Governor Ned Lamont announced that beginning on January 1, 2025, Connecticut’s minimum wage will increase from the current rate of $15.69 per hour to $16.35 per hour.
The change is required under a state law Governor Lamont signed in 2019 (Public Act 19-4) that connects the state’s minimum wage to economic indicators, specifically the percentage change in the federal employment cost index. Under that 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 is required to review this percentage change and announce any necessary adjustments by October 15 of each year. Those adjustments must take effect on January 1 of the following year.
Connecticut Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo reports that the employment cost index increased by 4.2% over the twelve-month period ending on June 30, 2024, accounting for a $0.66 increase to the state’s minimum wage that will become effective on January 1, 2025.
“This law that we enacted ensures that as the economy grows, the wages of low-income workers can grow with it,” Governor 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.”
“The minimum wage was established to provide a fair, livable baseline of income for those who work,” Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. “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,” Commissioner 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.”
According to the Current Population Survey as calculated by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 60% of minimum wage earners in Connecticut are women.
Continuing forward under this law, Connecticut workers and employers can anticipate that announcements will be made by October 15 of each year declaring the change in the minimum wage that will become effective on January 1 of the approaching year.
