A City Council bill this week would lift New York’s minimum wage to $30 an hour, the highest statutory rate in the United States. The measure phases in the increase, moving the current $17 floor to $30 by 2030 for firms with 500 or more employees, and extending the target to 2032 for smaller employers.

Supporters argue the hike will ease the chronic affordability squeeze that haunts many low‑income New Yorkers