As much of the country is still squeezed by the grips of inflation, some Connecticut residents will see a little relief as of Friday.

Beginning July 1, the state’s minimum wage will increase to $14 per hour from the current $13 per hour.

“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,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a news release Monday. “This is a fair, gradual increase for workers who will invest the money right back into our economy and continue supporting local businesses in their communities.”

The increase follows Public Act 19-4, which Lamont signed into law in 2019 after it passed the state’s legislature along a party-line vote. At the time, the minimum wage in Connecticut was $10.10 per hour. The federal minimum then was $7.25 per hour and still is now. Connecticut’s minimum wage went up to $11 in October of 2019, then $12 in September of 2020 and $13 last August. It’ll hit $15 next June. After that, the minimum wage will increase according to federal economic data in the Employment Cost Index, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses to monitor wage growth.

According to the Connecticut Department of Labor and Connecticut Voices for Children, the law will raise wages for more than half-a-million Connecticut workers by 2024.

“Raising the minimum wage is going to benefit hundreds of thousands...

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