The change is required under a state law Governor Lamont signed in 2019 (Public Act 19-4) that connects the state’s minimum wage to economic indicators, specifically the percentage change in the federal employment cost index. 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 months 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.

Connecticut Labor Commissioner Dante Bartolomeo reports that the Employment Cost Index increased by 4.2 percent over the twelve months ending on June 30, 2024. This increase accounts for a $0.66 raise in the state's minimum wage, which will become effective on January 1, 2025.