with the rest of New England and needs to be raised to meet the demands of the rising cost of living. NH's minimum wage is woefully below a living wage for a full-time worker. I support the raise described in HB726.
Please increase New Hampshire’s minimum wage. Please support young people working in New Hampshire, encourage them to stay and not go to bordering states whose minimum wage are double the New Hampshire minimum wage. Please support New Hampshire working adults who cannot afford to live in this state while working full-time at the current minimum wage.
Our NH minimum wage of $7.25 is pathetic and almost meaningless. It is time to support a minimum wage that can help support a family facing rising rents, childcare, food costs and other expenses. The minimum wage in neighboring states ranges from $14.01 to $16.35 an hour. Clearly we are not keeping up.
As a state with such a high cost of housing, living, and energy, it is shameful that we have decided to lag behind the times and keep our state minimum wage so low. People who work here should be able to LIVE here, and at our current levels that is impossible.
I am in favor of raising the minimum wage in NH.
N!H minimum wage needs to be increased. The current wage of $7.25 is too low!!!
This bill prohibiting subminimum wages is long overdue, It's the right way to help many workers.
just say you're racist tbh it'd be quicker.
It’s long past the time when we should’ve raised the minimum wage in the state.
This action is well overdue. Everyone deserves a living wage and no one can make an argument that $7.25 an hour is a living wage. It is your moral duty to vote in favor of this bill.
There are many in the workforce who are underpaid and need an increase in wages. They work hard and should not be earning peanuts
I strongly support this bill. There is absolutely no reason for our state minimum wage to be as stagnant as it has been. If we want to attract the best talent to NH we need to support a strong minimum wage!
A bill potentially violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is not something anyone should be supporting.
Working families, students, retirees, and health and education providers deserve to feed their families, provide housing, and to sustain themselves and our state's minimum wage does not allow for this. While depending on the market can transiently result in wage increases as we saw during the early part of the pandemic these shifts are not sustained nor are they able to be enforced. As costs for families increase and will for the forseable future it is important now more than ever to increase the money in our state's economy by increasing our minimum wage. This bill supports this by incrementally increasing wages to a standard that would allow for workers and for employers. As the state struggles to attract and retain workers in service categories we see states along each boarder benefitting from New Hampshire's workers. We need care providers, educators, food and sanitation workers and raising our state's minimum wage will improve our competitiveness in the region while also increasing the money in our economy and improving the health and wellbeing of our communities. Please support this bill to raise the state's minimum wage to secure a brighter economic future for all.
I urge my representatives to support HB726 to increases minimum wage over the next 3 to 4 years from $10 an hour to $15 an hour). Our state needs to pay a livable wage to our workers and this is a step in the right direction.
I am writing to offer my strong support for House Bill 726-FN, which proposes important updates to New Hampshire’s minimum wage standards. I commend the bill’s approach to incrementally increasing the minimum hourly rate—from $10.00 effective September 1, 2025, to $15.00 by January 1, 2028—as well as its provisions to enhance the base rate for tipped employees. These measures represent a significant step forward in ensuring that all workers receive fair compensation, and they align with broader efforts to support the economic well-being of New Hampshire’s workforce. The phased increase in wages is a pragmatic strategy that will allow employers and employees to adjust to the new standards gradually while fostering a healthier local economy. Furthermore, the safeguards provided—ensuring that employees receive the full minimum wage even when tips do not cover the difference—offer necessary protections for workers in industries where income can be unpredictable. While I wholeheartedly support the measures proposed in HB 726-FN, I respectfully offer a caveat for future consideration. As our economy evolves, it may be beneficial to develop a system that bases wage standards on local living wage data rather than on fixed, arbitrary dollar amounts. By utilizing locally-sourced data on living costs, such a system could more accurately reflect regional economic conditions, ensuring that wage policies remain responsive to the diverse needs of communities across New Hampshire. This approach would help to guarantee that wage increases are both equitable and effective in addressing the real-world cost of living experienced by workers. In conclusion, I urge you to pass HB 726-FN, as it is a critical step toward securing better wages for workers in our state. I also encourage ongoing discussions on refining wage policies to incorporate local living wage data, thereby ensuring that New Hampshire’s economic policies remain both progressive and adaptable to the unique needs of its communities. Thank you for your consideration of my views on this important matter.
Our low state minimum wage discourages young people from staying in NH or coming to NH.
Minimum wage isn't even a living wage--There is good evidence that raising the minimum wage does not harm small businesses. Many folks earning minimum wage are essential, working in grocery stores, hospitals, and nursing homes. We must support them by requiring employers to pay better wages. And we have a moral obligation to respect the dignity of people who work by paying a fair wage.
I’m writing to support raising the minimum wage, which has been stagnant for 10 years while inflation shot through the roof. Business owners and corporations are raking in record profits while their workers are scrambling to work 40 hours/a week and still qualifying for government assistance due to corporate greed. A raise in minimum wage is ethical, objectively sound based on cost of living analyses, and is the right thing to do. If you’re conservative and taxes are your main concern, let the businesses and corporations pay their workers a livable wage, and perhaps less people and workers in New Hampshire will rely on your tax money for benefits. Thank you for supporting hard-working granite, boosting our economy, and drawing more people to live and work in our state!
Good for citizens hood for the stste
The minimum wage needs to increase if we want people to continue living here.