Connecticut raises minimum wage to $17.48 per hour starting Jan 1 2027

Governor Ned Lamont announced that Connecticut’s statutory minimum wage will rise from $16.94 to $17.48 per hour on Jan. 1 2027, a 54‑cent (3.2%) increase. The hike follows the state’s automatic adjustment mechanism enacted by Public Act 19‑4, which ties future raises to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Cost Index.

Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said the change translates to an extra $21.60 a week for a full‑time worker and will affect roughly 160,000‑200,000 low‑wage employees and their families, many of whom are women and people of color. The policy is intended to preserve purchasing power as living costs rise and to give employers a predictable schedule for wage adjustments.