Minimum wage workers in Connecticut will be making a little more money starting at the end of this week. On Friday, the state’s minimum wage will increase from $13 to $14.
This increase is part of a law signed by the governor three years ago that is set to raise the minimum wage to $15 by the middle of 2023. It was previously set at $10.10.
“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,” Governor Lamont said in a statement announcing this week’s increase. “This is a fair, gradual increase for workers who will invest the money right back into our economy and continue supporting local businesses in their communities.”
The increase will put Connecticut among New England states with the highest rates, second only to neighboring Massachusetts, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor. Only New Hampshire has a minimum wage at the federal level of $7.25.
Several states in the nation adopted similar laws, gradually increasing their minimum wages to $15 over the course of years. Most recently, that includes Rhode Island which enacted a law last year to increase its minimum wage by 2025.
In addition to the gradual increase, Connecticut’s law will end by indexing the state’s minimum wage to the employment cost index from the U.S. Department of Labor. That move is set to increase the state’s wages in accordance with certain economic indicators.
