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wage index / Connecticut

Let’s talk wages in Connecticut

What is the minimum wage in Connecticut?
$16.94

The minimum wage in Connecticut is $16.94 per hour, effective January 1, 2026. Connecticut has maintained a minimum wage above the federal level for many years. Tipped employees — wait staff and bartenders — have separate rates; consult the Connecticut Department of Labor for current figures.

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What is the average wage in Connecticut?
$30.99
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage in Connecticut is $30.99. Wages vary by occupation, industry, and location.
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What is the living wage in Connecticut?
$26.05
The estimated living wage in Connecticut is $26.05 per hour. A living wage represents the estimated hourly rate needed to cover basic living expenses, including housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and other essential costs.
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A guide to hourly labor laws in Connecticut

Standard Minimum Wage
$16.94 (Connecticut Department of Labor).
Tipped Minimum Wage
$6.38 for wait staff and $8.23 for bartenders, totaling at least minimum wage after tips and wages (Department of Labor) (PA 19-4—HB 5004).
Overtime
Non-exempt employees must be paid 1.5 times their regular pay for hours beyond 40 in a workweek.
Meal Breaks
Federal law allows unpaid, non-working, bona-fide meal breaks over 30 minutes; exceptions may apply (29 C.F.R. 785.19) (DoL). State law requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break for 7.5 consecutive hours worked. The break cannot be in the first or last two work hours (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-51ii).
Rest Breaks
None required under Connecticut or federal law. If rest breaks are provided, breaks lasting 5–20 minutes must be paid according to federal law (29 C.F.R. § 785.18). 
Wage Deductions
Employers may only make wage deductions required by law or authorized by the employee in writing. Deductions for losses and shortages are generally not allowed. Third-party deductions benefitting the employer may not reduce wages below the applicable minimum (29 C.F.R. § 4.168) (29 US Code § 203) (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71e).
Final Paychecks
Wage Payment Frequency
Weekly or biweekly, unless otherwise authorized (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71b).
Paid Sick Leave
Connecticut requires paid sick leave for employers with 11 or more employees (as of January 1, 2026; all employers as of January 1, 2027) accrued at one hour per every 40 hours worked, up to 40 maximum hours per year. The pay rate is the greater of the worker's hourly wage or the standard minimum wage — $16.94 (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-57s).
Paid Family and Medical Leave
Connecticut's PFML program provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave within 12 months to care for a new child, a family member with a serious condition, or the employee's health condition (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-49e et seq). This is in addition to the federal 12 weeks of unpaid leave (FMLA).
Maximum Daily and Weekly Hours for Children Under 16
Restaurant work is generally prohibited by minors under 16 unless authorized.
  • School days: No working during school hours. Up to three hours per day and 18 hours per week. No working between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
  • Non-school days: Up to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week. Between June 21 and Labor Day, they may work until 9 p.m. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-23) (DoL) (29 C.F.R. § 570.35).
Maximum Daily and Weekly Hours for Children 16 and 17
  •  Restricted scheduling days: Up to six hours per school day or eight hours on non-school days and school days that precede a non-school day. 
  •   Restricted scheduling times: No work between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. before a school night. No work from 12 a.m. until 6 a.m. on non-school nights (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-18). 
FAQs

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What is the difference between gross wages and net wages?

It's important to remember that the Hourly Wage Index data above reflects gross wages, or the amount of money an employee earns before accounting for payroll deductions like taxes, benefits, or wage garnishments. Due to variability in tax rates across locations, slightly lower gross wages in a certain location might result in higher take home pay, or vice versa.

What is a good hourly wage?

It's important to remember that the Hourly Wage Index data above reflects gross wages, or the amount of money an employee earns before accounting for payroll deductions like taxes, benefits, or wage garnishments. Due to variability in tax rates across locations, slightly lower gross wages in a certain location might result in higher take home pay, or vice versa.

Offering competitive pay is one of my top priorities—what other resources do you have that might help?

It's important to remember that the Hourly Wage Index data above reflects gross wages, or the amount of money an employee earns before accounting for payroll deductions like taxes, benefits, or wage garnishments. Due to variability in tax rates across locations, slightly lower gross wages in a certain location might result in higher take home pay, or vice versa.

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Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Information

Before we discuss the right to limit and the right to opt-out, we must first define personal information and how it relates to sensitive personal information.

Personal information is any data that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked to you or your household. A few examples of personal information include:

  • Name or nickname
  • Email address
  • Purchase history
  • Browsing history
  • Location data
  • Employment data
  • IP address
  • Profiles businesses create about you, including pseudonymous profiles (“user1234”)
  • Sensitive personal information

Sensitive personal information or “SPI” is a subset of personal information, defined as:

  • Identifying information (e.g. social security number, driver’s license)
  • Financial data (e.g. debit or credit card numbers)
  • Precise geolocation (within a radius of 1,850 feet)
  • Demographic or protected-class information (e.g. race/ethnicity, religion, union membership)
  • Biometric and genetic data (e.g. fingerprints, palm scans, facial recognition)
  • Communications and content (e.g. mail, email, text messages)
  • Health and sexual orientation (e.g. vaccine records, health history)

Right to Opt-Out

Californians have the right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their personal information. That means you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties (e.g. data brokers, advertisers). You also have the right to opt-out of the sharing of your personal information to prevent the targeting of ads across different businesses, websites, apps, or services.

CCPA-covered businesses must provide a link to allow you to exercise this right. It is usually found at the bottom of a webpage and will say “do not sell or share my personal information” or “your privacy choices.” Sometimes businesses offer privacy choices through a pop-up window or form

To opt-out of the sale and sharing of your personal information, click on the link or use the toggle provided by the business and follow the directions. Doing this on every website you visit can feel burdensome, but to ease the burden you can automatically select your privacy preferences for every website by using an opt-out preference signal, or OOPS for short.

An OOPS is a user-friendly and straightforward way for consumers to automatically exercise their right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their personal information with the businesses they interact with online. An OOPS, such as the Global Privacy Control. It can either be a setting on your internet browser or a browser extension. With an OOPS, consumers do not have to submit individual requests to opt-out of sale or sharing with each business.

Right to Limit

Californians also have the right to direct businesses to limit the use and disclosure of their sensitive personal information.

Businesses covered under the CCPA must provide a link on their website that allows you to request the limiting of your SPI, if they plan on using it in certain ways. That link will also typically be at the bottom of a webpage and will say: “limit the use of my sensitive personal information” or “your privacy choices.” Once you send this request, the business must stop using your SPI for anything other than to:

  • Provide requested goods or services
  • Ensure security and integrity
  • Prevent fraud
  • Maintain system functionality
  • Comply with legal obligations

Bringing it Together

In summary, the CCPA gives you the right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of your personal information and gives you additional rights to further limit the use and disclosure of your sensitive personal information.

When you exercise these rights together, you exert greater control in protecting your personal data which is important for your identity, safety, and financial health.

If you are on a business’s website and you can’t find the links to exercise your rights, remember to check their privacy policy. The privacy policy should tell you how you can exercise your rights under the law.

If you find your rights being violated, you can submit a complaint to CalPrivacy.

Next in the LOCKED series, we will explore the right to correct and right to know. Follow us on social media to get live updates or check back in one week for the next post.

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Targeted Advertising

Used to deliver advertising that is more relevant to you and your interests. May also be used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Advertising networks usually place them with the website operator’s permission.

Personalization

Allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your username, language, or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For example, a website may provide you with local weather reports or traffic news by storing data about your general location.

Analytics

Help the website operator understand how its website performs, how visitors interact with the site, and whether there may be technical issues.

Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information

You also have the right to limit how we use sensitive personal information (such as precise geolocation, financial data, etc.).

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