CT Minimum Wage Increases Sept. 1: What You Need To Know

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut’s minimum wage increased by one dollar up to $12 an hour on Sept. 1. It is the second raise since 2019. The state’s minimum wage will gradually increase to $15 by June 1, 2023.

After that the state’s minimum wage will be indexed to the employment cost index, which is maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor.

"Nobody working a full-time job should live in poverty,” Governor Ned Lamont said. “For too long, while the nation’s economy grew, the income of the lowest earning workers has stayed flat, making already existing pay disparities even worse and preventing hardworking families from obtaining financial security. This is a fair, modest increase, and the money earned will go right back into our own economy, supporting local businesses in our communities.”

The minimum wage bump is in line with some of Connecticut’s neighboring states. Massachusetts minimum wage is $12.75 and is scheduled to reach $15 by 2023 as well. New York State’s general minimum wage is $11.80 and will rise to $12.50 by the end of the year; it is already $15 in New York City.

Rhode Island’s minimum wage will go up to $11.50 an hour on Oct. 1.

Lamont signed the minimum wage increase bill into law in 2019. The minimum wage was $10.10 before the first raise to $11 on Oct. 1, 2019. The bill was the subject of a marathon 14-hour debate in the state House of Representatives and it passed 85 to 59.

Here is the full schedule of raises for Connecticut:

· $12.00 on September 1, 2020;
· $13.00 on August 1, 2021;
· $14.00 on July 1, 2022; and
· $15.00 on June 1, 2023.