As required by the state’s constitution, New Jersey’s minimum hourly wage will get a cost-of-living increase on Jan. 1 and go up to $15.49, a 36 cent an hour bump.

New Jersey currently has the fifth highest minimum wage in the country, topped by California at $16 per hour, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 per hour, and New Jersey is one of 34 states that exceed it.

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