(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that Connecticut’s minimum wage will adjust to $17.48 per hour beginning January 1, 2027—an increase from the 2026 rate of $16.94 per hour.
The change is required under a state law Governor Lamont enacted in 2019 requiring the minimum wage to receive annual adjustments at the start of every calendar year based on economic indicators from the prior fiscal year. This law ensures that as the economy grows, the minimum wage grows with it.
“Nobody working a full-time job should live in poverty,” Governor 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. That is why I enacted a law requiring the minimum wage to be adjusted every year based on the health of the economy. 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.”
“Connecticut’s minimum wage must be a dynamic and flexible standard that responds to changing economic conditions,” Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. “We are proud to have one of the highest minimum wages in the country and this increase reflects Connecticut’s strong economy while ensuring that workers’ wages will continue to grow alongside it.”
As required under the law, the annual adjustment 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. The commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor must 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.
Connecticut Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo reports that the employment cost index increased by 3.2% over the twelve-month period ending on June 30, 2026, accounting for a $0.54 increase to the state’s minimum wage that will become effective on January 1, 2027.
“Minimum wage increases ensure that Connecticut’s lowest wage workers aren’t left behind as the economy grows,” Commissioner Bartolomeo said. “Minimum wage earners are particularly vulnerable to inflation and cost increases that widen wage gaps; this law helps them keep up and promotes a stable economy.”
According to the Current Population Survey as calculated by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 60% of minimum wage earners in Connecticut are women and people of color.
Continuing forward under this law, Connecticut workers and employers can anticipate that announcements declaring the adjustment in the minimum wage that will become effective on January 1 of the approaching year will be made during the second half of each calendar year.