Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday announced that beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, Connecticut’s minimum wage will increase from the current rate of $15.69 per hour to $16.35 per hour.
Lamont explained that the change is required under a state law he signed in 2019 that connects the state’s minimum wage to economic indicators, specifically the percentage change in the federal employment cost index.
“This law that we enacted ensures that as the economy grows, the wages of low-income workers can grow with it,” Lamont said. “This is a fair, modest adjustment for workers who will invest their earnings right back into our economy and support local businesses in their communities.”
Under the law, the minimum wage is required to be adjusted each year based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s calculation of the employment cost index for the twelve-month period ending on June 30 of the preceding year.
The commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor, Danté Bartolomeo, is required to review this percentage change and announce any necessary adjustments by Oct. 15 of each year. Those adjustments must take effect on Jan. 1 of the following year.
Bartolomeo reported that the employment cost index increased by 4.2 percent over the twelve-month period ending on June 30, 2024, accounting for a $0.66 increase to the state’s minimum wage.
“The minimum wage was established to provide a fair, livable baseline of income for those who work,” said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz.
“But, for too long, while the nation’s economy grew, the income of minimum wage workers stayed flat, making already existing pay disparities even worse, especially for the already economically disadvantaged. This is a policy that benefits everyone and provides more financial security to families, especially women and people of color.”
“Minimum wage increases help ensure that no Connecticut worker gets left behind,” Bartolomeo said. “The majority of minimum wage earners are women, and many have families. Giving them this increase is good policy that supports Connecticut workers and the local economy.”