2025 Connecticut Minimum Wage

How the rate is adjusted each year, and who announces it

Connecticut’s minimum wage rate is not set by a fixed legislative vote each year. Instead, state law ties the hourly rate to a specific inflation measure: the percentage change in the federal employment cost index published by the U.S. Department of Labor for the twelve-month period ending on June 30 of the prior year. Using that figure, the Connecticut Labor Commissioner must review the change and publicly announce any resulting rate adjustment no later than October 15 each year. The new rate then takes effect on January 1 of the following year. For the 2025 adjustment, the commissioner determined that the employment cost index had risen over the relevant twelve-month period, producing a rate of $16.35 per hour beginning January 1, 2025. This automatic, formula-driven process means workers and employers know in advance each fall what the minimum wage will be when the new year begins, without waiting for further action by the legislature.

Under that law, the minimum wage is required to be adjusted each year 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. The commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor is required to review this percentage change and announce any necessary adjustments by October 15 of each year. Those adjustments must take effect on January 1 of the following year.

Governor Lamont Announces Connecticut’s Minimum Wage Will Increase to $16.35 on January 1, 2025 (Office of the Governor of Connecticut)