Connecticut’s minimum wage will increase to $17.48 per hour next year, the state announced Wednesday.
The new rate, which takes effect on Jan. 1, is an increase of 54 cents, or 3.2%, from the current wage of $16.94 per hour.
Under a law enacted in 2019, the state’s minimum wage receives annual adjustments at the start of every calendar year based on economic indicators from the prior fiscal year.
Under the law, the annual adjustment is based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s calculation of the employment cost index for the 12-month period ending on June 30 of the preceding year. The commissioner of the state Department of Labor must review the change and announce any necessary adjustments by Oct. 15.
State Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said the federal employment cost index increased by 3.2% over the 12-month period ending on June 30, accounting for the increase.
In a statement, Gov. Ned Lamont described the increase as “fair” and “modest,” adding that the “money earned by workers will go right back into our own economy, supporting local businesses and our communities.”
With the $17.48-per-hour rate set for 2027, the minimum wage will have increased by 45.7% since 2020, when the rate was $12 an hour.
Connecticut’s existing $16.94 hourly minimum wage is the second-highest statewide rate in the country, behind only Washington state’s $17.13. The District of Columbia’s minimum wage is also higher, at $18.40.
Twenty states still use the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, which has remained unchanged since 2009. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy unveiled legislation in June to raise the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour.
