The Connecticut minimum wage for 2026 and 2027, the tipped and youth rates, and how the rate is set each year. Every figure links to its official source below.
| Rate | 2026 (now) | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard minimum wage | $16.94 | $17.48 |
| Restaurant and hotel restaurant service employees (guaranteed cash wage) Waitpersons, plus gratuities. | $6.38 | Not yet announced |
| Bartenders (guaranteed cash wage) Plus gratuities. | $8.23 | Not yet announced |
Current rate in effect since January 1, 2026; next statewide change: the rate rises to $17.48 on January 1, 2027.
In the restaurant and hotel restaurant occupations, waitpersons are paid $6.38 an hour plus gratuities and bartenders $8.23 an hour plus gratuities from January 1, 2026, under the Department of Labor's wage order. Connecticut's Department of Labor had not published 2027 tipped cash wages when this page was checked.
Workers under 18 (except emancipated minors) may be paid not less than 85% of the minimum fair wage for the first 90 days of employment, or $10.10 an hour, whichever is greater, and the full minimum wage after that (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-58(i)(5), printed on the Department's mercantile trade order).
This page lists no city or county minimum wages for Connecticut; the state rate is the one the Department of Labor publishes.
A 2019 law adjusts the minimum wage every January 1 by the change in the federal employment cost index for the twelve months ending the previous June 30. The Labor Commissioner must announce the new rate by October 15; the 2027 rate was announced by the Governor on August 5, 2026.
What does $16.94 an hour leave you after tax in Connecticut? Run it through the paycheck calculator.
Open the paycheck calculator →Every state side by side: minimum wage by state 2026 and minimum wage by state 2027.
$16.90 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$15.00 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$11.00 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$13.73 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$15.15 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$15.16 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$17.13 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$15.00 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$17.00 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$7.25 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$7.25 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$15.92 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$7.25 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$7.25 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$7.25 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$7.25 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$7.25 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$11.00 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$12.77 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$15.00 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
$15.00 now; tipped, youth and local rates.
Every 2026 state minimum wage vs the $7.25 federal floor, DOL-sourced, all 50 states + DC + territories
Every 2027 state minimum wage vs the $7.25 federal floor, official-source verified, all 50 states + DC + territories
Federal, state, FICA withholding, net take-home, W-4 alignment
Convert annual salary to hourly wage, part-time calculations