HARTFORD, CT — The state’s minimum wage is set to increase by nearly 60 cents per hour next year, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.
Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo made the announcement at the American Jobs Center in Hartford.
“Protecting workers is part of maintaining a solid economy, one that attracts new workers and focuses on making Connecticut more affordable for young people,” Bartolomeo said. “Indexing the minimum wage to the ECI (federal employment cost index) helps to offset inflation and keeps that wage gap from widening.”
Bartolomeo said the increase would affect ab out 160,000 to 200,000 workers in Connecticut, about 60% of whom are women and people of color, he said.
On January 1, 2026, the state’s minimum wage will increase from the current rate of $16.35 per hour to $16.94 per hour. According to Bartolomeo, that makes Connecticut’s minimum wage among the highest in the nation.
By comparison, the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, and was set in 2009.
Bysiewicz said it was a myth that minimum wage workers are mainly teenagers looking for extra money and said the increase would make a difference for families.
“While some states are still debating whether to raise the minimum wage at all, Connecticut is proving that smart policy and strong values go hand in hand,” she said. “We’ve raised the minimum wage, and more jobs have been created in our economy as a result. Because when wages rise, local businesses thrive. More paychecks means more spending in our shops, our restaurants, and our Main Streets. When families do better, our whole state does better.”
The change is the result of Public Act 19-4, which Lamont signed into law in 2019. It ties the state’s minimum wage to economic indicators, specifically the percentage change in the federal employment cost index. Under the law, the minimum wage is required to be adjusted each year based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s calculation of the ECI for the 12-month period ending on June 30 of the preceding year.
Bartolomeo is required to review the percentage change and announce any necessary adjustments by October 15 of each year. She reported that the ECI increased by 3.6% from July 2024 through June 2025, accounting for a $0.59 increase to the state’s minimum wage.
Lamont said he recalled the “horror stories” he heard about how a minimum wage increase would damage the economy. But the state has experienced more business startups than ever before since the increase, he said.
“Look, a lot of people want to make the state more affordable by a tax credit here or a subsidy there,” he said. “How about paying people a little more, which is what they deserve?”
Lamont said the economy was doing well because of the people who go to work every day.
“That’s what this minimum wage is all about,” he said. “I’m really pleased that we’re able to get this done here, and we’re just getting started.”
The Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) released its annual business survey Wednesday, which cited labor costs and hiring and retaining workers as a concern of the majority of businesses.
Chris Davis, vice president of public policy for the CBIA said in a phone interview that employers can feel additional pressure to increase benefits for higher wage earners to account for the shrinking wage gap
“When you see an increase in the minimum wage, even if it’s a small amount, or the over 50 cents that we’re seeing for next year, it does lead to price inflation for the wages of all the other employees that might be above minimum wage as well,” he said. “It does help narrow that gap between wage earners at different levels, and that can put additional pressure on employers to increase benefits up the chain, which ultimately leads to those high costs of doing business here in Connecticut.”
Connecticut’s minimum hourly wage was $11 in 2019 and increased by $1 annually until it reached $15 in 2023.