Effective January 1, 2025, the hourly minimum wage in the state will increase from $15.69 to $16.35.

A 2019 law (PA 19-4) passed by the legislature aligns Connecticut’s minimum wage to a percentage change in an economic indicator called the federal employment cost index. According to the Department of Labor the employment cost index rose 4.2% for the current fiscal year ending June 30, resulting in a 66-cent increase to the state’s minimum wage.

This modest adjustment not only helps workers who will get a pay increase, but benefits everyone as additional earnings go right back into our communities and local small businesses. There are an estimated 169,000 minimum wage earners according to the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, representing about 10 percent of the state's total workforce.

The U.S. Census Bureau and federal Bureau of Labor Statistics report that approximately 60% of minimum wage earners in Connecticut are women. Throughout the United States, food preparation, service industry and personal care workers are the top occupations that pay minimum wage.

Read more on Connecticut’s minimum wage in this article from the Connecticut Post.