CT Minimum Wage To Jump In January: Here’s How Much

Connecticut’s minimum wage will increase to $17.48 per hour starting on Jan. 1, 2027.

Based on a 40-hour work week, this translates to $36,358 annually.

It is a 54 cent increase, as the current minimum wage is at $16.94 per hour.

Gov. Ned Lamont said the increase is required under a state law passed in 2019.

“Nobody working a full-time job should live in poverty,” Lamont said. “This is a fair, modest increase, and the money earned by workers will go right back into our own economy, supporting local businesses and our communities.”

The state’s minimum wage is adjusted annually. The amount of the increase is 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, according to Lamont’s office.

Connecticut Department of Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo reports this index increased by 3.2 percent in that timeframe, so the state’s hourly minimum wage will increase accordingly by 54 cents.

“Minimum wage increases ensure that Connecticut’s lowest wage workers aren’t left behind as the economy grows,” Bartolomeo said.

According to the state, about 6 out of 10 Connecticut workers who earn minimum wage are women and people of color.

House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said via email Wednesday, "The increase doesn't take effect until January 1, but Governor Lamont called a press conference about it six days before a Democratic primary. That tells you who the announcement was for. It wasn't the small businesses and towns that have to absorb the cost, and it wasn't the young people who find fewer starter jobs waiting for them. For a Governor who never misses a chance to mention his business background, he seems to know Wall Street a lot better than he knows Main Street."

On the national level, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. announced in June a proposal to increase the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour, which translates to $52,000 per year, based on a 40-hour workweek. The “Living Wage For All Act,” if passed, would require large corporate employers to implement the change by 2032, and other businesses would have a deadline of 2039.